RationaleStrontium isotope (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr) analysis of skeletal remains has become a powerful tool in archaeological studies of human migration and mobility. Owing to its resistance to post‐mortem alteration, dental enamel is the preferred sampling material used for ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr analysis in bioarchaeological provenance research, although recent studies have demonstrated that cremated bone is also generally resistant to diagenesis. This paper presents the results of a pilot study exploring the potential of unburnt petrous bone (pars petrosa) as a reservoir of biogenic (diagenetically unaltered) strontium, as the otic capsule or bony labyrinth within the petrous bone is extremely dense and is thought to be unable to remodel after early childhood, potentially providing an alternative for dental enamel.MethodsFrom an individual from a colonial‐era (18th century) site on the island of Saba in the Caribbean for whom previous enamel ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr results had indicated non‐local origins, multiple locations (n = 4) on the petrous were sampled and measured for strontium isotope composition. Saba (13 km²) has been extensively mapped for baseline strontium isotopes (n = 50) with ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr varying from ca 0.7065 to 0.7090, whereas enamel ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (n = 3) ranged from 0.7104 to 0.7112.ResultsAll four petrous ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios (0.7111–0.7122) are consistently and considerably higher than the local bioavailable range, and very similar to the enamel ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr. These results provide initial evidence that unburnt petrous bones may preserve biogenic strontium, at least in this specific burial context.ConclusionsWhile more research in diverse burial conditions is needed to validate this observation, if confirmed, it would have broader implications for sample selection strategies in bioarchaeological studies using the strontium isotope method.