Qualitative Elemental Composition of Select New York African Burial Ground Grave Soil Samples.

Qualitative Elemental Composition of Select New York African Burial Ground Grave Soil Samples

C. Duncan¹, C. Clinton², F. Jackson²

¹ University of Maryland College Park, ²Howard University

The New York African Burial Ground (NYABG) is the largest burial site of free and enslaved Africans in the United States and was used throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. Upon acquisition by the state of New York for Federal Building construction (now FDR building), the presence of intact human remains of Africans was discovered at the site. A team of archaeologists and scientists were deployed to collect samples from the site for historical and scientific studies. The NYABG samples are housed at Howard University and include soil, bone and teeth. This research aims to identify and qualitatively determine total elemental concentrations in select soil samples. The Bruker Tracer III_SD handheld x-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer will be used for elemental analysis. We demonstrate elements commonly found in soil (mineralogical) such as Fe, Mg, Al, or Si can be identified using this non-destructive method. We also demonstrate elements such as Ca can be used as an indicator for the presence of archaeological finds (i.e. bone). Heavier elements such as Ni, Cu, Zn, As, and Pb can be qualitatively correlated to anthropogenic sources (i.e. metal working or ceramics). Results from the analysis of 10 selected NYABG grave soil samples will be reported.