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Cremation was the main funerary practice in present-day Belgium during the Roman period (ca. 52 BCE- 406 AD). Until the end of the 20th century, researchers assumed that most biological, chronological, and environmental information recorded in bone was destroyed due to high temperatures (up to 1000°C) reached during combustion. The exposure to high temperatures leads to significant structural, chemical, and isotopic changes to the inorganic fraction of bone while destroying the organic components. Despite these limitations, recent developments in Infrared Spectroscopy and carbon and oxygen isotope analysis indicate that the study of cremated bones provides important information regarding pyre technology and body management in ancient societies in which cremation was the dominant funerary practice. The aim of this study is to assess the intra- and inter-site variability in cremation conditions during the Roman period in Belgium, using Attenuated Total Reflectance-Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) and carbon and oxygen isotope analysis on burnt human remains. For this reason, five sites from the Early and Middle Roman period (ca. 52 BCE-270 AD) were selected. The spectroscopic and isotopic results of the cremated remains indicate that there is a high degree of homogeneity in cremation conditions during the Roman period. However, statistically, significant differences can be observed when comparing the data of the Roman period to Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age (ca. 1200–500/450 BCE) data, indicating that the way cremation was performed changed between the two chronological periods from the same area. The homogeneity in cremation settings in the Roman period compared to the variability in the Metal Ages adds to our understanding regarding the changes in cremation practices through time and space in ancient communities where cremation was the predominant funerary practice and provides useful insights regarding the pyre technology, body treatment, and pyre management during cremation.

Studies of funerary practices provide information about many aspects of death in past societies. However, only limited archaeological evidence documents the circumstances under which cremations occurred and the person(s) who were performing the funerary rituals. Lying at the border between Atlantic and Continental cultural traditions, the Scheldt and Meuse basins of Belgium represent a unique location to investigate variations in ancient pyre technology and body management, as well as the transfer of knowledge related to cremation techniques during the Metal Ages (ca. 2100-52 BCE). The combined use of Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy, and carbon and oxygen isotope analysis of different skeletal elements from cremation deposits from four archaeological sites clearly shows differences between the Meuse and Scheldt basins. Different wood availability or selection, and variations in the skills and/or experience of the cremation operator may explain these results. These observed differences are likely linked to ways in which cremation was performed in the two basins, indicating that during the Metal Ages, burning processes were not homogeneous in the Belgian region. Instead, cremation practices appear to align with the different cultural influences also observed in ceramics and bronze artifacts from the same time period. These observed differences in funerary practices between the two basins in Belgium show the immense potential of combining infrared and carbon and oxygen isotope analyses to investigate cremation rituals in any period and region around the world.