The accumulation of selected elements in wood from archaelogical site in Biskupin (Poland)

Contents of 40 elements were determined in samples of archaeological and contemporary wood of pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and oak (Quercus robur L.) after 10 years of their deposition in two environments (bottom sediment vs. wet peat) at a Lusatian culture archaeological site in Biskupin (Poland). Contents of the elements were also determined in the soil, in which wood samples were deposited. The assays were performed using Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and the results were interpreted based on statistical analyses (t-test, one-way ANOVA and Tukey's HSD). It was stated that greater contents of elements were recorded for lake bottom deposits compared to wet peat. It was also established that Q. robur (both modern and archaeological) contained more minerals than P. sylvestris. Regardless of the deposition conditions, species and degree of wood degradation, the concentration of chemical elements is too low to influence the degradation process of the remains of the Lusatian culture sludge in Biskupin.