| 1. |
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Hughes, Richard, et al.
(författare)
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The Chemical Composition of Some Archaeologically Significant Flint from Denmark and Sweden
- 2012
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Ingår i: Archaeometry. - : Wiley. - 0003-813X .- 1475-4754. ; 54:5, s. 779-795
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Flint was one of the most widely employed raw materials for artefact manufacture in Denmarkand Sweden during the Stone Age, and it continued to be used during subsequent periods.Prehistoric flint mining and lithic manufacturing studies in these countries have attractedconsiderable attention, but there have been no recent attempts to chemically characterize thegeological source materials. This paper builds on a pilot study (Hughes et al. 2010) and usesenergy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) analysis to determine quantitative compositionestimates for nine major, minor and certain trace elements in seven archaeologicallysignificant flint sources in Denmark and Sweden, along with new data on a number of othersources of prehistoric significance. These data provide a geochemical foundation for ongoingresearch devoted to determining contrasts and continuities in the time and space utilization offlint sources in Scandinavian prehistory.
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| 4. |
- Götherström, Anders, et al.
(författare)
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Bone preservation and DNA amplification
- 2002
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Ingår i: Archaeometry. - : Wiley. - 0003-813X .- 1475-4754. ; 44:3, s. 395-404
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The use of ancient DNA has increased during the past two decades in several scientific disciplines. However, the underlying mechanism of DNA degradation in bone tissue are poorly understood. Here we address the importance of hydroxyapatite and collagen for DNA preservation in bone. We used two series of bones and teeth, one set of modern experimentally degraded bovid bones and one set of ancient horse bones/teeth. From these samples, we measured crystallinity, DNA presence and extracted collagen. The mtDNA fragments, parts of cytochrome b and the D-loop were amplified and sequenced. Our results show that presence of DNA was strongly related to the crystallinity in the hydroxyapatite and to the amount of collagen. This suggests that the hypothesis that hydroxyapatite has a crucial role in DNA preservation in calcified tissue is valid; and hydroxyapatite and collagen can be used to indicate whether DNA is present in the material. This is what would be expected if DNA is adsorbed to and stabilized by hydroxyapatite in calcified tissue, and collagen is part of the complex system that preserves DNA in bone tissue. Further, since collagen is the preferred material for radiocarbon dating, such bones may be a starting-point for a DNA analysis.
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| 5. |
- Hope, Rosemary, et al.
(författare)
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The application of acetate pels in lithic use-wear analysis
- 1984
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Ingår i: Archaeometry. - Oxford : Wiley. - 0003-813X .- 1475-4754. ; 26:1, s. 13-24
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The possible use of plastic replicas in lithic use wear anaysis is explored. It can be shown that within the existing observational techniques involving metallographic light microscopes with magnifications up to 400 x that plastic replicas of flint surfaces replicate the surface at a very detailed level. It is detailed enough to permit analysis of microwear traces and can thus be used as substitutes for original tool surfaces when they for different reasons are not available and when the surface to be inspected is to curved to admit scanning with light microscope. It can also be shown that white, ligth reflecting flint surfaces is easier analyzed using a replica surface.
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| 6. |
- Iovino, Maria Rosa, et al.
(författare)
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Archaeological volcanic glass from the site of Rocchicella (Sicily, Italy)
- 2008
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Ingår i: Archaeometry. - : Wiley-Blackwell. - 0003-813X .- 1475-4754. ; 50:3, s. 474-494
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The site of Rocchicella, near Catania, in eastern Sicily, has yielded important archaeological evidence from prehistoric times to the Middle Ages. Extensive archaeological investigations of cultural layers dating from the Palaeo-Mesolithic to the Copper Age have recently been undertaken, and volcanic glass, mainly obsidian, has been collected in the course of excavation. To determine the provenance of this volcanic glass, a non-destructive elemental analysis was carried out to measure the concentration of characteristic trace elements. The analysis was carried out using a new XRF spectrometer equipped with a beam stability controller and a quantitative method developed at the LANDIS laboratory of the INFN–CNR Institutes of Catania. In addition to the obsidian, it was demonstrated for the first time that a local vitreous material similar to obsidian, but displaying a completely different composition, was used during all the investigated periods. This material was identified as a basaltic glass, characterized by a superficial product of devitrification called palagonite. Analysis of the obsidians has led to the identification of the island of Lipari as the provenance source. High- and low-power microscopic use-wear analysis on obsidian and basaltic glass artefacts indicated that soft wood and plant matter might have been processed at the site.
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| 7. |
- Mommsen, H., et al.
(författare)
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The importance of the 'best relative fit factor' when evaluating elemental concentration data of pottery demonstrated with Mycenaean sherds from Sinda, Cyprus
- 2007
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Ingår i: Archaeometry. - : Wiley. - 0003-813X .- 1475-4754. ; 49:2, s. 359-371
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Neutron activation analysis of pottery was established at Bonn in 1983 and has since become one of the primary archaeometry-based analytical techniques at the facility. A brief history of the laboratory and a discussion of the best relative fit procedure for pottery is provided. When comparing concentration data for pottery, a best relative fit should always be considered. This mathematical procedure generally results in 'sharper' concentration patterns and improves the separability of chemically not very different compositional groups. This is demonstrated for a set of 30 Late Cypriot (Myc. IIIC1) pottery samples from Sinda, Cyprus, which allow formation of a good reference pattern for this site. Applying factors in the range of 0.82-1.43, a number of samples from Egypt and Palestine can be assigned with high probability to a Cypriot origin.
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| 8. |
- Olofsson, Anders, et al.
(författare)
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Provenancing flint artefacts with ICP-MS using ree signatures and Pb isotopes as discriminants : preliminary results of a case study from northern sweden
- 2011
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Ingår i: Archaeometry. - : Wiley. - 0003-813X .- 1475-4754. ; 53, s. 1142-1170
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Archaeological flint artefacts from the late Mesolithic/early Neolithic site of Vuollerim, northern Sweden, have been geochemically investigated with ICP-SFMS and MC-ICP-MS in search for the geological/geographical origin of the non-local flint. The Vuollerim flints were compared with reference samples from Denmark (Cretaceous/Tertiary flint) and Russia (Carboniferous flint). Elemental concentrations as well as elemental ratios for REEs and isotopic ratios for Pb and Sr are presented. Significant differences were found between different geological/geographical contexts. Two of the Vuollerim samples can be ascribed a South Scandinavian origin. Possibly also eastern flint is present, although the results are not conclusive in this case.
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
- Schmidt, C., et al.
(författare)
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THE ASSESSMENT OF RADIONUCLIDE DISTRIBUTION IN SILEX BY AUTORADIOGRAPHY IN THE CONTEXT OF DOSE RATE DETERMINATION FOR THERMOLUMINESCENCE DATING
- 2013
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Ingår i: Archaeometry. - : Wiley. - 0003-813X .- 1475-4754. ; 55, s. 407-422
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A combination of two autoradiography methods was applied to investigate the radionuclide distribution patterns in a range of different silices. We obtained greyscale images (-radiation) and -track patterns for qualitative assessment, and used a statistical approach to quantify the degree of uniformity of the radiation fields. It was found that almost all samples are poor in potassium, thorium and uranium, and that locally high concentrations are present only in dark-coloured veins and inclusions. Statistical analyses reveal evidence of radionuclide clustering in more than half of the 21 specimens. Concerning thermoluminescence dating of burnt lithics, such gradients should be taken into account to improve precision and accuracy in cases where the external radiation is not strongly dominating for the sample under consideration.
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| 11. |
- Anke, Hein, et al.
(författare)
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Beyond painted pottery : a longue durée story of ceramic technology in prehistoric Northwest China
- 2024
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Ingår i: Archaeometry. - 0003-813X .- 1475-4754.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper presents a study of ceramics from Northwest China from the Neolithic and Bronze Age (c. 3300-600 BCE), providing insights into variations in human-ceramic interactions over time and space. Based on macroscopic and petrographic analysis of ceramics from 10 sites, this paper shows that there is much more complexity in ceramic technology than previously thought. It identifies a development from a bi-modal distinction between painted fine ware and rusticated coarse wares shared among communities across Northwest China to strongly localised ceramic traditions with new fabrics, vessel shapes, and decorations, some of them potentially of outside origin, reflecting considerable societal change.
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| 12. |
- Bindler, Richard, et al.
(författare)
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Revisiting Key Sedimentary Archives Yields Evidence Of A Rapid Onset Of Mining In The Mid-13th Century At The Great Copper Mountain, Falun, Sweden
- 2016
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Ingår i: Archaeometry. - : Wiley. - 0003-813X .- 1475-4754. ; 58:4, s. 642-658
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Mining in Falun, Sweden, was first mentioned in a deed from AD 1288, but previous studies of peat and lake sediments inferred that mining began during the fifth to eighth centuries. In order to reassess these findings, we performed new geochemical analyses on new samples from three key sites: Tisksjobergets myr, a buried mire alongside the mine; Tisken, a small lake in Falun; and Runn, the main recipient for waters draining through Falun. At Tisksjobergets myr, the peat contains up to 6% copper, giving it the characteristics of a cupriferous bog. Hence, this record is not useful for tracing early mining. The sediments of Tisken-upon which many of the old interpretations have relied-contain numerous cut wood fragments, and two of those gave young and reversed radiocarbon dates (19th and 16th centuries for 192 and 187 cm, respectively). This indicates that the sediment was derived from infilling and, thus, has little value as a historical record. Runn's sediment-the only reliable record-provides clear evidence of a rapid onset of large-scale mining from c. AD 1245, with abrupt increases in ore-related elements-for example, a 34-fold increase in copper-this increase is consistent with the mid-13th century burial of the mire at Tisksjoberget.
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| 13. |
- Buckland, Philip I., Dr. 1973-, et al.
(författare)
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When a Waterhole is Full of Dung : An Illustration of the Importance of Environmental Evidence for Refining Archaeological Interpretation of Excavated Features
- 2019
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Ingår i: Archaeometry. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0003-813X .- 1475-4754. ; 61:4, s. 977-990
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Prehistoric field systems sometimes encompass excavated, pit-like features which are difficult to classify due to the complex stratigraphies resulting from reuse, infilling and collapse. They are frequently classified as wells and watering holes, but other potential uses for excavated depressions are rarely cited. We argue the need for environmental archaeology in the interpretation of features of this nature, and present a case study from a Bronze Age site at Pode Hole, near Peterborough (UK), where fossil insect material clearly contradicts the archaeological interpretation. We present empirical evidence for a sealed context filled with dung which cannot be interpreted as a water source. This evidence strongly contrasts with other superficially similar features at the site.
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| 14. |
- Kowalski, Łukasz, et al.
(författare)
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Lead isotopic compositions link copper axes from Kietrz (Poland, 3500–3350 BC) to Slovak and Balkan copper mines
- 2024
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Ingår i: Archaeometry. - 0003-813X .- 1475-4754.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Chemical and lead isotope analyses aided by metallographic examination of copper axes found at the Late Neolithic settlement of Kietrz in southwestern Poland provide new evidence for the origin of copper and metal trade routes in the region. Our results indicate that metal used for the axes could be sourced from copper mines in modern Slovakia, Bulgaria and perhaps Serbia. The evidence from this study confirms that the Funnel Beaker people from Poland became parties to a metal trading network that connected much of continental Europe in the mid-4th millennium bce and provides a better understanding of how these contacts provided the background for the technological and socio-economic developments of the Baden era.
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| 15. |
- Lopez, P., et al.
(författare)
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Discrimination of Ceramic Types Using Digital Image Processing by Means of Morphological Filters
- 2015
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Ingår i: Archaeometry. - : Wiley. - 0003-813X .- 1475-4754. ; 57:1, s. 146-162
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Digital processing of images can be used to analyse ceramic pastes, contributing in this way to the discrimination of ceramic types. The method involves several stages of analysis: digitization of images of ceramic pastes, pre-processing of the images, particle segmentation, calculation, quantification and classification of the particle sizes. This procedure uses interactive algorithms of segmentation of images and grain size analysis derived from mathematical morphology theory. To prove the efficiency of the method, we processed digital images of polished thin sections of ceramic samples of Cypriot wares from the Late Bronze Age (1550-1450 bc) and their Egyptian reproductions. Such groups have been previously analysed by optical microscopy, XRD, XRF, ICP-MS and EPMA. The results of the analysis were able to discriminate between these two different wares.
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| 16. |
- Oudbashi, Omid, 1978, et al.
(författare)
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Minero-chemical and provenance analysis of Achaemenian lapis lazuli cylinders from Persepolis
- 2024
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Ingår i: Archaeometry. - 0003-813X .- 1475-4754. ; 66:1, s. 57-75
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Five archaeological plain cylinders made of lapis lazuli found in excavations at the Persepolis World Heritage Site (c.550–330 BCE) were analysed using wavelength-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma-mass spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy techniques with the goal of characterizing the chemical–mineralogical composition and identifying the possible provenance of raw materials. Results show that these objects are made of identical resources or mines. A comparison with available data from archaeological sites and ancient quarry sites shows that these finds may have been produced from lapis lazuli from east of the Iranian Plateau (Badakhshan in Afghanistan), as they resemble several ancient objects of Iran. The results of this study suggest that Persian artists also used the ancient East-to-West trade route for supplying raw material to produce decorative objects made of lapis lazuli.
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| 17. |
- Oudbashi, Omid, 1978, et al.
(författare)
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Technical Studies on the Bronze Age Metal Artefacts from the Graveyard of Deh Dumen, South-Western Iran (Third Millennium BC)
- 2016
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Ingår i: Archaeometry. - : Wiley. - 0003-813X .- 1475-4754. ; 58:6, s. 947-965
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- During the excavations of the graveyard at the site of Deh Dumen in south-western Iran, 15 graves from the Early/Middle Bronze Age were uncovered that contained a variety of metallic artefacts. This paper reports on the analysis of nine metal artefacts, including eight broken vessels and a decorative strip that covered the handle of a dagger. The ICP–MS results showed that the bodies of the vessels are made of tin bronze alloy with variable amounts of tin, while the internal piece of the base of one vessel is made from an arsenical copper alloy. Further, the metallic strip is a thin sheet manufactured with partially pure silver. Microanalytical and microstructural information yielded by SEM–EDS revealed elongated Cu–S inclusions and lead globules as various phases formed in bronze solid solution. This study presents some information about the transition from arsenical copper to bronze metallurgy in the third millennium bc in south-western Iran.
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| 18. |
- Papakosta, Vasiliki, 1982-, et al.
(författare)
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Multi-method (FTIR, XRD, PXRF) analysis of Ertebølle pottery ceramics from Scania, southern Sweden
- 2020
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Ingår i: Archaeometry. - : Wiley. - 0003-813X .- 1475-4754. ; 62:4, s. 677-693
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A combination of Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), powder X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and portable X‐ray fluorescence spectroscopy (PXRF) was used on the clay fraction of Ertebølle ceramics from several Late Mesolithic sites in Scania, southern Sweden. The aim was to provide up‐to‐date information about clay types used during that period within the Scanian Ertebølle cultural unit, and to elucidate social aspects relevant to the organization of pottery production and the role of ceramics in the local societies. The results suggest similar clay preferences across the sites, site‐based pottery production using local clays and zero mobility of ceramics between the sites. The chemical separation of the ceramics from the site of Soldattorpet into two compositional groups suggests possible multigroup occupation. The origins of aromatic hydrocarbons, extracted previously from the ceramic matrix of the vessels during a lipid residue study, were also investigated, and a discussion is provided.
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| 19. |
- Suchowska-Ducke, P., et al.
(författare)
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The bronze cup from Dohnsen in the light of old and new evidence
- 2022
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Ingår i: Archaeometry. - : Wiley. - 0003-813X .- 1475-4754. ; 64:3, s. 728-743
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The bronze cup found in Dohnsen (Lower Saxony, Northern Germany) in the 1950s is an enigmatic artefact that bears striking similarities with the metalwork of the Late Aegean Bronze Age. We provide an accurate review of the primary sources of information on the cup's find history and context, and present the results of previously unpublished chemical and Pb isotope analyses. The latter suggest that the vessel might have been produced from Central European ores, but it represents the metalworking skills of a travelling smith with knowledge of foreign shapes and styles.
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| 20. |
- Haustein, Mike, et al.
(författare)
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Tin Isotopy- A New Method for Solving Old Questions
- 2010
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Ingår i: Archaeometry. - : Wiley. - 0003-813X. ; 52, s. 816-832
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Tin was a vital commodity in times past. In central Europe, the earliest finds of tin-bronze date to about 2200 bc, while in Greece they are c. 400-500 years earlier. While there is evidence for prehistoric copper mining-for example, in the Alps or mainland Greece, among other places-the provenance of the contemporary tin is still an unsolved problem. This work deals with a new approach for tracing the ancient tin via tin isotope signatures. The tin isotope ratios of 50 tin ores from the Erzgebirge region (D) and 30 tin ores from Cornwall (GB) were measured by MC-ICP-MS. Most ore deposits were found to be quite homogeneous regarding their tin isotope composition, but significant differences were observed between several deposits. This fact may be used to distinguish different tin deposits and thus form the basis for the investigation of the provenance of ancient tin that has been sought for more than a century. Furthermore, the tin-isotope ratio of the 'Himmelsscheibe von Nebra' will be presented: the value fits well with the bulk of investigated tin ores from Cornwall.
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| 21. |
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