Khirbat al‐Mana‘iyya: an early Islamic‐period copper‐smelting site in south‐eastern Wadi ‘Araba,Jordan

Recent excavations in south‐eastern Wadi ‘Araba in Jordan have revealed the first early Islamic‐period copper‐smelting site known in the eastern side of the valley, which extends south of the Dead Sea to the Gulf of ‘Aqaba. Five test pits were excavated in 2012 at Khirbat al–Mana‘iyya, a prominent copper‐smelting camp in south‐eastern Wadi ‘Araba, Jordan. The results of these excavations demonstrate that the site was primarily active in the seventh–ninth century AD. Its distance from the copper sources of south‐west ‘Araba suggests that its location was chosen based on proximity to wood and water resources, rather than copper ore deposits. The discovery that the site dates to the early Islamic period has implications for previous and future work in south‐east ‘Araba. In particular, it challenges the common—until now—view of the region as virtually devoid of settlement during this period.     

Provenancing East Mediterranean cedar wood with the <Superscript>87</Superscript>Sr/<Superscript>86</Superscript>Sr strontium isotope ratio

⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr isotope ratios of cedar wood from forests in the East Mediterranean have been compiled in order to investigate the feasibility of provenancing archaeological cedar wood finds. Cedrus sp. forests furnished a great amount of wood in antiquity, for purposes ranging from ship to temple construction, and for fashioning cult statues and sarcophagi. The ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr signatures of archaeological cedar samples may be compared with the preliminary dataset presented here to help determine the geographic origin of wooden artifacts. Sample sites include two forest areas in the Troodos Massif of Cyprus, five in the Lebanon, and two in Turkey’s Taurus Mountains. Sr ratios for wood varieties (i.e., early heartwood, late heartwood, sapwood, and twig wood) demonstrate relative uniformity between the xylem types frequently recovered from archaeological contexts. As such, this pilot study also assesses important issues of archaeological sampling and the geographical factors that influence Sr uptake in cedar trees of this region. While the regional signatures are distinct in most cases, small sample sizes and range overlap indicate the need for additional methods to make a case for a certain source forest. Alone, this method continues to be best used to disprove assumed wood provenances.     

Potassium–Calcium Glass: New Data and Experiments*

The chemical composition of potassium–calcium ‘wood‐ash’ glass reflects the elemental pattern of the involved non‐volatile base materials in quartz sand, wood ash and possibly potash. The essential elemental ratio K₂O/CaO of wood ash varies between 0.2 and 0.8, and depends on the habitat and geological substratum of the wood rather than on the tree species; ratios between 1.0 and 3.0 in wood‐ash glass are only possible when potash is added as a third base material. Melting temperatures of wood‐ash glass sensu stricto, termed K–Ca‐2, produced with the two raw materials quartz sand and wood ash, are between 1250°C and 1400°C, while those of three‐component‐glasses, termed K–Ca‐3, are between 900°C and 1250°C, according to the amount of added potash. Experimentally produced glass displays different hues, from colourless to brown, olive‐green and pink, according to the chemical composition of the wood ash. Elevated MnO concentrations between 0.5 and 3 wt% may originate from wood ash and are hence not necessarily an indicator of colour‐inhibiting additives. Phosphate stemming from wood ash is an essential discriminator between wood‐ash glass and potash–lime glass. Because wood ash contains only minor amounts of sodium, wood‐ash glass with equal concentrations of potassium and sodium is a hybrid glass type, where besides quartz sand, wood ash, possibly potash and also soda‐rich cullet have been applied for glass production.     

Degradation of Archaeological Wood Under Freezing and Thawing Conditions—Effects of Permafrost and Climate Change

The degradation of archaeological wood at freezing and thawing temperatures is studied at the site of Qajaa in West Greenland through a combination of environmental monitoring, measurement of oxygen consumption and microscopy of wood samples. Permanently frozen wood is still very well preserved after 2–4000 years, while wood samples that thaw every summer show attack by soft rot and an average density loss of 0.1 g cm^–3 (corresponding to 25% of the dry mass) over the past 27 years. Future increases in temperature may increase the decay rate significantly (Q₁₀ = 4.2 at 0–10°C) but the effects on site depend on local hydrology.     

甘肃出土糟朽木器的形态与结构分析

甘肃出土木器依据形态与结构划分,属于典型的糟朽木器类型,材质外观特征与特性明显。制作材质鉴定表明,基本类型有①松科云杉;②松科冷杉;③柏科圆柏。通过对糟朽木器形态类型、结构属性、影响因素及发生改变原因剖析,指出了糟朽木器材质在经历了第一阶段的转折性根本改变后（含水率远低于纤维饱和点）,即将面临第二阶段的转折性根本变化（含水率略高或接近于平衡含水率）,而这一阶段的改变结果对器物将是毁灭性的;为了避免出土器物在短期内形态发生剧变,运用生物切片、扫描电镜分析技术对木质纤维显微结构进行了观察和研究,研究结果与结构病害腐变结果相吻合。选取与糟朽器物同期考古出土的糟朽棺板木作为分析对象,分别对其化学成分、容积重、含水率以及力学性能进行了实验测试,测得糟朽木器降解损失超过50%,含水率约为10.5%,力学强度指标与正常材质相比,均有明显的下降,且相对差异较大,最大约为正常木材强度的60%。对比分析结果,得出了结论：①糟朽木器的形态与结构状况与实验生物切片分析、电镜显微结构观察和研究结果相吻合,同时材质成分、容积重与力学性能测定结果为上述分析结果提供了有力的数据支撑;②致使糟朽木器形态和结构发生改变的主要因素是胎木含水率,其值是非恒定的并随外部环境而改变,因此含水率可用于反映糟朽木器的材质特性;③纤维饱和点与平衡含水率是影响、衡量和评估糟朽木器形态与结构的两个重要的物理参数;④鉴于糟朽木器的材质特性,后期保存应尽量避免与水分的直接接触,需要严格控制其胎木的含水率,且维持恒定、稳定的保存环境,这点对后期糟朽木器的保存是非常重要的     

Laboratory Experiments as Support for Development of In Situ Conservation Methods

Abstract

Within the EU-Project BACPOLES (EVK4-CT-2001-00043) bacterial wood degradation could be simulated in laboratory experiments to investigate the living conditions of the up to now unknown bacteria consortia, named erosion bacteria (EB), which cause considerable decay on waterlogged archaeological wood. In these Microcosm (MC) experiments the role of oxygen and chemical composition of the sediment were investigated. Therefore, the microcosms were subjected to different gassing treatments and the free dissolved oxygen was measured in different depths of the microcosms by special oxygen sensors (optodes). In further experiments the chemical composition of the sediment was verified to investigate the influence of different nutrient concentrations to the degradation process by EB.

From the findings it can be concluded that bacterial wood decay can proceed without free oxygen present but that it is more intense if oxygen is available. A water flow like streams in the sea, simulated by vertical water circulation, seems to stimulate the degradation activity and the degradation of wood by EB seems to be a result of low nutrient levels in the surrounding area.     

QUANTIFICATION AND DISCRIMINATION OF LITHIC USE‐WEAR: SURFACE PROFILE MEASUREMENTS AND LENGTH‐SCALE FRACTAL ANALYSIS*

This experimental programme employs length‐scale analysis of measured profiles to quantitatively discriminate the surface textures of stone flakes manufactured from East Anglian chalk flint used on four contact materials (shell, wood, dry hide and soaked antler). It presents a method for evaluating texture characterization parameters based on their ability to discriminate wear types, and to determine a level of confidence to the discrimination, using the F‐test. The results of this experimental work demonstrate that relative lengths, over certain scale ranges, can discriminate the stone tool surface wear profiles produced by the different contact materials.     

The Use and Deployment of Modern Wood Samples as a Proxy Indicator for Biogeochemical Processes on Archaeological Sites Preserved in situ in a Variety of Environments of Differing Saturation Level

Abstract

In situ preservation of archaeological sites is becoming an ever increasing trend as a means of preserving our cultural heritage. In connection with this the environmental conditions, such as water level, dissolved oxygen, temperature, pH and water chemistry, of a site are often monitored. It is generally agreed that a waterlogged and anoxic environment is essential for optimal preservation conditions but the set-up and maintenance of an environmental monitoring programme can be costly.

This paper discusses the design and use of a system whereby modern samples of wood can, with a minimal disturbance of the soil, easily be deployed and retrieved from archaeological sites. The system was deployed in an unsaturated environment, an environment with fluctuating water levels and a fully saturated peat bog. The samples were assessed after two years using microscopic, physical and molecular biological methods, and the types of wood-degrading organisms seen were compared with the results of environmental measurements. Modern wood samples were used, as the microbial ecology of wood-degrading organisms in these different types of environments is relatively well documented. Preliminary conclusions show that the deterioration processes of modern wood samples in these environments act as a good proxy indicator of the environmental conditions and biogeochemical processes ongoing at a site.     

出土饱水木质文物的微生物腐蚀及防腐措施

在南方保存完好的出土木质文物大都处于饱水状态.出土后因为水和氧气的参与,在水解作用、微生物腐蚀等诸多因素的作用下,木质文物逐步被降解而变得腐朽.为此,本文从木质文物的微生物腐蚀机理着手,提出控制水活度的办法、控制氧气量、毒化微生物赖以生存的养料三种途径来防止或延缓木质文物的腐朽,以等待将来更好的脱水定型方法出现.     

Evaluation of the rate of wood degradation at the Iron Age archaeological site of Biskupin,Poland

A study was made of the degradation of archaeological Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) at the Iron Age archaeological site of Biskupin, Poland. Wood degradation was evaluated after 10 years of deposition of samples in different burial conditions (mineral soil, peat and water) and at different depths (25, 50 and 100 cm) at the location of the original archaeological wood from the Lusatian culture settlement. Changes in the wood samples were assessed on the basis of selected physical (maximum water content, basic density and porosity) and chemical (chemical composition, structure of cellulose and lignin) properties. The observed degradative changes were different for samples deposited in different locations of the archaeological site and at different depths. They relate mainly to carbohydrates—both cellulose and hemicelluloses—although the structure of lignin also underwent changes. The experiment using wood that had been degraded to a similar degree to the Biskupin wood enabled identification of the actual danger of degradation of the latter. It was found that the remains of the wooden structure of the Biskupin settlement are degrading, despite the favourable physicochemical conditions prevailing at the site, and it is necessary to take measures to prevent its further decomposition.     

基于古建木构文物修缮的木材抗弯性能实验研究

受自然作用、人为因素及材性退化的影响,已有数百年甚至千年历史的古建筑木结构构件及斗栱节点存在不同程度的损伤,需进行合理修缮加固。而在木结构修缮选材中,抗弯弹性模量是需要考虑的一项重要指标。为了找到更合适的古建筑修缮加固用材,本研究选用五种木材进行横纹径向、弦向和斜向抗弯测试,采用力学试验机以及自制的力传感器通过电阻应变采集仪分别记录了五种木材所受力和位移的关系,然后按荷载与位移的关系分别计算出各自的抗弯弹性模量。通过对五种木材抗弯弹性模量的测量与分析,比较了相同含水率的木材抗弯弹性模量随密度的变化情况。试验表明:同种木材不同受弯方向抗弯弹性模量差异较大;与其他木材相比,落叶松不同受弯方向的平均抗弯弹性模量高于其他木材;木材的抗弯弹性模量有随密度增加而增加的趋势。此试验结果可为今后古建木结构的维修与加固以及构件替换提供参考。     

甘肃出土糟朽木器环境腐蚀作用与机理研究

甘肃独特的地理、气候环境,一般考古出土木器都具有糟朽木器的典型特征,通常器物因木质结构与形态的脆弱性易受外部因素侵蚀而受损,而其腐蚀状况或发生腐变往往与其所处的埋藏环境、发掘现场和博物馆馆藏环境有关。鉴于目前甘肃糟朽木器的保存状况,通过甘肃糟朽木器埋藏环境、馆藏环境及影响因素调查,馆藏环境腐蚀作用与机理的科学剖析,全面、客观和准确地揭示了藏品腐蚀受损根源及原因。环境腐蚀作用的机理如下：1）可见光、紫外线腐蚀机理是,在光辐射的作用下,纤维素发生初始光化学反应造成链断裂,并伴随产生多种化合物。2）纤维素在常温下是很稳定的,但随着温度的升高,其强度相应降低,在高温光照和氧存在的情况下,会发生氧化反应;在水分、可见光、氧气、酶及酸碱等因素同时存在情况下,温度偏高则对糟朽木器材质腐蚀起着加速作用。3）可溶盐对糟朽木器材质的腐蚀作用是通过自身的潮解和结晶过程来完成的。4）害虫及霉菌、微生物对木质文物的腐蚀作用,主要是通过分泌各种生物酶来分解木质成分中有机质实现的。5）当空气中的湿度达到70％时,灰尘及粉尘会发生潮解,当沉降在糟朽木器表面时,会引起木质纤维素腐蚀和降解。     

泗水国出土泡桐材性研究

木质文物出土后环境发生了很大的变化,如不对其进行科学的保护处理就会发生快速的腐朽变化。在选择保护处理方法前对木材的材性进行科学的分析可以为保护方法的确定提供科学的依据。本工作从木材成分、含水率、干缩性、出土泡桐与新鲜泡桐干缩率比较、干燥过程中的电镜分析几个方面对泗水国汉墓出土的泡桐进行了材性研究。结果表明,泗阳汉墓出土的泡桐纤维素和半纤维素的含量比新鲜泡桐的含量下降很多,但木质素的相对含量却增加了,说明泗阳汉墓出土的泡桐在埋藏环境中可能更多地是受到褐腐菌的侵蚀。含水率的高低是反映木材腐蚀度一个重要指标,泗阳汉墓出土的泡桐平均含水率高达1211%,从弦向、径向、横切面的平均收缩率数值来看,出土的泗水国泡桐文物收缩变形很严重,从电子显微镜图片观察,细胞结构各向干缩特性与新鲜木材完全不同。由此可见,不能用常规木材的干缩特征和木材的变化规律来指导泗水国出土泡桐的研究和保护工作,在选择保护处理方法时要结合木材本身的现状选择适合的材料和工艺。     

从《做杉木放牌要览》看清代徽商 在钱塘江流域的木业经营

佚名抄本《做杉木放牌要览》,与此前习见的新安江—钱塘江商编路程稍有不同,它除了沿途地名、距离里数的记录之外,还收录了木业经营运作的诸多规则,属于一种综合性的商业书。据此,可以探究徽商在钱塘江流域从事木业经营的事实。从中可知,该书系徽歙商人从事衢港木运销之商业秘籍,其中包括五段前后相续的沿途水程以及一条返归桑梓故里的陆路。由此可以勾勒出徽歙商人从事衢港木经营的路线,并较为深入地探讨与之相关的诸多商业规范。由此看来,传统时代徽商在各地的活跃,不仅仰赖其巨额的财富和较高的文化素质,而且还与他们输出的相关技术和商业规范密切相关。     

长江口咸淡水混合水域腐蚀性细菌的筛选及其对文物的腐蚀作用

近年来,针对文物在海水中的细菌性腐蚀研究主要集中于海域沉积,但关于咸淡水混合水域的腐蚀性细菌研究鲜有报道。河口及近海岸水域是水下文物较为丰富的区域,咸淡水交互作用影响水下文物的埋藏环境和文物遗存。本研究采集长江口北港拦门沙Ⅱ号沉船附近海底不同层次的海泥,通过非定向富集培养基培养,分离纯化得到18株菌,经16S rDNA鉴定出4种具有腐蚀性的细菌：哈夫尼希瓦氏菌(Shewanella hafniensis)、越南芽孢杆菌(Bacillus wiedmannii)、金橙微小杆菌(Exiguobacterium aquaticum)和微小杆菌(Exiguobacterium indicum)。将分离得到的细菌作用于瓷质、陶质和木质等常见文物材料,置于30℃摇床220 r/min转速下培养7 d,喷金干燥,扫描电镜下观察,均可见在材料表面上产生生物膜。生物膜与微生物腐蚀的发生密切相关,除了已报道具有腐蚀性的菌株外,还发现了2株先前并未报道但也在材料表面产生生物膜的菌类：萘醌对希瓦氏菌(Shewanella xiamenensis)和嗜水气单胞菌(Aeromonas hydrophila)。实验...     

Wood Chipping of Indigenous Forest on Private Land in New Zealand 1969–1993

In recent decades the international wood chip industry has been the major cause of indigenous forest destruction in New Zealand. This paper analyses how changing state forest policies have affected wood chipping of indigenous forest. Emphasis is placed on wood chipping on private land through a case study of the reactions and changing attitudes of farmers. It is argued that farmers and Maori landowners often have no other alternative but to allow wood chipping on their land. Although government policies have been tightened in recent years, and although attitudes among private landholders are shifting towards forest conservation, the pressure on New Zealand's lowland indigenous forest remnants continues unabated.     

The 13th century polynesian colonization of Hawai’i Island

We assess 926 radiocarbon dates from Hawai’i Island, the largest assemblage of dates compiled from a single island in Oceania. Based on a classificatory approach that arranges the dates based on their reliability, accuracy, and precision, our results indicate that the most reliable estimate for the initial Polynesian colonization of Hawai’i Island is AD 1220–1261, ∼250 to 450 years later than the current consensus. This conclusion is strikingly convergent with recent estimates for the colonization of remote East Polynesia. Our analysis highlights the need for wood charcoal identification to insure selection of short-lived plants/plant parts for radiocarbon dating, and that a reliance on dating unidentified wood charcoal is a waste of resources that only serves to retard progress in refining the settlement chronology of Hawai’i Island and other locations.     

Sulfur and iron analyses of marine archaeological wood in shipwrecks from the Baltic Sea and Scandinavian waters

Analyses of marine archaeological wood from shipwrecks in the Baltic Sea area, Kronan, Riksnyckeln, Tattran, the Puck Bay Boat and the Ghost wreck, and at the Scandinavian West coast, the Göta wreck, Stora Sofia and the Viking shipwrecks of Skuldelev, show accumulation of sulfur compounds. The penetration profiles of sulfur and iron into the wood and the speciation of characteristic sulfur groups were evaluated by combining X-ray spectroscopic analyses, in particular S K-edge XANES (X-ray absorption near edge structure) and X-ray fluorescence, with ESCA and elemental analyses. The combined analyses support the hypothesis that hydrogen sulfide produced by sulfate-reducing bacteria reacts and accumulates at low iron concentration mainly as organically bound sulfur, which as in previous studies was found by X-ray spectro-microscopy to accumulate in lignin-rich parts of the wood cell walls. The presence of iron(II) ions from corroding iron promotes formation of pyrite and other iron(II) sulfides, which easily oxidise in aerobic conditions with high humidity. No significant differences in sulfur and iron accumulation were found in wood from shipwrecks in the east coast brackish water and the west coast seawater. Sediments from three wreck sites, the Göta wreck, Stora Sofia and Kronan, were analyzed to a depth of a few decimeters and showed especially at the Stora Sofia high sulfur concentrations, exceeding 3 mass%. S K-edge XANES analyses of the sediments showed mainly reduced forms of sulfur, in particular pyrite and iron(II) sulfides together with elemental sulfur.     

POROSITY DETERMINATION WITH HELIUM PYCNOMETRY AS A METHOD TO CHARACTERIZE WATERLOGGED WOODS AND THE EFFICACY OF THE CONSERVATION TREATMENTS

The helium pycnometer allows us to measure the cell‐wall density of dry woods and the basic density of wood samples soaked with water and/or a consolidant solution if a non‐volatile solvent is used. These parameters were correlated to the porosity, which for degraded waterlogged wood is related to the maximum water content. Moreover, this has revealed the possibility of investigating, by means of accurate cell‐wall density determination, the efficacy of several consolidants in the treatment of waterlogged woods.     

Stable carbon and oxygen isotopic compositions of wood ash: an experimental study with archaeological implications

Wood ash, composed mainly of the mineral calcite, is an important component in many archaeological sites. Identification of wood ash in the archaeological record is often difficult due to mixing of ash with other calcitic components of geogenic origin and/or due to diagenetic changes. A recent empirical study using the stable isotope compositions of carbon (δ¹³C) and oxygen (δ¹⁸O) in wood ash enabled the identification of mixtures of wood ash with geogenic calcite and to follow diagenetic changes due to partial dissolution and re-precipitation of ash in two prehistoric cave sites in Israel. Little however is known about the processes responsible for the isotopic compositions of wood ash in relation to formation at various temperatures and the influence on isotopic composition of ash from a variety of plant species. Here we present an experimental study of wood ash formed by burning three C3 tree species and one C4 desert bush at different temperatures. The results indicate that there are significant differences in the isotopic compositions of carbon and oxygen between wood ash that forms by combustion at a relatively low temperature (500 °C) and at a higher temperature (900 °C). In addition, we show that the isotopic composition of carbon and oxygen in high temperature wood ash approaches equilibrium over a period of several months and that the carbon isotopic composition of low temperature wood ash may reflect the photosynthetic pathway of the burnt woody species. Lastly, we show that the isotopic compositions obtained from wood ash prepared at different temperatures do not reflect a temperature dependent fractionation process, but a mixing line between calcite that formed by low temperature combustion and calcite formed by high temperature combustion which later underwent re-carbonation with atmospheric CO₂. In addition, we suggest that exchange processes may possibly occur during combustion between decomposing calcium-oxalate and atmospheric O₂, CO₂ and CO. The archaeological implications of this study are discussed in relation to identification of wood ash in the archaeological record, identification of fuel sources and burning temperatures, and diagenetic changes expected in karstic cave environments. The method presented here can be applied at any archaeological site.