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Archaeometry 49 (4)
Title
The title of the publication or report
Title:
Archaeometry 49 (4)
Series
The series the publication or report is included in
Series:
Archaeometry
Volume
Volume number and part
Volume:
49 (4)
Publication Type
The type of publication - report, monograph, journal article or chapter from a book
Publication Type:
Journal
Editor
The editor of the publication or report
Editor:
Mark M Pollard
Ernst Pernicka
J Burton
M Martini
Publisher
The publisher of the publication or report
Publisher:
Blackwell Publishing
Year of Publication
The year the book, article or report was published
Year of Publication:
2007
Source
Where the record has come from or which dataset it was orginally included in.
Source:
BIAB (The British & Irish Archaeological Bibliography (BIAB))
Relations
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Relations:
URI:
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/toc/arch/49/4
Created Date
The date the record of the pubication was first entered
Created Date:
05 Dec 2007
Please click on an Article link to go to the Article Details.
Article Title
Access Type
Author / Editor
Page
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Abstract
Detection of ancient marble forgery: techniques and limitations
K Polikreti
603 - 619
Since 1960, scientific results have replaced aesthetic judgements in marble authentication studies and the technology to perform analytical tests on micro-samples has developed rapidly. However, no single method can be used to determine the authenticity of a piece of marble. A `detective-like' investigation is usually adopted by using optical microscopy, ultraviolet-induced fluorescence, provenance determination techniques and mineralogical, chemical and morphological analyses of the patina. A newly proposed thermoluminescence methodology calculates the `burial age' of recently excavated objects or distinguishes artefacts exposed to sunlight since antiquity from those exposed recently.
The analysis of sea turtle and bovid keratin artefacts using drift spectroscopy and discriminant analysis
E O Espinoza
B W Baker
C A Berry
685 - 698
The authors investigated the utility of diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) for the analysis and identification of sea turtle (Family Cheloniidae) and bovid (Family Bovidae) keratins, commonly used to manufacture historic artefacts. Spectral libraries are helpful in determining the class of the material (i.e., keratin versus plastics), but do not allow for inferences about the species source of keratin. Mathematical post-processing of the spectra employing discriminant analysis provided a useful statistical tool to differentiate tortoiseshell from bovid horn keratin. All keratin standards used in this study (n = 35 Bovidae; n = 24 Cheloniidae) were correctly classified with the discriminant analysis. A resulting performance index of 95.7% shows that DRIFTS, combined with discriminant analysis, is a powerful quantitative technique for distinguishing sea turtle and bovid keratins commonly encountered in museum collections.
Thermal alterations in archaeological bones
C Ma Pijoan
J Mansilla
I Leboreiro
V H Lara
Pedro Bosch
713 - 727
Archaeological bones, found close to Mexico City, with alterations due to probable thermal exposure attributed to a possible case of cannibalism, have been characterized by XRD, SAXS and SEM. It is shown how these non-destructive techniques, which are not conventionally used in archaeological research, may provide useful information. The deterioration degree of the bone structure is quantified through parameters such as gyration radius or fractal dimension. As some of the reported modifications could be attributed to diagenesis, a discussion is presented in terms of bone crystallinity and ionic exchange. Furthermore, the hydroxyapatite crystallite size increased depending on colour: this feature is not explained by diagenesis -- it can only be attributed to temperature. The authors conclude that the samples were thermally treated. Thermal treatment alters the structure and morphology of bone at a very fine level (microscopic and nanometric), while morphology follows the structural modifications. It is determined that the studied human bones were treated at three different temperatures close to 100, 250 and 600°C. Therefore, they were either boiled or grilled.
Methodological developments in the luminescence dating of brick from English late-medieval and post-medieval buildings
Ian K Bailiff
827 - 851
Fired clay brick samples, obtained from a group of seven high-status late medieval and post-medieval buildings in England ranging in age from c. AD 1390 to 1740, were dated by the luminescence method using an optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) technique. The results obtained indicate that, when applied to quartz extracted from brick, the technique is capable of producing dates that are in consistently good agreement with independent dating evidence for the buildings. For six samples taken from a group of four dating `control' buildings the mean difference between the central values of luminescence and assigned ages was 5 ± 10 years (SD, n = 6). The methodology used is appropriate for application to other standing buildings in other temporal and geographic regions, and may be used with confidence where conventional dating methods are less certain. The study also examines the luminescence characteristics of quartz and the characteristics of the lithogenic radionuclides in brick samples and identifies various aspects related to the assessment of experimental uncertainty in testing the reliability of the method.