The reliable determination of bioapatite crystallinity is of great practical interest, as a proxy to the physico-chemical and microstructural properties, and ultimately, to the integrity of bone materials. Bioapatite crystallinity is used to diagnose pathologies in modern calcified tissues as well as to assess the preservation state of fossil bones. To date, infrared spectroscopy is one of the most applied techniques for bone characterisation and the derived infrared splitting factor (IRSF) has been widely used to practically assess bioapatite crystallinity. Here we thoroughly discuss and revise the use of the IRSF parameter and its meaning as a crystallinity indicator, based on extensive measurements of fresh and fossil bones, virtually covering the known range of crystallinity degree of bioapatite. A novel way to calculate and use the infrared peak width as a suitable measurement of true apatite crystallinity is proposed, and validated by combined measurement of the same samples through X-ray diffraction. The non-linear correlation between the infrared peak width and the derived ISRF is explained. As shown, the infrared peak width at 604 cm⁻¹can be effectively used to assess both the average crystallite size and structural carbonate content of bioapatite, thus establishing a universal calibration curve of practical use.

Following animated discussions in the 1990–2010 period concerning the validity and potential application of Pb isotope data to yield information on ancient metallurgy, recently lead isotope analysis has been extensively applied with alternate success and difficulty to the early stages of copper/lead/silver/tin metal flow in the Central Mediterranean area, arbitrarily defined as including Italy, the Mediterranean Islands, and the surrounding regions for comparison purposes. A wealth of data are now available in the literature, many of them interpreted within local contexts and limited geographical extension, and often within a shifting conceptual modeling frame. A brief review of the recently published data indicate that the metal flow in prehistory and protohistory is far more dynamic than presumed on the basis of the traditionally assumed archaeological models. It is suggested that the isotopic tracers, if correctly applied and interpreted, may substantially help in decoding the metal exploitation and trade patterns at different scales, from the local links between mines and smelting sites to wider regional or long‐distance trades. The abundant dataset available are however in need of thorough interpretation in terms of wider archaeological and archaeo‐metallurgical questions, possibly by the use of advanced statistical methods and unconventional data mining protocols.