Starch residues on museum artefacts: implications for determining tool use

A sample of 11 museum artefacts was examined to assess the preservation of any adhering organic residues, particularly starch granules, and to assess the potential for the identification of cooked starchy foods. The primary aim was to examine starchy deposits, extract starch granules and examine their physical condition to increase our understanding of the taphonomy of starch granules and associated organic residues in archived material and archaeological deposits. The study shows that organic plant residues could be recovered from archived artefacts and makes a significant contribution to understanding the function of this material. Recovered starch granules showed an interesting pattern of varying organic preservation on the surface of stone and wooden artefacts. Some starch granules were found to be well preserved while others in the same sample appeared to have been affected by enzyme degrading micro-organisms. Recovered residues included fully gelatinised starch.     

An analysis of Late Pre-Islamic copper-base artefacts from Ed Dur, U.A.E.

The article presents the analytical results of a study of copper-base artifacts from ed-Dur, a large site in the United Arab Emirates which was occupied principally during the 1^st century A.D. In addition to identifying a number of pieces with high lead content, the analyses have contributed to an understanding of brass and brass distribtion in the Roman Near East.     

Exploring preferences and non-use values for hidden archaeological artefacts: a case from Denmark

This paper presents a choice experiment study of a proposed wetland restoration project which aims to preserve archaeological artefacts from Stone Age villages which are presently buried within the topsoil. Wetland restoration can avoid destruction of the artefacts due to agricultural cultivation and drainage, and in addition improve biological diversity and recreational opportunities. The results indicate that even though the artefacts are not visible or usable for the population of today, but may contain information and potential value for future generations, the strongest preferences displayed is for ensuring permanent protection of archaeological artefacts, rather than biological diversity and recreational opportunities. The results are discussed in relation to the Prospect Theory: people value a loss of cultural heritage higher than a gain of new cultural goods or services. This insight is of general interest to cultural economics and cultural policy, especially with respect to heritage protection.     

Evaluation of Fe isotope values as a provenance tool for chert artefacts from the north-eastern United States

Iron (Fe) isotope compositions of prehistoric stone tools and geological sources were compared to evaluate the robustness of this isotopic fingerprinting technique. Artefacts and source materials were collected from the Hatch site in central Pennsylvania, United States, where both veined chert (Bald Eagle chert) and stone tools coexist within several metres. Yellow artefacts (δ⁵⁶Fe = 0.38 ± 0.1, n = 7) and source materials (δ⁵⁶Fe = 0.42 ± 0.1, n = 8) isotopically matched within error. The source values also overlap yellow chert samples from three other Bald Eagle chert locations in the area. These values are different from six other chert locations in the north-eastern United States. These data suggest that the Fe isotope composition of chert artefacts reflect distinct geological sources. To enhance the mechanical characteristics of the stone tools, the chert experienced heat treatment, which induced a phase shift of the Fe oxide mineral goethite to hematite. This phase shift changes the colour of the chert to red. The red chert artefacts and source material also have overlapping Fe isotope values, but are 0.2‰ higher than the initial yellow chert. Experimental work where cherts were heated with different clays shows that Fe exchange with site soils induces the +0.2 fractionation. These data demonstrate that predictable Fe isotope fractionation occurs during heating, resulting in isotopically distinct artefacts.     

An improved PCR method for endogenous DNA retrieval in contaminated Neandertal samples based on the use of blocking primers

Neandertal skeletal remains are usually contaminated with modern human DNA derived from handling and washing of the specimens during excavation. Despite the fact that the distinct Neandertal haplotypes allow the design of specific primer pairs, for instance in most of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) hypervariable region 1 (HVR1), the human contaminants can often outnumber the endogenous DNA, thus preventing a successful retrieval of Neandertal sequences. We have developed a novel PCR method, based on the use of blocking primers that preferentially bind to modern human contaminant DNA and block their amplification, and greatly improve the efficiency of Neandertal DNA retrieval. We tested the method in four El Sidrón Neandertal samples (two teeth and two bone fragments) with different contamination levels and taphonomic conditions, and we have been able to significantly increase the Neandertal yield from figures around 25.23% (5–69.6%) up to 90.18% (75.3–100%).     

Optical spectroscopy as a rapid and low-cost tool for the first-line analysis of glass artefacts: a step-by-step plan for Roman green glass

Archaeometric research on glass artefacts is continuously evolving and is converging towards a multidisciplinary research domain where different types of techniques are applied depending on the questions asked and the circumstances involved. The technique described in this work is optical spectroscopy. The benefit of this technique being the possibility of building up a knowledge database for a large amount of material in a relatively short period of time and with a relatively limited budget. This is of particular interest for the investigation of extensive and/or unexplored glass collections where a first-line analysis of artefacts could facilitate the selection of material needing further and more detailed examination.     

An improved model of the variation of electron concentration with height in the ionosphere

An empirical model of the variation of electron concentration with height is described which overcomes some limitations found in practice with a previous widely used model (Bradley and Dudeney, 1973). In particular, the new model will generate more realistic variations of electron concentration with real height and virtual height, both including and excluding an F1-ledge. The model has no gradient discontinuities and will reproduce cases in which the F1-ledge does not have a true turning point. The model should prove very valuable for a wide range of propagation problems and for certain aeronomical applications.     

An Andean regional economy in the world system

Winterhalder, Bruce, and Eric Alden Smith, eds. Hunter‐Gatherer Foraging Strategies: Ethnographic and Archaeological Analyses. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1982. x + 268 pp. including bibliography and index. $18.00 cloth, $7.50 paper.     

关于清代榷关额税的考察

清代榷关制度的核心内容是税收 ,而税收的核心内容就是“额税”的确定 ;“额税”的确定始于明朝的钞关。清朝统治者在对明代钞关制度的继承与发展中 ,首要任务就是对明末钞关“额税”重新核定以及对清代新增榷关额税的确定。本文考察的清代榷关的“额税”专指作为其正项收入的正额和盈余两部分。     

武威磨咀子出土木器腐蚀病害与机理分析

武威磨咀子是甘肃古代糟朽木器的重要发现地之一,鉴于北方干燥地区出土的潮湿而糟朽(缺饱和水状态)漆木器与南方潮湿地区出土的浸饱水漆木器之间的差异,致使其保护材料与技术方法不同。本工作通过对武威磨咀子出土木器腐蚀病害与机理分析,着重从病害类型、影响藏品保存因素、材质物理化学组成、材质结构缺陷性及藏品的陈列和保存环境方面进行了全面、综合的科学分析。分析结果表明:武威磨咀子出土糟朽木器腐蚀病害发生是内外因素长期影响和作用的结果,得出保持保存环境的稳定性和控制木质材质中含水量是解决保护问题的关键,可为“十一五”期间甘肃馆藏木器文物实施全面保护修复提供详实的信息和技术支持。     

复配银缓蚀剂及其电化学性能的比较研究

通过极化曲线正交试验筛选出银缓蚀剂的复配组成,比较了该复合缓蚀剂在腐蚀介质中对银电极的腐蚀电流、腐蚀速度、缓蚀效率、交流阻抗膜电阻与膜电容等电化学参数的影响,得出最佳的银器防变色唑系复合缓蚀剂成膜处理的最佳工艺:复合缓蚀剂组分MBO:PMTA:MBI为1:2:3,成膜浓度为0.0189mol/L,pH值3.0,成膜时间为4h,预膜温度50℃。实验结果和实际应用效果表明,该种复合缓蚀剂具有较好的抗银腐蚀和变色的能力。     

Protocol for lapis lazuli provenance determination: evidence for an Afghan origin of the stones used for ancient carved artefacts kept at the Egyptian Museum of Florence (Italy)

Despite that the Badakhshan Province (Afghanistan) remains the most plausible hypothesis for the lapis lazuli used in antiquity, alternatives proposed in literature are worth to study to confirm or disprove their historical reliability. In this work, a protocol for determining the provenance of lapis lazuli rocks used for carved artefacts is described. Markers for the univocal attribution of the raw material to a source were identified analysing 45 rocks of known provenance (among which 15 georeferenced) from 4 quarry districts. To the best of our knowledge, this reference database is the widest in provenance studies on lapis lazuli. All the markers are recognisable by means of Ion Beam Analysis (IBA) techniques, in particular micro-proton-induced x-ray emission (PIXE) and micro-ionoluminescence (IL). These techniques are non-invasive and applicable in air, allowing to analyse artworks and rocks of practically any shape and dimension without sample preparation.The protocol was applied to determine the provenance of raw material used for carved lapis lazuli artefacts kept at the Egyptian Museum of Florence, the second most important Egyptian museum in Italy, second only to the museum of Turin. The collection in Florence has a great historical value and includes several lapis lazuli pendants, scarabs, small statuettes and amulets ascribable mainly to the first millennium BC. Following the protocol, 11 of these artefacts were analysed by means of IBA techniques. Results ascribe the raw material to the Afghan quarry district.     

Slag inclusion analyses for studying ferrous alloys employed in French medieval buildings: supply of materials and diffusion of smelting processes

This paper aims to propose a data treatment method in order to efficiently exploit the major element compositional analyses made on slag inclusions (SI) of ferrous archaeological artefacts. This method is employed to study the reinforcements used in medieval monuments. The first part of the paper shows: (i) that SI composition can be very variable in an artefact and that it is necessary to analyse a sufficiently redundant number of inclusions; and (ii) that on the one hand a local concentration effect and, on the other hand additives during forging can cause this variability. Nevertheless, after filtering this data, it is showed that specific compounds (called here Non-Reduced Compounds – NRC) have in most of cases a constant ratio in the SI. This allows to evidence the signature of the system (ore, charcoal and pollutant) that produced the ferrous alloys. Moreover, a weighted average compound can be extracted from the results. It is demonstrated that, considering some specific elements with a different behaviour in the direct and indirect processes, it is possible to differentiate the two processes. A methodology is then proposed and applied to several samples gathered on different French medieval buildings to follow the diffusion of the indirect process in France.     

An integrated approach to reconstruct the role of the heat treatment within the reduction sequence of chert artefacts: The case of the early Neolithic site of Lugo di Grezzana (north-eastern Italy)

The lithic assemblage from the well-known site of Lugo di Grezzana (Italy) attributable to the Fiorano group (5,300–4,900 BC cal) is analysed to shed new insights on the early Neolithic lithic technology in North-Eastern Italy. Techno-typological data are discussed allowing detailed reconstruction of the reduction sequence, thanks also to several refittings. A complex laminar production with several technical objectives has been identified. Whereas clues for the heat treatment of lithic materials have been identified, we verified it by a combined experimental approach. In the first place, we used density measurements, which already proved to be useful for prescreening analysis, to detect potentially heated artefacts. Afterward, we performed Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy tests to assess the actual (de)hydration condition of the siliceous materials. Reflectance spectra have been acquired, analysing any item and avoiding any constraint related to both morphology and thickness of the sample. The archaeometric results, combined with the reduction sequence reconstruction, provide new indications on the technical capabilities and knowledge of the human groups that inhabited the region during the early Neolithic.     

古玉器的无损检测体系

目前古玉辨伪只是根据目视的经验来鉴别古玉材质。由于其种类繁多,产地各异,再加各种沁色,有时难以分辨真伪。10种无损检测方法的应用,根据客观的测试数据可以可靠地分辨古玉材的真伪。