STAR: Science & Technology of Archaeological Research最新文献

{"title":"Is Non-destructive Provenancing of Pottery Possible With Just a Few Discriminative Trace Elements?","authors":"D. Wilke, D. Rauch, P. Rauch","doi":"10.1080/20548923.2016.1209030","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/20548923.2016.1209030","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This study outlines how to perform a fully non-destructive compositional analysis of pottery, but with the limited number of discriminative elements quantifiable by pXRF. The spectrometer was calibrated with fired clay samples spiked with Ti, Fe, Ga, Rb, Sr, Y, Zr and Nb. Methodological outliers resulting from surface modifications and paste heterogeneity were identified by multiple spot analysis per fragment and sorted out. From ten late medieval/early modern potting centres located all over Germany 75 to 360 waster sherds were analysed, resembling plain earthenware, proto-stoneware and glazed stoneware. The 90% quantiles of the assemblages could be distinguished by simple bi- and trivariate scattergrams of the trace elements, although the overall compositional difference was low. As a general trend paste group distinction of similar wares got less pronounced with decreasing geographic distance of the production sites. With the limited total spread of elemental concentrations, the n≤15 dimensional space of discriminative elements is too small to separate hundreds of paste recipes generated over centuries in a densely populated territory. Thus a restriction to the anthropologically reasonable context is required when compositional provenancing of unknown pottery is undertaken, and the successful resolution of production sites needs to be confirmed on a case by case basis. Statement of significance Apart from cultural heritage and art historical conservation aspects, non-destructive XRF analysis allows for high, though non-automatized throughput of even very small ceramic fragments, which strongly improves the significance and validity of location, ware and style specific reference groups. However, pottery also provides considerable methodological constraints to true non-destructive compositional analysis, and the difference in chemical pattern between production centres is generally small. Diligent instrument calibration and a stringent protocol are therefore prerequisites for distinguishing geographically neighbouring pottery produces, and assemblages with adjacent and partially overlapping chemical composition in general. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT","PeriodicalId":21858,"journal":{"name":"STAR: Science & Technology of Archaeological Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-10-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"73037254","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sourcing obsidian: a new optimized LA-ICP-MS protocol","authors":"M. Orange, François‐Xavier Le Bourdonnec, A. Scheffers, Renaud Joannes-Boyau","doi":"10.1080/20548923.2016.1236516","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/20548923.2016.1236516","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry [LA-ICP-MS] is one of the most successful analytical techniques used in archaeological sciences. Applied to the sourcing of lithic raw materials, it allows for fast and reliable analysis of large assemblages. However, the majority of published studies omit important analytical issues commonly encountered with laser ablation. This research presents a new advanced LA-ICP-MS protocol developed at Southern Cross GeoScience (SOLARIS laboratory, Southern Cross University, Australia), which optimizes the potential of this cutting-edge geochemical characterization technique for obsidian sourcing. This new protocol uses ablation lines with a reduced number of assayed elements (specific isotopes) to achieve higher sensitivity as well as increased precision and accuracy, in contrast to previous studies working with ablation points and an exhaustive list of measured isotopes. Applied to obsidian sources from the Western Mediterranean region, the Carpathian basin, and the Aegean, the results clearly differentiate between the main outcrops, thus demonstrating the efficiency of the new advanced LA-ICP-MS protocol in answering fundamental archaeological questions. Statement of significance Our new LA-ICP-MS protocol, specifically tailored for the geochemical sourcing of obsidian artefacts in the Western Mediterranean area, was developed at SOLARIS (Southern Cross GeoScience, Southern Cross University, Australia) with a top-of-the-range Agilent 7700x ICP-MS coupled to a an ESI NWR 213 Laser Ablation System. Taking into account the common analytical issues encountered with the LA-ICP-MS technique, we focused on two parameters: the use of ablation lines instead of ablation points, and the development of a reduced list of measured isotopes. The use of ablation lines aims to compensate for any sample heterogeneity, achieve a higher count rate as well as a better signal stability, and also reduce laser-induced elemental fractionation. The measured isotopes have been carefully selected amongst the most efficient to discriminate between the different obsidian sources. This shortened list of isotopes achieves precise and accurate measurements with a higher sensitivity, and with the use of ablation lines, contributes to enhancing the potential of this geochemical characterization technique for obsidian sourcing. Data availability The LA-ICP-MS results for the obsidian geological samples from the Mediterranean area are available as supplementary data. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT","PeriodicalId":21858,"journal":{"name":"STAR: Science & Technology of Archaeological Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-10-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"91492530","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An experimental study of two grave excavation methods: Arbitrary Level Excavation and Stratigraphic Excavation","authors":"L. Evis, I. Hanson, P. Cheetham","doi":"10.1080/20548923.2016.1229916","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/20548923.2016.1229916","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The process of archaeological excavation is one of destruction. It normally provides archaeologists with a singular opportunity to recognise, define, extract and record archaeological evidence: the artefacts, features and deposits present in the archaeological record. It is expected that when archaeologists are excavating in a research, commercial or forensic setting the methods that they utilise will ensure a high rate of evidence recognition and recovery. Methods need to be accepted amongst the archaeological and scientific community they are serving and be deemed reliable. For example, in forensic contexts, methods need to conform to scientific and legal criteria so that the evidence retrieved is admissible in a court of law. Two standard methods of grave excavation were examined in this study with the aim of identifying the better approach in terms of evidence recovery. Four archaeologists with a range of experience each excavated two similarly constructed experimental ‘single graves’ using two different excavation methods. Those tested were the arbitrary level excavation method and the stratigraphic excavation method. The results from the excavations were used to compare recovery rates for varying forms of evidence placed within the graves. The stratigraphic excavation method resulted in higher rates of recovery for all evidence types, with an average of 71% of evidence being recovered, whereas the arbitrary level excavation method recovered an average of 56%. Neither method recovered all of the evidence. These findings raise questions about the reliability and so suitability of these established approaches to excavation.","PeriodicalId":21858,"journal":{"name":"STAR: Science & Technology of Archaeological Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"91387888","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"More than meets the eye: Fibre and Paper Analysis of the Chinese Manuscripts from the Silk Roads","authors":"A. Helman-Wazny","doi":"10.1080/20548923.2016.1207971","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/20548923.2016.1207971","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This study contributes to the history of paper in Central Asia during the first millennium C.E. and aims to create a typology of paper based on a systematic study of Chinese manuscript collections found along the Silk Roads. The further aspect of this study aims to improve our knowledge of archaeometric research considered with the revision and test of scientific methodology which can then be used for historical and philological scholarship. By using fibre analysis and the technological study of paper combined with codicological and textual information, research has aimed to explore the possibilities for dating these materials, and fingerprinting their places of origin. The fact that many of Chinese manuscripts being studied (which are the oldest preserved and dated artefacts from Central Asia) are fixed in time by dates mentioned in colophons makes them valuable and reliable references for building a typology of paper and for comparative study of any yet to be discovered papers from that region. A sample of studied manuscripts comprises a total of 182 Chinese manuscripts selected from the Dunhuang Collection in the British Library in London, the Bibliothèque Nationale de France in Paris (BnF), the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts in St. Petersburg, and the Turfan collection in the Berlin Brandenburg Academy of Sciences (BBAW) and the Berlin State Library (StaBi).","PeriodicalId":21858,"journal":{"name":"STAR: Science & Technology of Archaeological Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"79919969","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Wild to domestic and back again: the dynamics of fallow deer management in medieval England (c. 11th-16th century AD)","authors":"N. Sykes, G. Ayton, F. Bowen, K. Baker, Polydora Baker, Ruth, F. Carden, Craig Arthur Dicken, J. Evans, A. Hoelzel, T. Higham, Richard Jones, A. Lamb, R. Liddiard, R. Madgwick, Holly, Miller, C. Rainsford, P. Sawyer, Richard Thomas, Christopher Ward, Fay Worley","doi":"10.1080/20548923.2016.1208027","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/20548923.2016.1208027","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This paper presents the results of the first comprehensive scientific study of the fallow deer, a non-native species whose medieval-period introduction to Britain transformed the cultural landscape. It brings together data from traditional zooarchaeological analyses with those derived from new ageing techniques as well as the results of a programme of radiocarbon dating, multi-element isotope studies and genetic analyses. These new data are here integrated with historical and landscape evidence to examine changing patterns of fallow deer translocation and management in medieval England between the 11th and 16th century AD.","PeriodicalId":21858,"journal":{"name":"STAR: Science & Technology of Archaeological Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"85360979","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Preferential amplification of repetitive DNA during whole genome sequencing library creation from historic samples","authors":"Bastiaan Star, Marianne H. S. Hansen, M. Skage, I. Bradbury, J. A. Godiksen, O. S. Kjesbu, S. Jentoft","doi":"10.1080/20548923.2016.1160594","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/20548923.2016.1160594","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Repetitive microsatellite DNA forms a universal component of eukaryote genomes and specific biochemical properties of such repeat regions may influence the outcome of laboratory protocols. The Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) genome contains an order of magnitude more dinucleotide repeats than the majority of vertebrates, with over eight percent of its genome that can be classified as either AC or AG dinucleotide repeat. We find that the abundance of these repeats can be inflated in ancient DNA (aDNA) whole genome sequencing (WGS) data generated from this species, in particular in samples with a lower fragment length. This inflation is suppressed by a reduced number of amplification cycles and by the inclusion of manufactured dinucleotide repeat oligonucleotides during amplification. These data indicate that a biased amplification reaction leads to artificially high levels of AC and AG repeats. This process appears to be particularly efficient in Atlantic cod –likely due to its high genomic content of repeats with relatively simple sequence complexity. While the extend of such bias in other studies is unclear, we nonetheless urge caution when quantifying repeat content in aDNA WGS data, given that amplification bias can be difficult to detect if this process affects more complex repeat structures than dinucleotide repeats.","PeriodicalId":21858,"journal":{"name":"STAR: Science & Technology of Archaeological Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"90102289","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Clovis Colonization of Eastern North America: A Phylogenetic Approach","authors":"M. J. O’Brien, Briggs Buchanan, M. Eren","doi":"10.1080/20548923.2016.1183920","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/20548923.2016.1183920","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Over the past several decades, archaeologists, anthropologists, linguists, and others who study cultural phenomena have begun to appreciate that methods developed to reconstruct the evolutionary, or phylogenetic, relationships among biological taxa can be used to create cultural sequences based on heritable continuity. One method in particular is cladistics, which creates hypothetical statements of relatedness—rendered as trees—based on the model and parameters used. To date, cladistics has been used to create phylogenetic orderings of a wide variety of cultural phenomena, including basketry and other textiles, ceramic vessels, stone projectile points, languages, folk tales, manuscripts, residence patterns, and political organization. Here we lay out the basic method of cladistics and show how it has formed the basis for long-term studies of the colonization of eastern North America during the Early Paleoindian period (ca. 13,300–11,900 calendar years before the present). Statement of Significance Archaeologists have long used changes in artifact form to measure the passage of time, the supposition being that if the changes are ordered correctly, a historical sequence of forms is created. This is correct, but oftentimes what archaeologists really want to know is which thing produced another thing as opposed to simply preceding it. This is an evolutionary sequence. Over the past several decades, not only archaeologists but also anthropologists, linguists, and others who study cultural phenomena have begun to use a suite of methods that were developed to reconstruct the evolutionary, or phylogenetic, relationships among biological taxa, one of which is cladistics. This marks a return to the questions on which the founding of much of anthropology rests: the writing of cultural lineages. This return is important to the growth and continued health of archaeology and anthropology because a reconstructed phylogeny helps guide interpretation of the evolution of traits in that it generates hypotheses about the lineages in which those traits arose and under what circumstances. Data availability The authors confirm that all data underlying the findings are fully available without restriction. All relevant data are contained within the paper.","PeriodicalId":21858,"journal":{"name":"STAR: Science & Technology of Archaeological Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"82237751","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Poor preservation of antibodies in archaeological human bone and dentine","authors":"Ross Kendall, Jessica Hendy, M. Collins, A. Millard, R. Gowland","doi":"10.1080/20548923.2015.1133117","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/20548923.2015.1133117","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The growth of proteomics-based methods in archaeology prompted an investigation of the survival of non-collagenous proteins, specifically immunoglobulin G (IgG), in archaeological human bone and dentine. Over a decade ago reports were published on extracted, immunoreactive archaeological IgG, and the variable yields of IgG molecules detected by Western blots of 1D and 2D SDS-PAGE gels. If IgG can indeed be recovered from archaeological skeletal material, it offers remarkable opportunities for exploring the history of disease - for example in applying functional anti-malarial IgGs to study past patterns of malaria. More recently, the field has seen a move away from immunological approaches and towards the use of shotgun proteomics via mass spectrometry. Using previously published techniques, this study attempted to extract and characterize archaeological IgG proteins. In only one extraction method were immunoglobulin derived peptides identified, and these displayed extensive evidence of degradation. The failure to extract immunoglobulins by all but one method, along with observed patterns of protein degradation, suggests that IgG may be an unsuitable target for detecting disease-associated antigens. This research highlights the importance of revisiting previously ‘successful’ biomolecular methodologies using emerging technologies.","PeriodicalId":21858,"journal":{"name":"STAR: Science & Technology of Archaeological Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"90263359","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Archaeology and archaeometallurgy: some unresolved areas in the interpretation of analytical data","authors":"M. Pearce","doi":"10.1080/20548923.2016.1160593","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/20548923.2016.1160593","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This paper uses examples from Mediterranean and in particular Italian prehistory to explore the interface between prehistoric archaeology and metals analysis by examining three areas: the usefulness of data from past analyses (‘what is it made of?’), lead isotope analysis and the problem of unpublished data (‘where is it from?’), and the interpretation of analytical data (‘what does it mean?’). Issues discussed include big data, the integration of datasets from different analytical programmes (especially where analytical results are in disagreement), and open access and the withholding of data through incomplete publication, which means that conclusions cannot be verified. It offers some suggestions as to how communication between archaeologists and archaeometallurgists can be improved.","PeriodicalId":21858,"journal":{"name":"STAR: Science & Technology of Archaeological Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"88139522","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring Late Bronze Age systems of bronzework production in Switzerland through Network Science","authors":"Benjamin Jennings","doi":"10.1080/20548923.2016.1183940","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/20548923.2016.1183940","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Many hundreds of Bronze Age bronze artefacts are known from excavations in Switzerland, yet the interpretation of production networks from the object find locations remain problematic. It is proposed that the decorative elements used on items, such as ring-jewellery, can be used as elements to assist in the identification of artisanal traditions and ‘schools’, and also regional or community preference and selection of specific designs. Combining the analysis of over 1700 items of ring-jewellery from Switzerland with approaches from network science has facilitated the identification of regional clustering of design elements, comparable with cultural typologies in the area. It is also possible to identify potential instances of cultural differentiation through decoration within the broader regional cultural traditions. The study highlights important facets of bronzework production in the region of Switzerland, while also demonstrating future potential directions which could build upon the European wide dataset of prehistoric bronzework.","PeriodicalId":21858,"journal":{"name":"STAR: Science & Technology of Archaeological Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"81444082","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}