DNA AND PROTEIN RECOVERY FROM WASHED EXPERIMENTAL STONE TOOLS*

Traces of protein and DNA are preserved on stone tools used to process animals. Previous research documents the identification of protein residues from tools sonicated in 5% ammonium hydroxide, but it remains untested whether the same treatment yields useable DNA. In this study we report both DNA and protein recovery using 5% ammonium hydroxide from residues on stone tools. We extracted 13‐year‐old residues from experimentally manufactured stone tools used to butcher a single animal. We also show that surface washing procedures typically used to curate stone tools remove only a small fraction of the DNA and protein deposited during animal butchery.     

THE CHARACTERIZATION OF PAINTS AND WATERPROOFING MATERIALS FROM THE SHIPWRECKS FOUND AT THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE OF THE ETRUSCAN AND ROMAN HARBOUR OF PISA (ITALY)*

This work presents the results of a diagnostic survey on the shipwrecks from the archaeological site of the ancient harbour of San Rossore (Pisa, Italy). The original waterproofing, caulking and painting materials were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), gas chromatography – mass spectrometry (GC–MS), energy‐dispersive X‐ray microanalysis (EDX) and X‐ray diffraction (XRD). The major constituents of the waterproofing and caulking materials detected on the planks were tricyclic abietanes showing a high degree of aromatization. These compounds are indicative of a pitch obtained from the wood of trees of the Pinaceae family. The analysis of the organic components of the paint samples revealed diterpenoid acids characteristic of Pinaceae resins together with linear long‐chain alcohols and fatty acids, highlighting the presence of beeswax. Noticeably, the characteristic odd carbon number alkanes that are normally present in beeswax were not detected. The EDX and XRD analyses showed that hematite, calcite, cerussite and kaolinite were employed as pigments to paint the ships’ hulls.     

The Determination of Lead Isotope Ratios by Multiple Collector Icp‐Ms: A Case Study of Early Bronze Age Artefacts and their Possible Relation With Ore Deposits of the Erzgebirge*

Lead isotope analyses of Early Bronze Age metal artefacts from the Aunjetitz (Ún?tice) culture in central Germany and Bohemia were determined in order to find out whether they could be related to ore sources of the Erzgebirge. Historical mining began only in the 12th century ad , but despite the lack of convincing field evidence it has frequently been suspected that this region was already being exploited in prehistoric times. For the determination of the lead isotope ratios, the new technique of multiple collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC‐ICP‐MS) was employed, which combines relatively easy sample preparation with highly precise and accurate measurements. The results show that there is still no evidence for prehistoric mining in the Erzgebirge, but the Rammelsberg deposit in the Harz Mountains might have supplied some of the copper. Mining of stream tin in the Erzgebirge remains a possibility, but no positive evidence can be extracted from the data.     

THE ‘FRYING PANS’ OF THE EARLY BRONZE AGE AEGEAN: AN EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH TO THEIR POSSIBLE USE AS LIQUID MIRRORS*

The so‐called ‘frying pans’ are peculiar vessels, most of them made of terracotta, flat and shallow, usually decorated on the outside part and dated to the Early Bronze Age. They were unearthed mostly in the Cyclades, in Crete and on the Helladic mainland. There are also a few artefacts made of stone and of bronze, from the Cyclades and Asia Minor, respectively. The intended purpose of these objects is disputed. Several interpretations exist for their function, the earliest one being that of liquid mirror vessels. We investigated the mirror hypothesis experimentally, by testing trays with attributes similar to those of the original ‘frying pans’, filled with a series of liquids familiar to the people of the time and the place where those vessels were made. The criterion employed was the contrast of mirror images. We conclude that, provided that some minimal prerequisites are met, the ‘frying pans’ are quite appropriate as liquid mirror vessels.     

‘GRANITO DEL FORO’ AND ‘GRANITO DI NICOTERA’: PETROGRAPHIC FEATURES AND ARCHAEOMETRIC PROBLEMS OWING TO SIMILAR APPEARANCE

Granitoid rocks were among the stone materials most frequently used for columns and pillars during the Roman period. When employed in Rome and the Mediterranean provinces, they were mainly quarried in Egypt, in Asia Minor and in Italy. Some of these rocks show very similar macroscopic features, so it is often very difficult to tell them apart with the naked eye. This is the case with the ‘Granito del Foro’ (or Marmor Claudianum), from the Gebel Fatireh, in the Eastern Desert, and the ‘Granito di Nicotera’ (Calabria), both exploited from the first century ad onwards. Both feature medium grain size and a white‐greyish colour with black patches. In order to obtain a certain microscopic and geochemical discrimination of these rocks, and to provide the first known petrographic classification of the ‘Granito di Nicotera’, a comprehensive mineralogical, petrographic and geochemical investigation was performed on several samples from the quarry. The results were compared with the corresponding data known for Marmor Claudianum in the literature. Good discrimination between the granites is possible, mainly on the basis of modal mineralogy and geochemical characteristics. The ‘Granito del Foro’ contains hornblende, while the ‘Granito di Nicotera’ contains muscovite, and has a distinctive peraluminous index and trace element abundances.     

X-RAY MICROANALYSIS OF ANCIENT GLASSY MATERIALS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF WAVELENGTH DISPERSIVE AND ENERGY DISPERSIVE TECHNIQUES*

Sensitivity, precision and accuracy of quantitative microanalysis of major, minor and trace elements present in ancient glasses by energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS) is compared to that by wavelength dispersive spectrometry (WDS). Although there are certain problems with EDS due to peak overlaps and background noise, the precision and minimum detection limits of EDS for most of the important elements in ancient glasses were found to compare favourably to those of WDS. Both EDS and WDS, when quantified by comparison to glass standards, can produce reliable results which are adequate for most technological questions.     

IN‐SITU ELEMENTAL AND Sr ISOTOPE INVESTIGATION OF HUMAN TOOTH ENAMEL BY LASER ABLATION‐(MC)‐ICP‐MS: SUCCESSES AND PITFALLS*

Trace element and Sr isotope data were obtained by laser ablation‐ and solution mode‐(MC)‐ICP‐MS analysis for tooth enamel from remains excavated at the New Kingdom period Egyptian colonial and Nubian cemetery site of Tombos (Sudan). Elemental abundances determined by both methods of ICP‐MS analysis yielded comparable values; however, ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values obtained by laser ablation were higher compared to their solution mode counterparts. This discrepancy is related to the production of a molecular interference—Ca + P + O (overlaps ⁸⁷Sr); hence the higher ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values recorded during ablation analyses. Laser ablation studies of enamel may provide relatively precise ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values rather quickly but cannot be used for accurately deciphering historical population migrations.     

PROGRESS REVIEW OF THE SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF CHINESE ANCIENT JADE

The interdisciplinary study of cultural heritage has become a scholarly hotspot in archaeology. Ancient jade serves as an important symbol of Chinese traditional culture, so the study of it is a critical part of this trend. The past 30 years have witnessed great progress in research on ancient jade, with the involvement of basic theory and the technological application of many science subjects. This paper summarizes the research status, methodology and prospects in the research on raw material (jade texture), provenance and secondary change of Chinese ancient jade, in the hope of benefiting future studies of ancient jade.     

THE APPLICATION OF A PORTABLE X‐RAY FLUORESCENCE SPECTROMETER TO THE ON‐SITE ANALYSIS OF GLASS VESSEL FRAGMENTS FROM SOUTHERN THAILAND*

Ancient glass vessel fragments belonging to the seventh to ninth centuries ad , from the Ko Kho Khao, Laem Pho and Khuan Lukpad sites in southern Thailand, were studied. The glass vessel fragment samples are a collection belonging to the Department of Archaeology, the 15th Regional Office of Fine Arts of Thailand. The chemical compositions of the glasses were analysed using a modified portable energy‐dispersive X‐ray fluorescence spectrometer (OURSTEX 100FA‐II) by the introduction of a MOXTEK^® AP3.3 polymer window (5 mm²?) to the KETEK silicon drift detector for the measurement of light elements. The non‐destructive analysis was performed at the National Museum, Phuket, in Thailand. It is shown that the glass chemical compositions belong to mineral and plant‐ash based soda–lime–silicate glass. The origins of the glass artefacts are discussed in terms of raw materials and glass decoration, and compared with previously reported similar typological glasses from sites in the port city of Rāya and the Monastery of Wadi al‐Tur in Egypt.