The connectivity of pore space in mudstones: insights from high‐pressure Wood's metal injection,BIB‐SEM imaging,and mercury intrusion porosimetry

Study of the pore space in mudstones by mercury intrusion porosimetry is a common but indirect technique and it is not clear which part of the pore space is actually filled with mercury. We studied samples from the Opalinus Clay, Boom Clay, Haynesville Shale, and Bossier Shale Formations using Wood's metal injection at 316 MPa, followed by novel ion beam polishing and high‐resolution scanning electron microscopy. This method allowed us to analyze at high resolution which parts of a rock are intruded by the liquid alloy at mm to cm scale. Results from the Opalinus Clay and Haynesville Shale show Wood's Metal in cracks, but the majority of the pore space is not filled although mercury intrusion data suggests that this is the case. In the silt‐rich Boom Clay sample, the majority of the pore space was filled Wood's metal, with unfilled islands of smaller pores. Bossier Shale shows heterogeneous impregnation with local filling of pores as small as 10 nm. We infer that mercury intrusion data from these samples is partly due to crack filling and compression of the sample. This compaction is caused by effective stress developed by mercury pressure and capillary resistance; it can close small pore throats, prevent injection of the liquid metal, and indicate an apparent porosity. Our results suggest that many published MIP data on mudstones could contain serious artifacts and reliable metal intrusion porosimetry requires a demonstration that the metal has entered the pores, for example by Wood's metal injection, broad ion beam polishing, and scanning electron microscopy.     

A Twenty-First Century Archaeology of Stone Artifacts

Archaeologists today, as in the past, continue to divide their stone artifact assemblages into categories and to give privilege to certain of these categories over others. Retouched tools and particular core forms, for instance, are thought to contain more information than the unretouched flakes and flake fragments. This reflects the assumption that information to be gained from stone artifacts is present within the artifact itself. This study evaluates a continued interest in the final form of stone artifacts by first considering ethnographic accounts of stone artifact manufacture and use in Australia and then by utilizing the patterns observed in these accounts to investigate assemblage patterning within an Australian archaeological case study. Reading the ethnographic accounts provides no indication that Aboriginal people valued more or less complex artifacts, in uniform ways, in every situation. In fact, the opposite is true. Stone artifacts were always valued in some sense but which ones, and in which ways, depended on the situations the people who needed the artifacts found themselves in. Aboriginal people were quite capable of making and using expedient and informal artifacts in complex ways. The significance of these observations is considered for stone artifact studies in general and in relation to a case study from western New South Wales, Australia.     

甘肃出土糟朽木器材质鉴定及特征分析

甘肃木器是反映河西走廊古丝绸之路文化、历史和社会重要的珍贵遗产。武威、高台作为甘肃木器重要的发现地,出土器物不仅类型、风格迥异,而且器物材质形态、结构特征明显,属于典型的糟朽木器类型。研究工作从木材学的角度出发,应用生物切片技术,对出土器物材质树种、特征及特性进行了科学鉴定和剖析。鉴定结果表明,树种类型有:①云杉;②冷杉;③圆柏;④落叶松;⑤胡杨;⑥榆树;⑦香椿;同时采用扫描电镜、X射线衍射分析技术对糟朽木质纤维显微形态、结构进行了观察和分析,分析结果表明:出土糟朽木器木质结构已发生降解、腐变,其材质形态特征及特性会随着后期保存环境及其因素的影响、腐蚀而频繁变化或骤变。最后,分析工作对糟朽木器纤维素结晶度、降解度等相关物理参数进行了实验测定。测定结果表明:出土实物纤维素结晶度约为58%,而纤维降解度达到40%以上。综合以上鉴定结果和实验数据,得出以下结论:①甘肃木器制作材质涉及的树种种类较多,基本以云杉材为主,而青海云杉在祁连山林区分布广泛,为其制作用材提供了丰富的天然材料;②材质糟朽及纤维严重降解是甘肃木器重要的材质特征,表现为纤维(纤维素、半纤维素)含量降低呈现木素含量升高,而木素含量的相对增大,则是导致材质颜色变深的重要原因;③受糟朽器物自身含水率的变化、影响,其材质特征具有脆弱性和不稳定性,而且改变、变化过程通常具有滞后性,导致结果往往是致命的;④纤维素结晶度和纤维降解度是衡量和评估糟朽木器材质健康状况重要的物理参数,二者之间存在关联关系。本研究结果可为糟朽木器形态与结构研究提供科学依据和技术支撑。     

Recent Research on Obsidian from Missouri Archaeological Sites

Obsidian has been noted at archaeological sites in the Midwest for over 160 years, although very few artifacts made from this material are recorded in archaeological contexts in Missouri. Background research revealed that only 16 obsidian artifacts from 13 sites had been documented from the state and that only 5 of the specimens had been geochemically analyzed and attributed to a source. Recent excavations at the Droste site (23PI1291), a Late Woodland period site in northeast Missouri, yielded two obsidian artifacts. The two specimens from the Droste site along with two previously unsourced obsidian artifacts from the Burkemper site (23LN104) and two from the Stapleton site (23HD110) were tested for trace element composition via X-ray fluorescence analysis. This article reports the results of these geochemical analyses, reviews the other obsidian artifacts reported from Missouri, and examines the cultural context and source of obsidian artifacts from other states in the upper Midwest.     

Evaluating the usefulness of phytoliths and starch grains found on survey artifacts

Archaeologists use survey artifacts to study any number of interesting topics. The focus of this study is to test the usefulness of starch grains and phytoliths found on artifacts recovered during archaeological survey. Phytolith and starch grain analysis was used to determine the level of environmental contamination on three types of medieval ceramics collected during survey work from plowed fields in the parish of Wicken, Northamptonshire, England. The plant residues found on these artifacts were compared with their surrounding soil and with contemporaneous excavated artifacts recovered from under the floorboards of a medieval house in nearby Wyton, Cambridgeshire, England. Through the use of the “piggyback” approach pioneered by Chandler-Ezell and Pearsall, phytoliths and starch grains were systematically removed from the artifacts surface. Residues associated with contamination were removed from the outermost layer of the artifact surface while potentially uncontaminated residues were removed from the innermost layer of the artifact surface. Matching phytoliths and starch grains were found on the outermost surface of the survey artifacts and in the surrounding soils. No phytoliths and starch grains were found on the innermost surface of the survey artifacts suggesting that residues from the surrounding soils did not penetrate into the pores and crevices of the artifacts. The overall results suggest that, although they are preliminary, there is potential for plant residue analysis of survey artifacts.     

王士琦墓出土金银器的样式与工艺

明代王士琦墓出土金银器百余件,为人熟知的金带銙一副二十枚、金镶玉带具一件是王士琦物,其余则以女子首饰为多。本文对王士琦墓出土的金银器,尤其是其中的女子首饰,作了大致的梳理,包括对这些器物予以重新命名,兼及对式样和工艺的讨论。     

工业CT扫描文物的伪影与校正

工业计算机断层成像(computed tomography,CT)可以无损获得被检器物的结构组成、材质分布和密度变化等内部信息,是文物结构特征和材质分布无损分析的常用方法之一。由于文物的材料种类繁多、厚度不一、器形复杂,其工业CT扫描结果会伴随一定的伪影——伪影会严重降低图像质量,甚至导致无法准确判断文物的内部结构。因此,需要寻找避免或减弱CT伪影的方法。CT成像的伪影源于多种因素:物理因素导致的伪影和CT投影数据采集过程有关;样品因素导致的伪影和样品的摆放、结构和材料有关;CT算法伪影和CT设备所使用的软件及重建算法有关。其中有些伪影可以通过软件校准减少,但在许多情况下,通过样品的合理摆放和选择合适的CT扫描参数是避免CT伪影的最佳手段之一。本文列举CT检测文物中所遇到的一些常见伪影,并解析这类伪影的消除或减弱的方法,以期为今后CT检测文物提供一定的借鉴作用。     

Macusani obsidian from southern Peru: A characterization of its elemental composition with a demonstration of its ancient use

Transparent obsidian artifacts have been reported for the northern Lake Titicaca Basin. Based on instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) of these artifacts a distinct chemical group was identified. Yet, the location of the source of transparent obsidian in the southern Andes remained unreported in the archaeological literature. This paper reports on the chemical composition and geographic location of a source of transparent obsidian from the Macusani region of Peru. Through the use of INAA and portable X-ray fluorescence (PXRF) we demonstrate that Macusani obsidian or macusanite comprises (at least) two chemical groups. One of these groups was used for making artifacts during the Archaic Period. Artifacts made of this obsidian were found more than 120 km from the source and yet, one-third of the obsidian artifacts encountered at Macusani were from the non-local source of Chivay which is 215 km to the southwest.     

谈我国纸质文物保护的科技需求

我国纸质文物数量众多而保护难度较大。纸质文物因其特殊的本体材料、性能,病害原因多样、易于损毁,特别是民国纸质文物损坏现象严重。纸质文物保护需要建立完善的文物数据库和检测体系,以现代科学方法展开劣化机理研究,结合不同地区气候条件,以本国传统产纸技术、修复体系为根基,引入国际先进技术,达到长期、稳定保存纸质文物的目的。     

Evaluating morphological variability in lithic assemblages using 3D models of stone artifacts

Technological and morphological variability in lithic artifacts is commonly used to identify taxonomic entities in Paleolithic research contexts. Assemblages are mainly studied using either linear distance measurements or qualitative assessments of morphologies. Here, we present a method to quantify morphological variability in lithic artifacts using 3D models of stone artifacts. Our study on the sequence of the Upper Paleolithic layers V–I from the site Yabroud II in western Syria, demonstrates that utilizing 3D models provides a new insight into the variability of lithic technologies. We use quantitative data on convexities, twist and scar patterns on cores and blades, attributes previously not readily quantifiable, to trace technological change through the archaeological sequence. We are able to identify differences and translate these findings into a grouping of the layers. While layers VI–II are characterized by technological continuity and were grouped together, layers V and I can be separated from this group and represent technologically different groups chronologically before and after. Our results demonstrate the potential of 3D models for studying morphological variability in lithic assemblages.     

“With the Gifts and Good Treatment That He Gave Them”: Elite Maya Adoption of Spanish Material Culture at Progresso Lagoon,Belize

Spanish artifacts make up a tiny percentage of all artifacts found on the west shore of Progresso Lagoon, a Maya community in northern Belize occupied from the fifteenth to the seventeenth century. Textual references suggest that Spanish encomenderos distributed these objects as “gifts” during reduction and pacification efforts, but the careful distribution of these artifacts suggests specific political and economic choices made by Maya individuals. This article compares Spanish material culture from Progresso Lagoon with other Maya sites along the frontier of the Spanish colony, in an attempt to define how strategies of Maya consumption of foreign objects varied with intensity of colonial interaction, social status, and function. The consumption of Spanish artifacts at Progresso Lagoon suggests elite strategies for retaining legitimacy in the uncertain political and economic climate of the fifteenth through seventeenth centuries.     

An empirical evaluation of copper procurement and distribution: elemental analysis of Scioto Valley Hopewell copper

In prehistoric North America, artifacts of copper occupy a position of prominence in the Hopewell societies of Ohio’s Scioto Valley. These artifacts also represent the social contacts and long-distance interactions that brought copper to the Scioto Valley. Yet, our understanding of Hopewell copper acquisition, and the movement of copper artifacts within the social networks of the Scioto Valley and beyond, has been limited due to the limited availability of geochemical data concerning provenance and variability. We begin to develop the foundation for understanding these important social issues by analyzing the elemental variability of Hopewell copper through the use of laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. We analyze 24 samples from four known copper source regions and 52 samples from 6 prominent sites in the Scioto Valley. Results suggest that a majority of the artifacts are consistent with sources in the Great Lakes, with a plurality classified as Isle Royale. However, 21% of Scioto Hopewell copper artifacts were most consistent with southern Appalachian sources. High elemental variability argues against simple models of copper acquisition and suggests that different social groups had access to a variety of copper sources through varying social networks. Native copper regardless of source seems to have been channeled along similar social and symbolic pathways. Our results suggest that instead of being derived from the struggle to access a specific source, value is derived from the social relationships represented by the copper and the connotation of exotic connection embodied in both style and material.     

江阴高城墩遗址出土良渚文化玉器的无损分析研究

为判断江阴高城墩遗址出土良渚文化玉器的地质成因和产地,利用外束质子激发X荧光技术(PIXE)、X射线衍射(XRD)、激光拉曼光谱(LRS)等无损分析技术对出土玉器进行了化学成分、矿物学特征分析。实验结果显示,46件玉器中67.4%的样品主要矿物组成为透闪石,玉料的质量较好,可能来自同一种成矿类型的矿床。研究表明无损伤分析技术是古代玉器研究的有效手段。研究结果为探索良渚文化遗址出土玉器的玉料来源提供了科学证据。     

江苏南部旧石器调查报告

1999～2001年间在江苏南部分别调查了句容、金坛、高淳等6市县旧石器地点16处,采集100余件石制品,类型有石核、石锤、砍砸器、镐、石球、尖刃器等。初步研究表明,石制品均出自下蜀黄土中,地质时代大约为中更新世中晚期,即旧石器时代早期。石器工业的性质与邻近的安徽水阳江流域旧石器十分接近,属于中国南方砾石石器——砍砸器传统。     

DISTRIBUTION AND CONTEXT OF WORKED CRYSTALLINE ARTIFACTS FROM THE MIDDLE CUMBERLAND REGION OF TENNESSEE

Antiquarian and modern explorations within the Middle Cumberland region of Tennessee have uncovered vast quantities of ceramic, stone, bone, and shell artifacts. Objects made from mineral resources represent a modest percentage of the overall artifact assemblage. Specimens manufactured from crystals comprise a very small portion of the mineral sample, as only six worked crystalline artifacts are documented to date for the Middle Cumberland region. These specimens of fluorite and calcite consist of four earplugs, one bird effigy pendant, and one bead from four different Mississippian period sites. Fluorite and calcite deposits occur within the study area, but additional research is needed to determine whether these sources were used to make the Middle Cumberland items. The recovery of three earplugs (two of which are very unusual) and raw calcite crystals from the Castalian Springs mound complex comprises intriguing evidence for the production of crystalline objects as a site activity.     

Virtual Representation: the Production of 3D Digital Artifacts

As new digital technologies now pervade the discipline of archaeology, the practice of creating digital 3D representations of artifacts has become widespread. The rapid growth and acceptance of these technologies into the discipline leaves us in a position where we must engage with how these tools fit our epistemologies. I propose that we look to a much older technology, photography, to inform the way that these digital artifacts are dealt with as we move into an increasingly digital field. In doing so, I will argue that the creation of a 3D digital artifact is a productive process, just as any form of media used to document and interpret the archaeological record. Through this production, the digital form is decoupled from the original physical artifact. The creation of a new representation of the artifact (in the form of a photograph or digital model) provides a new dimension to our interactions with these artifacts. The result of the digital movement in archaeology is a more interactive experience with artifacts, allowing researchers and the public alike digital access to archaeological collections. If the current trend continues, digital artifact modeling will become as indispensable to archaeology as traditional photography. It is therefore necessary for archaeologists to be aware of the subjectivities and biases that exist during this productive act as we move into a more integrated field of digital, representational technologies.     

内蒙古鄂尔多斯市乌兰木伦旧石器时代中期遗址

乌兰木伦遗址由邻近的第1、第2和第3地点组成。其中在第1地点获得了石制品2780件、动物化石3423件,并发现用火遗迹。遗址年代为距今7～3万年,属旧石器时代中期。遗址为原地埋藏,其石制品类型及工业组合与欧洲旧石器时代中期文化近似,动物化石则属于华北晚更新世的萨拉乌苏动物群。     

Edge damage distribution at the assemblage level on Middle Stone Age lithics: an image-based GIS approach

Lithic artifacts represent the most abundant cultural remains from Middle Stone Age sites in southern Africa. Of these, pointed forms (under a variety of names), blades, and flakes have long been recognized as the three most abundant general types, and retouch on all three is rare relative to similar forms of equivalent age elsewhere. Here we offer a new technique for documenting concentrations of edge damage on an assemblage level to infer taphonomic processes and to record usewear and retouch. This approach is specifically aimed at patterning on the assemblage scale, rather than on individual artifacts. We use points from a Middle Stone Age assemblage from Pinnacle Point Cave 13B, near Mossel Bay, South Africa, to illustrate the technique. Combining GIS, rose diagrams, and polar statistics, we were able to visually and statistically summarize lithic artifacts for patterns of edge damage. For the points made on quartzite in this assemblage, edge damage was found to be significantly patterned and taphonomic causes of the damage were rejected. The technique also opens avenues for many other quantitative analyses that are either impossible or difficult with current non-visual systems of recording, such as measurements of distance, angle, and area of edge damage.     

浙江出土青铜器研究

本文在对浙江出土先秦青铜器作分区研究的基础上,就不同地区青铜器的铸造技术作了考察,发现在不同时期分别运用了浑铸法、分铸法两种成型技术为主的工艺。再结合这些器物的出土情况,明确其相对年代,并对不同期段青铜器的流动情况作了探索。     

Decorated birch-bark artifacts from Section VI of the Gorbunovsky Peat-Bog*

Decorated birch-bark artifacts, housed at the State Historical Museum, Moscow, are a unique category of finds from Section VI of the Gorbunovsky Peat-Bog. They have no parallels among other peat-bog assemblages of the North Eurasian forest belt. This study addresses the morphology and technology of these artifacts, their archaeological context, and similarities with the Early Bronze Age pottery.