THE INFLUENCE OF GEOLOGY ON THE MAGNETIC SUSCEPTIBILITY OF SOILS ON ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES

A heating mechanism for the enhancement of the magnetic susceptibility of soils on archaeological sites is assumed. Data for the iron oxide concentration which is available for conversion to the strongly ferrimagnetic form is presented for soils derived from a wide range of geological strata. These data are then used, in conjunction with the concept of the fractional conversion of the iron oxide that has occurred as a result of fires associated with human habitation, to explain the wide range of soil susceptibilities observed on archaeological sites. The feasibility of employing magnetic surveying techniques for the location of buried features on archaeological sites, situated on the different geological strata, is then discussed.     

POTENTIAL MAGNETIC SUSCEPTIBILITY AND FRACTIONAL CONVERSION STUDIES OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOILS AND SEDIMENTS*

Potential magnetic susceptibility (χ_MAX) and, hence, fractional conversion (χ_CONV) are shown to be critical in interpreting low‐frequency mass‐specific magnetic susceptibility (χ_LF) data. Results presented from 29 sites in the UK and one in Hungary encompass six types of investigation: Quaternary sedimentary stratigraphies, archaeological contexts, surveys of old ground surfaces, topsoil surveys of lithic scatter sites, topsoil prospection surveys and ‘natural’ topsoils. The findings highlight the wide range of χ_MAX values that may be encountered; identify factors affecting χ_MAX; demonstrate that χ_CONV provides a measure of enhancement resulting from burning; and identify environments in which χ_LF analysis is likely to be problematic.     

PHOSPHORUS ANALYSIS AT ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES: AN OPTIMIZATION OF THE METHOD AND INTERPRETATION OF THE RESULTS

The application of phosphorus analysis to archaeological contexts can be considerably improved through ultrasonic extraction and the statistical evaluation of results through an analysis of variance. Such tools make the archaeological application of phosphorus analysis faster as well as more economical and coherent. This paper describes the features of these tools and provides a practical case: the Late Neolithic—Early Copper phase of the site ‘Polideportivo’in Martos, southern Spain.     

FRAGMENTATION ANALYSIS OF ANIMAL BONE SAMPLES FROM ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES

Frequency distributions of the lengths of the bone fragments are plotted for a number of archaeological sites. Down to a certain critical length, the distributions prove to be very similar for all the sites. Below this length, failure to recover fragments during excavation becomes the predominant factor and the frequencies decline. Distributions of diagnostic bones of sheep/goat, pig and cattle are plotted separately and the preferential recovery of the bones of larger animals is demonstrated. A method is suggested for using data from water-sieved sites to estimate and correct the effect of this preferential recovery on the figures for the relative proportions of different species at unsieved sites.     

徐国青铜器群综合研究

目次一徐国铜器铭文研究二徐国青铜器的组合、形制与纹饰特点三徐国青铜器的特点一徐国铜器铭文研究由于徐国史料的匮乏,徐国铜器铭文作为第一手资料,对研究徐国的历史文化有着至关重要的作用。20世纪30年代,郭沫若对徐国铜器铭文作了初步整理〔1〕,其《两周金文辞大系图录考释》收录七件具铭徐器。1990年代初,董楚平对徐国铜器铭文作了较系统的整理〔2〕,其《吴越徐舒金文集释》收录二十三件具铭徐器。两先生对徐国铜器铭文的整理工作值得充分肯定,但因相关条件的制约,他们未能充分利用考古学方法对徐     

A NOTE ON THE DIFFERENTIAL THERMAL ANALYSIS OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL CERAMICS

Evidence is presented that the clay in ancient ware fired at a temperature below 700–800°C becomes rehydrated over the millennia, such that it behaves somewhat like an unfired clay, rendering DTA a useful tool in identifying the clay minerals present. More recent samples can be artificially rehydrated by heating in a steam autoclave.     

ON THE NUMBER AND SIZES OF ANIMALS IN ARCHAEOLOGICAL FAUNAL ASSEMBLAGES

This paper presents a method for dealing with unpaired skeletal elements in order to approach the questions of (1) how many animals are represented in an assemblage; and (2) how large these individuals were. The method is designed for use with fish remains and can easily be extended to paired elements. It is shown how the interplay between the data appropriate to the solution of both problems may be compared in order to provide a method of verification of the results arrived at by standard methods of assessment of the minimum number of individuals.