FINGERPRINTING ANCIENT EGYPTIAN QUARRIES: PRELIMINARY RESULTS USING LASER ABLATION MICROPROBE-INDUCTIVELY COUPLED PLASMA-MASS SPECTROMETRY*

Microchemical analysis of minerals present in pottery and stone artefacts may help determine their provenance. Electron microprobe major element analyses of augite suggest that minor elements (Ti0₂,MnO, Aa₂O) are important in fingerprinting basalts. This points to the potential usefulness of trace elements. Augite present in six basalt samples (representing all known/suspected Pharaonic basalt quarries in northern and middle Egypt) and basaltic temper fragments in two New Kingdom pottery sherds was analysed for 28 trace elements (Sr, Ba, Th, U, Zr, Hf, Nb, Ta, Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu. Sc, V, Cr, Ni, Ga) by laser ablation microprobe-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LAM-ICP-MS, laserprobe). Cluster and discriminant analysis indicate that (1) laserprobe trace element data are more effective at fingerprinting basalts than conventional electron-microprobe data and (2) basaltic temper in the two sherds does not match any of the quarries. Microbeam techniques providing trace element data may represent the future for mineral-based provenance studies.     

An analytical study of the composition of Roman coarse wares from the fort of Bryn y Gefeiliau (caer llugwy) in Snowdonia

The results of typological, petrographic, heavy mineral and trace element analyses are presented and discussed for 11 potsherds from the Roman fort at Bryn y Gefeiliau, Snowdonia. Each analytical technique was found to have its limitations and advantages, but the combined results provided a satisfactory basis for the grouping of the sherds, and also information concerning the provenances of the component materials. Certain sherds contained constituents compatible with a Snowdonian source whilst others contained materials of extraneous origin. The archaeological implications of these results are discussed, in particular the possibility that there was transport of unworked clay as well as finished pots into Snowdonia.     

Neutron activation analysis of fine grey pottery from Conimbriga,Santa Olaia and Tavarede,Portugal

The concentrations of two major elements and thirteen trace elements in 73 selected sherds of fine grey ware from the Iron Age and Roman period, excavated at Conimbriga, Santa Olaia and Tavarede, Portugal, were determined by instrumental neutron activation analysis. These concentrations were used to calculate distance matrices which were then subjected to cluster analysis employing SAHN and k-means methods, as well as to principal components analysis, to group the sherds according to the overall similarity of their compositional characteristics. The results showed that equivalent groupings appeared regardless of the taxonomic method used. Two major clusters were recognized corresponding to two different sites, namely Conimbriga and Santa Olaia, suggesting that the ceramics from these sites were made locally. No significant differences in compositional patterns were observed between iron age and roman sherds from Conimbriga.     

A COMPARISON OF INDUCTIVELY-COUPLED PLASMA EMISSION SPECTROMETRY AND ATOMIC ABSORPTION SPECTROMETRY ANALYSIS ON STANDARD REFERENCE SILICATE MATERIALS AND CERAMICS

Analyses by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry and atomic absorption spectrometry of 22 ceramic standards and sherds are compared. Further data from analyses of one of the ceramic standards analysed by both methods are also discussed. The results show that for most major elements, the methods are comparable, but that use of common standards would be advisable if data from the two methods are to be compared.     

Non-destructive chemical characterization of ceramic sherds from Shipwreck 31CR314 and Brunswick Town, North Carolina

The purpose of this study was to chemically and texturally characterize ceramic oil jar sherds from North Carolina Shipwreck 31CR314 and to explore the utility of environmental scanning electron microscopy/X-ray energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM/EDS) for that purpose. The oil jar sherds, widely dispersed about Shipwreck 31CR314, are morphologically similar to each other, which suggests they could be from a single jar, but with so few joins this could not be concluded with certainty. Therefore, an aim of this study was to investigate whether chemical or textural characterization of the sherds might reveal unique attributes that could distinguish individual jars; results of characterization perhaps could give information on their origin and possibly site formation processes, such as whether environmental forces could have scattered sherds of a single jar during and after sinking of the ship. Previous studies have indicated this shipwreck is likely the remnants of the Queen Anne's Revenge, flagship of the pirate Blackbeard. Sherds from this shipwreck were compared with similar oil jar sherds excavated from a land site, Brunswick Town, North Carolina, to explore the use of composition and texture as hallmarks. The chemical components of the artifacts were determined by SEM/EDS. This method of analysis is valuable for archaeological research because it is rapid and non-destructive to the ceramic artifacts. Both groups of lead-glazed coarse red earthenware sherds were texturally similar except for the glazed sides of all 31CR314 sherds that exhibited small tracks of unique crescent-shaped marks. These marks may be due to manufacturing effects and immersion in seawater, and the marks may serve as hallmarks for individual jars or potentially individual manufacturers. The sherds were generally similar in composition, but the two groups exhibited distinct differences. Brunswick Town sherds consistently contained more phosphate on unglazed sides, an average 1.46 wt.% P₂O₅, and also contained trace elements not detected in the Shipwreck 31CR314 sherds. These distinct differences could be due to different manufacturing origins for Shipwreck 31CR314 and Brunswick Town ceramics but also could reflect their subjection to different environments during use and loss prior to archaeological recovery.     

Post‐Depositional Elemental Alterations in Pottery: Neutron Activation Analyses of Surface and Core Samples*

From 38 sherds with ‘corroded’ surfaces, two samples per sherd were examined using Neutron Activation Analysis, one from the surface and one from the core of each sherd, in order to analyse post‐depositional alterations of minor and trace elements. The most striking effect was that a leaching of Ca could be found at the surface. Another group of elements that is severely affected are the alkali metals, with Cs and Rb showing the strongest changes. A third conspicuous group of elements are the Rare Earth Elements. Finally, the effect of such alterations on a statistical data evaluation to classify pottery according to provenance is investigated.     

从张四墩遗址看薛家岗文化的去向

采用ICP等离子体发射光谱方法,测试分析了安徽张四墩遗址和薛家岗遗址出土陶器的微量元素,并运用热膨胀法测定了低温古陶器的烧成温度。在此基础上,结合考古发掘资料,将测试数据作多元统计分析,系统讨论了张四墩遗址不同文化风格古陶的矿料来源,并探讨了张四墩遗址与薛家岗遗址陶器的产地、渊源的关系和制陶工艺方面烧成温度的变化关系,研究结果表明:张四墩遗址反映的文化是一种多元性的文化。一方面,它承继了本地薛家岗文化的部分因素,另一方面,受到东部的良渚文化,特别是北方大汶口文化的强烈影响。     

Post-medieval Breton earthenwares in Newfoundland

Abstract

Archaeological investigations of early modern European contexts at Ferryland and St John's, Newfoundland, produced sherds of a previously unidentified coarse earthenware. Petrological study, stylistic matching and ICP–MS/ICP–AES analysis indicate that they come from kilns at Saint-Jean-la-Poterie in south-east Brittany. Pottery from the same centre also reached early modern migratory fishing stations in Newfoundland's Great Northern Peninsula, where sherds closely resembling 17th-century wasters from kilns at Pabu-Guingamp in northern Brittany have also been found. The recovery of earthenwares from these areas is thought-provoking; the archaeological evidence offers a way to trace the intricacies of a vernacular economy which is only fitfully recorded in commercial records.     

广东博罗先秦硬陶的XRF和INAA研究

为揭示广东博罗梅花墩、银岗、横岭山三地古陶器的产源、烧造工艺、技术传播和化交流等方面情况,用波长色散X射线荧光分析(WDXRF)、仪器中子活化分析(INAA)同时测量了广东博罗梅花墩、银岗、横岭山等三地点所出38片西周至春秋、战国硬陶中Al、Ba等元素的含量。并用主成分分析分别处理了测量数据。两套数据的分析结果均表明,梅花墩、银岗和横岭山的硬陶原料互不相同,各地点硬陶可能主要是“自烧自用”。数据分析还表明在南方各省区中,广东硬陶具有Al2O3含量偏高这一明显的地区特征。     

Among Polynesia's first pots

X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy and petrographic thin section microscopy are applied to a sample of anomalous appearing Lapita pottery sherds from Nukuleka, the earliest archaeological site in Polynesia. Both analyses indicate non-local origins for the ceramic vessels, suggesting they were brought on founding canoes. Mineral inclusions in ceramic tempers eliminate sources to the west of Tonga in eastern Melanesia; rather the temper source is most probably a dacitic high island from a distant island arc of central Melanesia. Polynesian origins and settlement are issues more complex than currently recognized by the orthodox progressive settlement model for Lapita expansion across Oceania.     

DETECTING CHANGES OF CELTIC GOLD SOURCES THROUGH THE APPLICATION OF TRACE ELEMENT AND Pb ISOTOPE LASER ABLATION ANALYSIS OF CELTIC GOLD COINS*

This project follows on from an initial study of Celtic gold coins from the Middle Rhine/Moselle region, which was based on material found at the Martberg, a Late Iron Age/Roman sanctuary and settlement (River Moselle, western Germany; Bendall 2003 ). The earlier work was expanded to encompass over 100 examples of various other regional Celtic gold coinages from the collection of the Römisch‐Germanisches Zentralmuseum, Mainz. The alloy (Au–Ag–Cu) and trace element compositions (in particular Ni, Sb and Pt) were determined by EPMA and LA–ICP–MS, respectively, and their Pb isotope signatures were measured by LA–MC–ICP–MS. Of the 28 trace elements measured, only Ni, Sb and Pt were found to show meaningful variations and so only they are presented here. In particular, differences in the Pt/Au ratios between various groups of earlier coinage (imitations of Philippus and Alexander/Nike staters, Sch. 23 and some early Boian coins) on the one hand, and the majority of the Boian and the southern rainbow cup coinages on the other, indicate a significant difference in the gold sources exploited for these regional coinages. The Pb isotope data confirm previous conclusions that the contribution of gold to the total lead in the Au–Ag–Cu coin alloys can be detected, especially for coins with over 70% gold, and show that possible gold sources include both eastern Mediterranean and Alpine sources. Combining the Pb isotope data with the Pt/Au ratios allows the potential gold sources to be further differentiated.     

Pottery Styles during the Early Jomon Period: Geochemical Perspectives on the Moroiso and Ukishima Pottery Styles

Energy‐dispersive X‐ray fluorescence (EDXRF) was used to determine the minor and trace element chemistry of 92 Early Jomon pottery sherds. The sherds came from four contemporary sites in the Kanto region and belong to either the Moroiso or Ukishima style of pottery. Principal components analysis (PCA) and discriminant analysis indicate that there are four major groups in the data set, which correspond to site location. Furthermore, for sites having both Moroiso and Ukishima pottery, the statistical tests indicate that both styles of pottery were made from the same or geochemically similar raw materials. This suggests that both styles were probably made at the same site, and indicates that if the different pottery styles are reflecting ethnic identity, then intermarriage between ethnic groups is occurring. Alternatively, the pottery styles could be reflecting some sort of social interaction between groups.     

POTTERY TECHNOLOGY AT THE CHALCOLITHIC SITE OF TELEILAT GHASSUL (JORDAN)

Sherds from the Chalcolithic levels at Teleilat Ghassul show evidence of a considerable degree of sophistication in pottery technology and design. The bodies are almost certainly made from a siliceous illitic clay which contained some calcium carbonate, and was obtained locally. Some unusual, yet common, sherds are composed of highly vitrified black bodies with a surface wash of a refractory white clay. These sherds indicate the production of one of the earliest known totally vitrified ceramic fabrics. The latter sherds have been examined in some detail by chemical, thermal and X-ray analysis, and optical and scanning electron microscopy.     

Coupling lead isotope analysis and petrography to characterize fabrics of storage and trade containers from Hala Sultan Tekke (Cyprus)*

Lead isotopes, thin‐ and sherd‐section analyses are coupled on pottery‐vessel fragments excavated from the Late Bronze Age site of Hala Sultan Tekke (south‐east Cyprus) and representing fabrics used for the production of storage and trade containers. The fabrics of the sherds are first described according to general macroscopic observations. Based on the different fabrics identified, a petrographic analysis is carried out on thin sections and compared to lead isotope results on the same samples. This study shows that a specific fabric corresponds to a specific lead isotopic composition and proposes different sources for the various groups of associated sherds/fabrics. It also demonstrates the compatibility and complementarity of petrography and lead isotopes within pottery provenance study.     

Chemical characterization of ancient pottery from sudan by x‐ray fluorescence spectrometry (xrf), electron microprobe analyses (empa) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP–MS)*

Sixty‐four sherds and seven natural clays from prehistoric sites in northwestern Sudan have been submitted to petrological and chemical analysis using XRF spectrometry, EMPA and ICP–MS. According to their texture, the sherds form five different groups. The high contents of P₂O₅ (more than 0.5 wt%) discerned in 19 samples and the variation of the P₂O₅ content in two samples of the same vessel can be explained by post‐depositional processes or by the ancient organic contents (e.g., milk) of the vessel. Chemical classification of the pottery bulk suggests that vessels were made locally, as only sherds from the same area show homogeneity of data.     

PREHISTORIC FLINT MINES AND THEIR IDENTIFICATION AS SOURCES OF RAW MATERIAL

This paper is a statistical and geological study of the results of analysis of flint from British and West European flint mines, carried out by emission and atomic absorption spectroscopy. Groups of flint specimens were studied from each geographically separate flint mining area. Flints were analysed for a group of easily measured trace elements shown by previous work to be generally present. The ratios between the trace elements form a consistent pattern for each flint mine and statistically valid differences of pattern can be recognized between different flint mines. A geological investigation shows that the measured trace elements may be derived from clay minerals and explains geographical and statistical variation in the composition of flint in terms of its mode of origin in the chalk. An advanced statistical technique allows individual flint specimens of unknown origin to be attributed by their composition to one or other of the identified flint sources. The archaeological implications of this study are discussed.     

In‐situ Sourcing of Hematite Paints on the Surface of Hohokam Red‐on‐Buff Ceramics Using Laser Ablation – Inductively Coupled Plasma – Mass Spectrometry (LA–ICP–MS) and Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis

Worldwide applications of ochre analysis continue to develop at a rapid pace, highlighting a number of analytical and interpretative issues. As regional source databases continue to grow, researchers have turned to the thornier issues of source allocation. In this study, we utilize LA–ICP–MS and NAA to examine archaeological pigments, ceramic paints and experimental tiles from geological sources and Hohokam ceramics in central Arizona. Archaeological pigments and paint on sherds are successfully source matched based on trace element content, with implications for understanding paint production, sociocultural relations governing trade in pigment and the use of different resource landscapes over time.     

Sourcing temper sands in ancient ceramics with U–Pb ages of detrital zircons: a southwest Pacific test case

Through use of methodology common in sedimentary geology, we apply U–Pb ages of detrital zircons to source nonlocal temper sand in an ancient ceramic assemblage recovered from Roviana Lagoon of the New Georgia Group in the Solomon Islands. Most potsherds from the Roviana Lagoon contain local volcanic sand as temper, but a small number of sherds contain anomalous granitic temper sand that does not appear to be local. To determine the origin of the anomalous temper, ages of zircons from the anomalous Roviana sherds are compared with ages of zircons in materials from Lizard Island off the Queensland coast and in sand from Muyuw Island in the Solomon Sea where generically similar granitic sands occur. U–Pb analyses of grains from the Roviana sherds yield Middle Miocene ages, while analyses of grains from Lizard Island granitic bedrock, sand, and local potsherds yield much older Permian-Triassic ages, disproving any possibility that the Roviana sherds were derived from Lizard Island, but suggesting local production of the Lizard Island sherds. Ages of grains in a sand sample from Muyuw Island are nearly identical to the ages of grains in the Roviana sherds. All grains in the Muyuw sand are Middle Miocene in age, overlapping closely with the Roviana age population. This strong similarity in detrital zircon signals indicates that the Roviana temper was likely derived from Muyuw Island sands. Our test case for the use of U–Pb ages of detrital zircons in sourcing temper sands is of only regional significance, and not of intrinsic global interest. The methodology, however, should find wide applicability for sourcing temper sands in many parts of the world, for it provides more specific data for the origins of tempers than either petrographic or chemical analysis.     

THE ASSESSMENT OF ERROR LIMITS IN THERMOLUMINESCENT DATING

This paper discusses known sources of error, both random and systematic; suggests quantitative limits; and proposes a consistent method for compounding them to yield an overall error in age, both for individual sherds and for the weighted average of a number of sherds from the same context. It is proposed that two error limits should be quoted for the date of a context: first, the standard error of the mean value as calculated from the experimentally observed root-mean-square deviation of the individual samples, and secondly, the expected overall error from the sources discussed in the paper. The former can be considered as a lower limit and relevant when comparing contexts on the same or similar sites whereas the latter is more realistic when comparing TL dates with radiocarbon or archaeologic chronology.     

Trace-element evidence for foreigners at a Maya port in Northern Yucatan

The present paper explores the potentials of trace elements in human dental enamel to indicate mobility and to detect the presence of individuals who had migrated into a community after childhood. Three Pre-Hispanic samples of infants from the Yucatán peninsula were chosen, one from the northern coast (Xcambó), one from the coast of the Gulf of Mexico (Campeche) and the last one from the tropical inland rain forest (Calakmul). Infants’ first permanent molars are the term of reference because infants were very likely born in the same place where they died and therefore are supposed to represent the local geo-chemical environment. Their chemical signature was then compared to the one of the adults from the site of Xcambó. The elemental composition was recorded by means of laser ablation-time of flight-ICP-MS. Sr and Ba (and secondly Mg and I) discriminate well the three infant samples. All the Early Classic adults from Xcambó fall within the range of variation of the site’s infants, while 25% of the Late Classic adults fall outside the range in agreement with archaeological, bioarcheological, and isotopic evidence. LA-ICP-Ms analyses of trace elements in archaeological samples can be an important analytical tool to detect foreigners in local populations. The selection of infants as reference values helps reduce the limits faced by trace element analyses in past human populations studies.