Multi-element soil analysis: an assessment of its potential as an aid to archaeological interpretation

Multi-element soil analysis is now an established technique in archaeology. It has been used to locate archaeological sites and define the extent of human activity beyond the structural remains, and to aid interpretation of space use in and around archaeological remains. This study aimed to evaluate the consistency of these soil element signatures between sites and hence their potential usefulness in archaeological studies. Known contexts on abandoned farms across the UK were sampled to test the relationships between element concentrations and known functional area and to assess inter-site variability. The results clearly show that there are significant differences in the soil chemistry of contrasting functional areas, particularly for Ba, Ca, P, Zn, Cu, Sr and Pb. Despite significant site specific effects, which appear to reflect individual anthropogenic practices rather than geological influences, there is sufficient similarity in the pattern of element enhancement to allow reliable interpretation of former function using discriminant models. Relating these enhancements to precise soil inputs, however, is more problematic because many important soil inputs do not contain distinct element fingerprints and because there is mixing of materials within the soil. There is also a suggestion that charcoal and bone play an important role in both the loading and post-depositional retention of Ca, Sr, P, Zn, and Cu and thus may be significant in the formation of soil element concentration patterns.     

The Ben Lawers Historic Landscape Project: Simultaneous Multi-element Analysis of Former Settlement and Arable Soils by X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry

X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRFS) was used in the analysis of A horizon soil samples collected from a former farming settlement and its associated area of infield (i.e. arable) located in the Central Highlands of Scotland. To date, XRFS has not been extensively used in geoarchaeological research, but in our study the simultaneous multi-element capabilities of this instrumental technique allowed the total concentrations of 25 major, minor, and trace elements to be fully quantified with acceptable levels of accuracy and precision. Included within this group of chemical elements are a number (e.g. Ba, Ca, P, Pb, Sr and Zn) that have proved to be of value to archaeological interpretation in earlier investigations undertaken in Scotland. In our preliminary work documented here, significant differences were found between the A horizon soils of former settlement and infield areas for 18 chemical elements. Subjecting the XRFS data—and three other measured variables: soil organic carbon (SOC), pH and A horizon depth—to discriminant analysis indicates that soils of former settlement and arable farming can be effectively classified according to their pH, SOC content and Ca, Cu, Mg, Rb, and Zn concentrations. The inference is that areas of former infield and settlement elsewhere at this study location in the Central Highlands may be able to be identified according to their soil chemical composition and use of discriminant function, even though the surface remains of pre-eighteenth century settlement sites are not readily evident today because they were constructed of perishable materials.     

THE FUNDAMENTAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ANCIENT DIET AND THE INORGANIC CONSTITUENTS OF BONE AS DERIVED FROM FEEDING EXPERIMENTS

The levels of ten elements (phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, strontium, barium, potassium, sodium, zinc, iron, and aluminium) have been measured in the femurs and humeri of laboratory rats grown on test diets as a model for palaeodietary studies of excavated human skeletons. High levels of dietary fibre correlate with lower Ca and higher Sr and Ba in the bone. High values of the dietary Sr/Ca ratio correlate with high Sr levels in the bone. High levels of dietary protein correlate with lower Sr and higher Zn. High values of the ratio Ba/Ca and lower levels of Fe correlate with higher levels of Ba. Because bone levels typically are controlled by several dietary components, variation of the levels of a given element in the diet does not necessarily translate into analogous variations in bone. Only K and Fe in bone correlate highly with their levels in diet. The failure of bone Sr, Ba, and Zn to correlate positively with dietary levels is fully explicable in terms of their interdependence on other dietary components, such as Ca, P, Fe, protein, and fibre.     

The effect of cremation on the study of trace elements

Cremation was a frequent practice during the Bronze and Iron Ages in Europe. The destruction caused by this rite has meant that there are few anthropological studies of this period and that the amount of information that has been obtained is limited. Most studies deal with the number of individuals and the temperature of cremation. At present, however, studies are under way to determine the possibility of carrying out analyses of trace elements on cremated individuals in order to determine their diet. The present study, carried out at a necropolis with two kinds of burial (S'Illot des Porros, Mallorca, Iron Age), presents new data regarding the diagenetic effects differentiating cremated from buried bones. The levels of Sr, Ca, Ba, Zn, Cu and Mg in the spongy and cortical tissue of 197 femurs are analysed. The results obtained at this necropolis demonstrate that only the levels of calcium and magnesium in the cortical tissue of cremated bones increase, so diagenesis acts in the same way in cremated and non-cremated bones in this necropolis.     

SCIENTIFIC ANALYSIS OF ROMAN GLASS FROM AUGUSTA PRAETORIA

Fifty-five fragments of Roman glass from Augusta Praetoria (Aosta, Italy) were analysed by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy determining 15 elements (Si, Na, Ca, Al, Fe, Mg, Mn, Ti, Sr, Ba, Cr, Ni, Cu, Co and Pb) on dissolved samples; in addition, potassium was determined by flame atomic absorption spectroscopy. The analytical results indicate that all the fragments, with one exception, are silica-soda-lime glasses; (he exception is a potash glass. Cluster analysis was performed on the analytical data by accounting for either 14 (all the elements searched for but Ni and Pb) or eight elements (after further removal of Si, Fe, Mn, Cr, Cu and Co from the data set). The results obtained indicate that, once colouring and decolouring agents are removed, the classification of the glasses seems to be mainly determined by chronology; separate groups within coeval fragments may indicate different provenances.     

Rapid Na, Cu exchange between synthetic fluid inclusions and external aqueous solutions: evidence from LA-ICP-MS analysis

Three sets of equilibration experiments (Set 1 to Set 3) were performed in cold-seal pressure vessels to investigate the compositional modification of quartz-hosted fluid inclusions after entrapment. Each set of experiment consisted of two stages. In a pre-run, fluid inclusions containing 5–10 wt% NaCl and selected trace elements were synthesized at 700°C/140–200 MPa. These samples were then loaded into new capsules together with Cu-bearing solutions and some mineral buffers, and re-equilibrated at 600–800°C and 70–140 MPa for 6–8 days. LA-ICP-MS analysis of individual fluid inclusions reveals that in re-equilibration experiments in which the outer fluid was composed of KCl (±FeCl₂) up to 83% of the original Na content of pre-existing fluid inclusions were lost, and up to 5660 ppm Cu were gained. Other elements with larger ionic radii (i.e. K, Fe, Ba, Sr) were not exchanged, demonstrating that the inclusions remained physically intact and that Na and Cu were transported through quartz by diffusion. The observed Na loss from pre-existing fluid inclusions correlates positively with Cu gain, with about 1 Cu atom being gained per 10 Na atoms lost. Thus, Na and Cu (plus probably H) were exchanged by interdiffusion. Remarkably, this processes resulted in up to 10 times higher Cu concentrations in re-equilibrated inclusions than were present in the outer fluid, i.e. Cu diffused 'uphill'. Large variations of Cu concentrations relative to the concentration of other elements are common also in natural fluid inclusion assemblages. However, no evidence for a correlation between Cu content and Na content was found so far, suggesting that Cu diffusion in natural samples may be dominated by processes other than Na–Cu interdiffusion.     

Analyses of measurements taken from adult femurs of a British population

The femur remains an important bone in palaeoanthropology and this paper reports various analyses of measurements taken from long-cassette radiographs of adult femurs of a reference population from the south of England (n=81, males 33, females 48). Discriminant analysis confirmed that the male femur is usually larger than the female femur, and that a femur may be sexed with some confidence. Discriminant scores have been derived to permit estimates to be made, from the whole or a part of a femur, of the probability of the male gender. Outcomes from a principal component analysis suggest: that the female proximal femur is a morphological unit; that neck length and shaft length are dissociated and there is no common factor representing linearity; and that the male bicondylar width is anomalous, a finding that is confirmed by other analyses. An estimate of the robusticity of the complete female, but not male, bone may sometimes be made from a proximal fragment. The robusticity of the complete bone may be made confidently from the shaft for both genders. The two width variables relating to a distal fragment cannot be used to predict the robusticity of the complete bone for either gender. A method of defining the position of the waist in terms of displacement in deciles down the shaft is described. The position of the waist seems to have a bimodal distribution. The positive association between age and distal displacement may be due to remoulding of the shaft with age or to a cohort (generational) effect. There is a weak correlation between a small neck–shaft angle and the distal displacement of the waist, two archaic phenotypic traits. Ten statements in the literature relating to the femur have been examined and tested; six are confirmed and four are unconfirmed, and it is suggested that there is a need for further studies relating to the morphology of the femur.     

Soil chemical signatures of a historic sod house: activity area analysis of an arctic semisubterranean structure on Nelson Island,Alaska

On Nelson Island in western Alaska, some Yup’ik inhabitants built and inhabited semisubterranean houses until the early 1960s. This affords a unique opportunity to examine known activity areas of ethnoarchaeological soils using multielement chemical characterization of soils. These data can then be compared to archaeological investigations, allowing a nuanced and sophisticated understanding of the activities performed in the past. Here, we present elemental concentration data from soil extracts, generated with a quadrupole inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer, of the following elements in the soil extract recorded in parts per billion: sodium (Na), magnesium (Mg), aluminum (Al), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), titanium (Ti), chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), arsenic (As), strontium (Sr), barium (Ba), lead (Pb), and uranium (U). When compared to an offsite area, the sod house samples were enriched in phosphorus and magnesium, and specific areas within the sod house exhibited different signatures related to different activities, including the incorporation of wood ash and waste into the soil.     

重庆彭水徐家坝遗址出土商周时期的船形杯功能研究

2009年,重庆彭水徐家坝遗址出土了一件船形杯,其用途到底是什么?学术界一直未有一个定论。本工作利用检测手段,从物质成分和结构方面揭示出徐家坝遗址出土船形杯的用途。扫描电镜能谱分析显示船形杯体中含有大量的Cu和Pb以及微量的Sn,杯体表层分离出来的铜块为Cu、Sn和Pb三元合金的铸造组织结构。同时,杯体表面青灰色残留物的X-射线衍射分析显示其中含有锡石(SnO2)、氧化铜(CuO)和碳(C)。实验数据表明巴人在商周时期已经了解到了青铜合金的性质,掌握了青铜冶铸技术,有力证实船形杯可以作为冶铸工具坩埚的观点。     

Ethnoarchaeological analysis of Arctic fish processing: chemical characterization of soils on Nelson Island,Alaska

Activity area analysis of archaeological soils using multi-element characterizations can illuminate how subsistence operations are organized and how subsistence behavior has changed over time, and is increasingly common at archaeological sites. However, in many regions it is impossible to examine the elemental signatures in known anthropogenic soil samples in order to compare them with unknown archaeological samples. This ethnoarchaeological study examines the chemical composition of the soils at known fish processing areas in the contemporary community of Tununak on Nelson Island, western Alaska. Using a quadrupole inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (Q-ICP-MS), the concentrations of the following elements in the soil extract were recorded in parts per million (ppm): aluminum (Al), barium (Ba), calcium (Ca), iron (Fe), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), manganese (Mn), sodium (Na), phosphorus (P), strontium (Sr), titanium (Ti), and zinc (Zn). Fish processing area features are elevated in various elements, including sodium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and manganese, and Ba/Sr, Ba/Ca, and Sr/Ca are also useful in distinguishing between fish processing areas and offsite areas.     

板楯蛮(賨人)源流考略——廪君之后还是“百濮”先民?

笔者认为世居于川东北嘉陵江上游和渠江流域的土著居民,"巴渝舞"的创始者——板楯蛮(賨人)与来自鄂西南清江流域的廪君蛮(巴人先祖)并非同一族群。板楯蛮和廪君蛮虽统称为"巴人",但其"巴人"称谓是"巴地之人"、"巴国之人"的通称,而不是作为族称存在的。他们均出自"百濮"系统,只是起源地、分布地域、文化习俗、经济发展水平等方面有所区别,这一点也是经过方家充分论证的。本文拟从民族地理学、历史文献学、考古学和人类学等视角对板楯蛮的历史起源、分布地域及其与百濮、廪君的关系作一导向性梳理,以釐清学界长期存在的关于廪君蛮与板楯蛮同源、同宗的迷雾。     

三星堆文明以前的历史：成都平原的史前时代——兼论成都平原的土著及贵州濮僚

史学界对成都平原史前史有过研究,但至今仍扑朔迷离,原因是石器时代的考古发掘太少。而周边如贵州西北部、云南东北部,陕西等地却非常丰富。于是本文作者作了大胆推论：古蜀人是由南面的濮人北上和北面的羌人南下及东面的巴人西进与川西平原本地的资阳人汇集而成的,时间有前有后,前者受川盐的吸引。后者是农业发明较成熟后到达川西平原这块沃土的。濮人、羌人、氐人、巴人、彝人和资阳人共同构成的四川土著（古蜀人）,创造了光辉灿烂的古蜀文明。     

Trace element concentrations in teeth – a modern Idaho baseline with implications for archeometry,forensics, and palaeontology

Concentrations of 69 minor and trace elements were measured in situ using laser ablation inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry in multiple teeth of modern herbivores (Cervus elaphus, Odocoileus hemionus, Odocoileus virginianus; n = 52), omnivores (Ursus americanus; n = 56), and carnivores (Felis concolor; n = 33; Canis lupus; n = 4) from Idaho, USA. On each tooth, two to five analyses were collected on enamel, primary dentine, and secondary dentine with spot diameters of 30–100 μm. Continuous 30-μm-wide line traverses were collected across deer, elk, and wolf teeth. Results confirm trace element concentrations below 1 ppm for many elements, including Li, Be, transition metals (excepting Mn, Fe and Zn), heavy metals (excepting Hg and Pb), the rare earths, and actinides. Strontium and Ba generally biopurify with increasing trophic level, but Ba shows decreasing discrimination with tissue type in the order secondary dentine – primary dentine – enamel. Most elements show strong zoning within tissues and variable trophic level behavior, so concentrations in omnivores rarely fall between herbivores and carnivores. Trace element mass balance suggests that soil and dust, not food, commonly deliver the largest trace element load in terrestrial carnivores and omnivores, even for elements that biopurify, like Ba. Use of trace elements for inferring past diets are likely compromised by unknown rates of dust and soil ingestion rather than indicating the degree of herbivory and carnivory. The low concentrations of many elements provide multiple sensitive markers of post-burial overprinting that can be used to discriminate altered vs. original biogenic compositions. REE and actinide trends do not directly follow bedrock compositions.     

孙炎“八角螫虫”之说新证

孙炎的“八角螫虫”之说见于《尔雅.释虫》“蟔,蛅蟴”郭璞注,从郭璞注可以看出,孙炎将“蟔,蛅蟴”解释为“八角螫虫”,郭璞不同意孙炎的解释。邢?、郝懿行、段玉裁、朱骏声等四家在郭璞注的基础上对孙炎的解释或否定、或肯定,但都不能令人信服。文章根据现代方言证明孙炎的解释的可信性。     

An Osteometric Study on the Variation in Orientation of the Lesser Trochanter in an Early Medieval Human Skeletal Assemblage and Comparison with an Individual from the Late Upper Palaeolithic

Anatomical textbooks describe the lesser trochanter in contemporary humans as being oriented posteromedially. In contrast, orientation of the lesser trochanter towards posterior was observed in some human femora from the Upper Palaeolithic, including the femur of a young adult individual from Germany (Irlich 1), radiocarbon dated to 12 500–11 200 bp (calibrated AMS age). The present study analysed the orientation of the lesser trochanter in femora originating from an early medieval skeletal assemblage (Greding, Germany) and compared the results with those for the Irlich 1 femur. Eleven landmarks, four on the proximal femur, four on the mid‐shaft and three on the distal femur, were recorded with a MicroScribe® digitizer and analysed using AutoCAD® 2010 software. Seven angles and five distances were measured. In the Greding femora, significant differences (p  < 0.05) between sexes were found for several linear measurements, while no significant sex‐related differences existed for angular measurements. For some angular variables related to the orientation of the lesser trochanter, the values for the Irlich 1 femur lay outside the range of variation of the Greding specimens, reflecting the more posterior orientation of the lesser trochanter in the Irlich 1 femur. This posterior orientation of the lesser trochanter was not associated with a particularly low degree of femoral anteversion. It is hypothesised that the differences in orientation of the lesser trochanter between the Irlich 1 femur (and other femora of Upper Palaeolithic individuals) and the femora from Greding could basically reflect differences in traction exercised by the iliopsoas muscle during infancy and childhood between the sedentary agricultural population from Greding and Upper Palaeolithic hunter‐gatherers with a mobile lifestyle. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evaluating copper isotope fractionation in the metallurgical operational chain: An experimental approach

Until today, raw material information of copper (Cu) objects is mostly gained from impurities and trace elements and not from the Cu itself. This might be obtained using its stable isotopes. However, isotopic fingerprinting requires the absence of fractionation during the smelting process. The Cu isotope evolution during outdoor smelting experiments with Cu sulphide ore was investigated. It is shown that external materials, in particular furnace lining, clay, manure and sand, alter the isotopic composition of the smelting products. Cu isotopes are fractionated within low viscosity slag derived from matte smelting. The produced metallic Cu has a Cu isotope signature close to the ore.     

Age-dependent bone loss in the femur in a medieval population

Age-dependent bone loss in femurs in a medieval skeletal assemblage from Wharram Percy, England was studied. Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) was used to measure bone mineral density (BMD) in the proximal femur; radiogrammetry was used to measure cortical index (FEMCI) at the femur mid-shaft. Age-related loss of BMD was found in the proximal femur in both sexes. Females but not males showed loss of FEMCI. Patterning in bone loss with respect to age, sex and site in the skeleton resembled that seen in recent subjects. In this respect the results are similar to those of a previous study of metacarpal cortical bone in the same archaeological assemblage. Given the large difference in lifestyles, and that lifestyle factors are widely held to influence the severity of bone loss in osteoporosis, the similarities between the medieval and modern populations in the patterns of bone loss are surprising. These findings support those from an earlier study of these skeletons in calling into question the role of lifestyle factors in influencing the severity of bone loss in osteoporosis. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

巴蜀带斑纹兵器的锈蚀产物分析及机理探讨

带斑纹兵器是巴蜀兵器的一大特色。由于表面有斑纹的青铜兵器锈蚀与一般青铜器锈蚀有所不同,必须针对其特殊性进行锈蚀机理的研究,才能对症下药,达到有效保护的目的。应用矿相分析、SEM EDS、XRD等分析手段对几件巴蜀带斑纹兵器表面与截面锈蚀产物进行分析,并与非斑纹锈蚀进行比较;对斑纹与非斑纹的锈蚀机理进行探讨。分析结果表明,斑纹的锈蚀产物主要是SnO2,其在兵器斑纹表面形成钝性保护膜,防止其进一步腐蚀,对斑纹下面的基体有一定的保护作用。非斑纹层锈蚀向斑纹层下面的基体扩展,膨胀是造成斑纹层凸起甚至脱落的主要原因,对斑纹兵器保护的关键是控制非斑纹层锈蚀的进一步发展。     

A case of Human Bone Chalcolithic Technology from the Perdigões site (Alentejo,Portugal)

A human femur diaphysis in the form of a burin was excavated from a secondary burial context containing osteological remains and industry in the Archaeological Complex of Perdigões (Portugal). The majority of these evidences are thermo‐altered and highly fragmented. Radiocarbon dates for this context place it in the middle 3rd millennium BC. Typological analyses indicate that the human femur fragment is a burin, and use‐wear comparisons suggest that it was used to drill hide. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

新干商代大墓青铜器腐蚀分析研究

为进一步了解新干商代大墓青铜器的腐蚀机理,用扫描电子显微镜、面探测器X衍射仪、离子色谱等仪器,对这批青铜器的腐蚀现象分三个方面进行了锈蚀结构、青铜基体、微观形貌观察的研究。研究结果表明,三种不同类型的腐蚀结构表面锈蚀成分主要是SnO2,样品表面锡含量均高于基体。漆古表面有龟裂纹,氧、锡元素分布从外至内层递减;铜元素从外至内递增。青铜器上残留土样中未检测出侵蚀性氯离子。实验结果可为保护这批青铜器提供科学依据。