Taxonomic identification of bone fragments in resin-embedded sediment blocks through palaeoproteomics

Identifying the taxonomy of bone fragments in resin-embedded archaeological sediment blocks can provide information about our past at a microstratigraphic resolution. Here, we first explore the effects of resin impregnation on modern bones, and find minimal effects on taxonomic identifications, but an increase in oxidation-related PTMs. We thereafter apply the method on Pleistocene resin-embedded sediment blocks from the archaeological sites of Bacho Kiro, La Ferrassie, and Quinçay. For two out of three sites, the taxonomic identifications are highly successful, reflecting a faunal composition previously identified at the site. For the last site, Quinçay, we find poor protein preservation in the sediment block that was sampled and a lower success rate of taxonomic identifications. Our results show that palaeoproteomic information can be derived from sediment blocks, allowing study of the past at a much higher resolution.