Showing papers in "Archaeometry in 1992"
TL;DR: In this paper, stable lead isotope ratio determinations of ore and slag specimens from ancient mining sites throughout Anatolia and of samples of artefacts of the Chalcolithic, Bronze Age and Early Iron Age from museum collections in Turkey and the United States have been combined with the accumulated published isotope determinations from such specimens from throughout the eastern Mediterranean and Aegean regions to form a data base of nearly 1000 analyses.
Abstract: Several hundred new stable lead isotope ratio determinations of ore and slag specimens from ancient mining sites throughout Anatolia and of samples of artefacts of the Chalcolithic, Bronze Age and Early Iron Age from museum collections in Turkey and the United States have been combined with the accumulated published isotope determinations of such specimens from throughout the eastern Mediterranean and Aegean regions to form a data base of nearly 1000 analyses. It is the purpose of this paper to evaluate the practical effectiveness of using this now extensive data base to discriminate between the many sources of metals throughout this region and to propose methods to enhance this discrimination. By using the full three-dimensional isotopic data in multivariate statistical treatments and by separating isotopically resolvable source groups within some of the source areas and isolating statistically outlying specimens from them, it has been possible to characterize some ore sources more precisely and compactly and thereby achieve better resolution between ore sources. It has also been possible to isolate isotopically compatible artefact groups which possibly relate to ore sources that, as yet, have not been well defined by isotopic analysis.
101 citations
76 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, about 1000 marbles from known Classical quarrying areas in Greece, Italy and Turkey were analyzed using cathodoluminescence and twenty-one cathodomicrofacies were recognized.
Abstract: Identifying the source area of white marbles has long been a problem in archaeology. To address this problem, about 1000 samples from known Classical quarrying areas in Greece, Italy and Turkey were analysed using cathodoluminescence. Twenty-one cathodomicrofacies were recognized, each of which generally characterizes a given area. In cases where the cathodomicrofacies is common to more than one area, δ13C and δ18O signatures provide an effective complementary dataset which allows additional distinctions. Determination keys for the 21 cathodomicrofacies observed are proposed based upon their principal cathodoluminescence colour, and their stable isotopic signature.
75 citations
TL;DR: In this article, chemical analyses were carried out on adipocere obtained from a bog body recovered from a peat bog at Meenybradden, County Donegal, Ireland.
Abstract: Chemical analyses were carried out on adipocere obtained from a bog body recovered from a peat bog at Meenybradden, County Donegal, Ireland. Chromatographic (thin-layer chromatography and gas chromatography) and mass spectrometric analyses, combined with microanalytical chemical transformations, have yielded detailed compositional information. An absence of intact triacylglycerols, diacylglycerols and monoacylglycerols indicates that hydrolysis is complete. Consequently the adipocere is composed mainly of fatty carboxylic acids. The high proportion of palmitic and stearic acids, together with depleted oleic acid content, indicates that extensive reduction and, possibly, β-oxidation have occurred during burial in the peat bog. Hydration of the double-bond in oleic acid has also occurred, as is shown by the formation of 10-hydroxystearic acid. The monoenoic fatty carboxylic acids that are present, composed mainly of C18 and C16 compounds, comprise a mixture of positional isomers. The results are compared and contrasted with those obtained from previous studies of the lipid composition of other adipoceres and cadavers of archaeological interest.
66 citations
57 citations
TL;DR: In this article, about 100 Phoenician copper alloy artefacts from Morro de Mezquitilla (Spain) were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma spectrometry and atomic unpublished analyses of contemporary material from Nimrud and with small finds of the same period from several Mediterranean areas.
Abstract: About 100 Phoenician copper alloy artefacts from Morro de Mezquitilla (Spain) have been analysed by inductively coupled plasma spectrometry and atomic unpublished analyses of contemporary material from Nimrud and with small finds of the same period from several Mediterranean areas. There are no published large-scale analyses of Phonenician metalwork and few analyses of the copper-based, very minor objects of the sort typically recovered from excavation and the comparisons show both similarities and differences in techniques and alloys of the various civilizations and classes of objects.
54 citations
TL;DR: Two stable isotopic data bases for ∂13C and ∂18O values of marble have been accumulated: (1) 590 analyses from 42 Classical quarries of Greece, western Turkey, Tunisia, and Carrara, Italy, comprising 192 analyses from 16 sites on the islands of Paros, Naxos, Ios, and Keros.
Abstract: Two stable isotopic data bases for ∂13C and ∂18O values of marble have been accumulated: (1) 590 analyses from 42 Classical quarries of Greece, western Turkey, Tunisia, and Carrara, Italy, and (2) potential Early Bronze Age (EBA) marble sources in the central Cyclades, comprising 192 analyses from 16 sites on the islands of Paros, Naxos, Ios, and Keros. The data bases include the most important marble occurrences in the eastern Mediterranean and so can be used to source artefacts of any age. Neolithic artefacts found at Franchthi Cave, where no marble occurs locally, have been attributed to the Peloponnese and the Cyclades, direct evidence for early trade. In the Cycladic EBA, Naxos and Keros were the principal marble sources for the abundant artefacts found at Keros. The commercial marble trade in Archaic Greece began in the central Cyclades where the tradition apparently went back some 5000 years, to the Neolithic. Classical Greece and especially Rome expanded the number and locations of commercial marble sources throughout the Mediterranean.
50 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a new calibrated method based on erosion phenomena is presented for the dating of petroglyphs and geomorphic surfaces, which involves the establishment of calibration curves for the crucial variables to be considered, such as the rock type and climate of a particular region, microerosional indices and age.
Abstract: A new calibrated method based on erosion phenomena is presented for the dating of petroglyphs (rock carvings and engravings) and geomorphic surfaces. In contrast to previous methods of petroglyph dating, which sought to determine the age of various mineral and organic deposits coating the art, microerosion analysis attempts to ascertain the time of mark production itself, by creating a geomorphologically based time frame. The method involves the establishment of calibration curves for the crucial variables to be considered. These are the rock type and climate of a particular region, microerosional indices and age. The theory, practical application, and prerequisites of the method are considered, and the paper concludes by defining the disadvantages and advantages of the method.
48 citations
TL;DR: An interdisciplinary case study of the role of technology in ancient society is presented in this paper based on a single copper object from the beginning of metallurgy in Israel during the late fifth to fourth millennium BC.
Abstract: An interdisciplinary case study of the role of technology in ancient society is presented here based on a single copper object from the beginning of metallurgy in Israel during the late fifth to fourth millennium BC. This research is based on a combination of typological, chronological and technological analyses. The mace head is made of copper alloyed with arsenic and antitmony, cast in a ‘lost wax’ technique over a stone core. The metallurgical, metallographic and petrographic analyses not only help reconstruct the production technology but also shed light on fundamental questions concerning the origin, ore selection and function of this sophisticated type of metal production in prehistoric society.
31 citations
TL;DR: Opaque red glass was used in the Celtic world for enamels and inlays as mentioned in this paper, but no conclusions as to their origin can be inferred from our present knowledge.
Abstract: Opaque red glass was used in the Celtic world for enamels and inlays. Forty artefacts, of various dates and found in various places, have been sampled and studied. They all belong to the same type, a soda-lime-silica high lead glass coloured by crystals of cuprous oxide. There is only one subgroup: glass lumps from the Mont-Beuvray oppidum contain manganese, less iron, and less lead. This change could be the result of Roman influence. Although most of these glasses form a surprisingly homogeneous group, no conclusions as to their origin can be inferred from our present knowledge.
28 citations
TL;DR: In this article, thin-section petrography and X-ray fluorescence spectrometry were used to identify the geological formations of ancient Egyptian limestone quarries in the Nile Valley.
Abstract: Ancient Egyptian limestone quarries in the Nile Valley occur in six geological formations of Palaeogene age. Samples were collected from 23 of the 48 known quarries, and analysed by thin-section petrography and X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. Results of the analyses show that the geological formations can be identified from rock texture and allochem types, and a plot of SiO2/Al2O3 versus CaO/[CaO + MgO]. The application of these petrographic and geochemical parameters make it possible to determine the geographic provenance of limestone used in ancient Egyptian sculptures and monuments.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated the role of social factors in the scale of axe distribution in highland Britain and found that social factors had only a limited influence over the choice of stone source and the scale on which it was worked.
Abstract: This paper is concerned with the products of a number of Neolithic quarries in highland Britain. It investigates the claim that the scale of axe distribution was partly the result of social factors which resulted in these artefacts gaining an added value in areas remote from their sources. One case study considers the sequence of production in Cumbria, in relation to the tensile strength of the rock quarried in different parts of the region. It shows that these considerations had only a limited influence over the choice of stone source and the scale on which it was worked. A second study compares the tensile strength of the main raw materials used for making non-flint axes with the extent to which these sources were actually exploited. Again there is only a limited relationship between the two, suggesting that social factors may indeed have been important.
TL;DR: The carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of jet samples from England and Spain resemble those of carbonaceous materials from lignitic and sub-bituminous ranks as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: The carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of jet samples from England and Spain resemble those of carbonaceous materials from lignitic and sub-bituminous ranks. This characterization is based on the aromatic/aliphatic ratio of resonances and on the pattern of fine structure. Particularly characteristic of jet is the well-defined fine structure in the aromatic region that may be attributed to phenolic functionalities. This fine structure is found in all English and Spanish samples. Resonances from rapidly moving methyl groups are found in English but not in Spanish samples and may provide a means of distinguishing provenance.
TL;DR: In this article, the identification of the diverse stone of the exterior of the Cathedral of Seville has been achieved by using enrichment diagrams for trace elements, which have been proposed as a useful and straightforward procedure to identify ores and stones.
Abstract: Enrichment diagrams for trace elements have been proposed as a useful and straightforward procedure to identify ores and stones. The identification of the diverse stone of the exterior of the Cathedral of Seville has been achieved by this means. Fourteen trace elements have been analysed, from both quarry and building material samples, using atomic absorption and flame emission spectrometry in order to apply enrichment diagrams for identification purposes.
TL;DR: In this article, the analysis of fatty material from barrels in a submerged wreck of a whaler in Labrador water showed it contained free fatty acids, including some higher fatty acid, consistent with whale oil and certainly of marine origin.
Abstract: Analysis of fatty material from barrels in a submerged wreck of a whaler in Labrador water showed it to contain free fatty acids, including some higher fatty acid, consistent with whale oil and certainly of marine origin. Conversion to adipocere was extensive but not complete.
TL;DR: In this paper, separate sublayers of the ‘layer 10 calcite from the Mausoleum of Petralona Cave, Greece, have been re-analysed by Uranium-series and palaeomagnetic methods.
Abstract: Separate sublayers of the ‘layer 10’calcite from the Mausoleum of Petralona Cave, Greece, have been re-analysed by Uranium-series and palaeomagnetic methods. The results confirm earlier findings that the whole of layer 10 represents a long time span, from about 160 ka to more than 350 ka, the latter being the dating limit of the U-series method using alpha-spectrometry. The minimum age refers to the upper brown sublayer that is now believed to correspond directly to the brown calcite that cemented the hominid skull to the adjacent cave wall; there was too little of the skull calcite to date directly by alpha-spectrometry. The age shifts caused by making corrections for the amount of detritus in the sublayer are effectively insensitive to assumed initial values of the amount of common 230Th present. Consequently, the minimum age estimate for the skull is about 160 ka, in approximate agreement with several earlier estimates. Palaeomagnetic analyses of ‘layer 10’and underlying sedimentary layers showed that the magnetization is unstable and cannot be used as a basis for age control in the Mausoleum.
TL;DR: In this article, non-destructive energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence analysis (ED-XFA) was used to distinguish Chinese red ware from different European red ware by comparing the patterns of their calcium oxide, manganese oxide, and lead contents.
Abstract: When in the seventeenth and eighteenth century Chinese red ware from Yixing was imported into Europe, imitations of that ware, some of them delusively similar to the originals, were made in the Netherlands, Saxony, and England. With non-destructive energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence analysis (ED-XFA) the Chinese and different European red wares can be easily separated by comparing the patterns of their calcium oxide, manganese oxide, and lead contents. They also have density characteristics of their own.
TL;DR: In this paper, a system of nomenclature for the consistent description of archaeological artefacts made from quartz has been developed, based upon published mineralogical texts, for describing cylinder seals from Western Asia and the results obtained suggest that the provision of consistent identifications may be valuable in tracing the evolution of material usage over time.
Abstract: A system of nomenclature for the consistent description of archaeological artefacts made from quartz has been developed, based upon published mineralogical texts. The system has been found to be useful in the description of cylinder seals from Western Asia and the results obtained suggest that the provision of consistent identifications may be valuable in tracing the evolution of material usage over time.
TL;DR: A radioisotope induced X-ray fluorescence method was used to measure trace elements in Ming porcelain to determine the relative intensity ratios of manganese, cobalt, rubidium, strontium, zirconium, and niobium.
Abstract: A radioisotope induced X-ray fluorescence method was used to measure trace elements in Ming porcelain. Thirty pieces of blue-and-white Chinese porcelain, belonging to the Ch'eng Hua reign (AD 1465-87) and rescued from a shipwreck, were analysed along with two fake reproductions. The measurement system consisted of an Si(Li) detector, a 109Cd annular source and a personal computer with a non-linear fitting least-square program. The relative intensity ratios of manganese, cobalt, rubidium, strontium, zirconium, and niobium were determined. Rb/Sr and Mn/Co ratios between two to five and two to four respectively correspond to antique porcelain.
TL;DR: In this paper, glass finds from the first Bulgarian capital, Pliska, have been analyzed by instrumental neutron activation analysis, together with previous results from analysis of glass samples from the second Bulgarian capital Preslav, were subjected to cluster and discriminant analysis.
Abstract: Glass finds from the first Bulgarian capital, Pliska, have been analysed by instrumental neutron activation analysis. The analytical data, together with previous results from analysis of glass samples from the second Bulgarian capital, Preslav, were subjected to cluster and discriminant analysis. The local origin of part of the analysed samples was proven and some conclusions about the technology of production were possible.
TL;DR: A Late Bronze Age Mycenaean pictorial krater, decorated with a chariot procession, from tomb 387 at Tel Dan, Israel, was examined by instrumental neutron activation analysis as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: A Late Bronze Age Mycenaean pictorial krater, decorated with a chariot procession, from tomb 387 at Tel Dan, Israel, was examined by instrumental neutron activation analysis. The origin of the krater is placed in the Argolid, very likely in the region of Mycenae or Berbati.
TL;DR: In this paper, examples of research on ancient Indian stone artefacts utilizing petrographic examination coupled with qualitative and quantitative electron beam micro-probe analysis of specific minerals are described Types of artefacts discussed include Gandharan schist sculptures, phyllite and schist objects from eastern India, Hoysala sculptures from Karnataka state (southern India), and sandstone objects from northern India.
Abstract: Examples of research on ancient Indian stone artefacts utilizing petrographic examination coupled with qualitative and quantitative electron beam microprobe analysis of specific minerals are described Types of artefacts discussed include Gandharan schist sculptures Pala dynasty phyllite and schist objects from eastern India, Hoysala sculptures from Karnataka state (southern India), and sandstone objects from northern India In spite of the rich history of stone sculpture in the Indian subcontinent, characterization studies to date have been limited in scope, typically involving unprovenanced artefacts The examples described point to areas in which more extensive research could produce useful information for the provenancing of artefacts
TL;DR: In this paper, a thin-section study of Mesolithic-Neolithic axes from five sites in eastern central Sweden and of dolerites occurring in the vicinity showed that the axes were almost definitely produced from local material.
Abstract: Thin-section study of Mesolithic-Neolithic axes from five sites in eastern central Sweden and of dolerites occurring in the vicinity showed that the axes were almost definitely produced from local material. Knapping experiments were carried out on blanks from two of these local dolerite varieties and on control material from Delaware, New Jersey, to produce thin-butted axes. These showed that the unconventional shape of the Swedish preforms is mainly, if not completely, determined by the intrinsic properties of the rock and not by local or regional cultural differences or bad craftsmanship. A number of features were observed in thin-section, such as a relatively coarse grain size, veining and small cracks, which may lead to the inferior knapping qualities of the Swedish dolerites.
TL;DR: The results of neutron activation analyses of archaeological and geological specimens suggest that the Troodos ophiolite/Kouris River secondary deposits were the primary source of antigorite for the prehistoric populations of the study area as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: The Canadian Palaipaphos Survey Project in the Paphos district of south-western Cyprus investigated extensive areas of the Esouzas, Xero, and Dhiarizos River valleys, locating hundreds of archaeological sites spanning the nine millennia from the aceramic Neolithic period to the recent era (Rupp et al. s1984 and 1986). Antigorite artefacts were recovered from Neolithic, Chalcolithic and Bronze Age settlements. A number of geological sources have been proposed for the material from which these artefacts were manufactured. The results of neutron activation analyses of archaeological and geological specimens suggest that the Troodos ophiolite/Kouris River secondary deposits were the primary source of antigorite for the prehistoric populations of the study area. Extreme care must be taken when analysing antigorite samples to avoid material with grey-black magnetite-rich inclusions. since these have radically different trace element chemistries from the pure antigorite.
TL;DR: This paper explores and illustrates some possible resolutions of the problem of compositional data analysis, where variables sum to a constant for each row of a data matrix.
Abstract: Recent statistical work on approaches to analysing compositional data - where variables sum to a constant for each row of a data matrix - may encounter difficulties when applied to data of the kind typically arising in scientific archaeology. The reason is that results obtained may be unsatisfactory from a substantive viewpoint for identifiable technical reasons. This paper explores and illustrates some possible resolutions of the problem. A feature of the approach used is to analyse subsets of the variables on separate scales. A synthesis of the results obtained from separate analyses is essential and the use of multiple correspondence analysis for this purpose is illustrated.