NON‐DESTRUCTIVE INVESTIGATION OF BRONZE ARTEFACTS FROM THE MARCHES NATIONAL MUSEUM OF ARCHAEOLOGY USING NEUTRON DIFFRACTION*

Non‐destructive neutron diffraction techniques were applied to determine composition and microstructure data, and hence to derive information on manufacturing techniques of Picenum bronze artefacts. Furthermore, texture analyses were carried out on standards and suitable ancient artefacts to investigate their potential role in archaeometallurgical studies. This is a first step towards an overall characterization of the bronze collection of the Marches National Museum of Archaeology, Italy, and the analytical demonstration of relations with and differences compared to Etruscan metallurgy. The work is also an example application of the powerful non‐destructive archaeometrical approaches provided by time‐of‐flight neutron diffraction.     

Urban brownfields redevelopment in Canada: the role of local government

As in many U.S. and European cities, the legacy of a negligent past has left scars on Canada's urban landscape in the form of numerous under-used industrial and commercial brownfield sites. While governments in the U.S. and Europe have implemented a variety of policies and programs to help developers overcome the costs and risks associated with redeveloping these sites, there continues to be apprehension among stakeholders in Canada that efforts implemented by the different levels of government here have been deficient, fragmented and piecemeal in comparison. This paper examines the nature of the brownfields problem in Canadian cities and investigates the role of local governments in managing these problems 'on the ground'. Survey data from 24 cities, coupled with information gathered from four site visitations, reveal that brownfields are indeed a problem for many cities. The data suggest that even though perceptions of what is needed to better manage the problem locally are relatively similar throughout the country, managerial efforts remain disparate and somewhat limited because of diverse provincial policies and variable property markets.     

Die ankunft der Anāhita (Yt 5,7–13)

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

METALLOGRAPHIC STUDY OF IRON ARTEFACTS FROM THE EASTERN TRANSVAAL,SOUTH AFRICA

The microstructures of two adzes, two hoes and a spear point from Iron Age settlement sites in the Kruger National Park have been examined. Electron microprobe analyses of the slag inclusions were also made. Some of the objects are made of high carbon steel while others have a highly variable carbon content. All appear to have been forged at relatively low temperature and then annealed at a low temperature near 700°C. None have been hardened by quenching and tempering. Some of the objects contain only traces of included slag while others have large slag inclusions. The slag compositions are quite different from those of medieval bloomery slags and are representative of African iron smelting practice in their high content of CaO, K₂ O and Na₂O. On the basis of the titanium content of the included slag, two of the objects are identified as made of the ore from Rooiwater and one from Phalaborwa ore.     

Production centers of cooking pots in Iron Age Judah

This paper will present and discuss a multifaceted research project dealing with the production of cooking pots during the Iron Age II (ca. 1,000–586 BCE) Judah (modern Israel). In particular the new compositional analysis of 541 cooking vessels from 11 sites in Iron Age Judah will be presented. The study employs petrographic and chemical (NAA) analysis. The results of this ongoing research have already produced interesting information about production centers and movements of cooking pots in Iron Age II Judah. Apparently, the vast majority of the cooking pots sampled were made of a similar type of clay, related to terra rossa soil. This is true also for sites in the northern Negev and Judean Desert, where the type of soil was not available in the region of the sites. Furthermore, many of the cooking pots distributed around Judah were made in Jerusalem according to a well-located chemical profile (JleB). Other groups may represent Judean Shephelah production centers as the Lachish area as well as production centers in southern Israel or ancient Edom. The implications of the importation patterns of cooking pots by peripheral Judean sites will be discussed.