LEAD ISOTOPE RATIOS AS A MEANS OF SOURCING ANTHROPOGENIC LEAD IN ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOILS: A PILOT STUDY OF AN ABANDONED SHETLAND CROFT*

Results from soil chemical analysis have demonstrated enhanced concentrations of lead (Pb) associated with archaeological sites. However, interpretation of these Pb concentrations is difficult because of the multitude of possible Pb sources. This pilot study of an abandoned croft in Shetland suggests that Pb isotope ratios have the potential to identify sources of anthropogenic Pb. The results highlight two different Pb associations. The first includes hearth, house floor and house overburden soils, with end members of fuel materials and an unidentified material with a low (< 1.126) ²⁰⁶ Pb/ ²⁰⁷ Pb ratio. The second includes byre, kailyard (garden) and arable soils, with end members of hearth materials and local wind‐blown sand.     

ACCESSORY MINERALS AS TRACERS IN THE PROVENANCING OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL MARBLES,USED IN COMBINATION WITH ISOTOPIC AND PETROGRAPHIC DATA*

Thirty‐eight archaeological marbles (Roman and medieval) from Modena and Reggio Emilia (northern Italy) were provenanced using the accessory minerals as tracers and the results were compared with those inferred for the same artefacts using isotope composition and MGS (maximum grain size of calcite grains). The number of inferred possible sources is generally lower when using the mineralogical method, which therefore seems to be suited to marble provenancing.     

BRITTLE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SILVER: A FRACTURE MECHANISMS AND MECHANICS ASSESSMENT*

Some archaeological silver objects are found to be brittle. The brittleness is a consequence of long‐term corrosion and microstructural changes. The types and mechanisms of embrittlement are defined and explained. The severity of embrittlement is increased by a larger grain size and by synergistic action of corrosion‐induced and microstructurally induced embrittlement. Micromechanical models of fracture that incorporate the grain size provide an insight into these effects and help to explain why severely embrittled objects are frangible or even friable.     

POTENTIAL MAGNETIC SUSCEPTIBILITY AND FRACTIONAL CONVERSION STUDIES OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOILS AND SEDIMENTS*

Potential magnetic susceptibility (χ_MAX) and, hence, fractional conversion (χ_CONV) are shown to be critical in interpreting low‐frequency mass‐specific magnetic susceptibility (χ_LF) data. Results presented from 29 sites in the UK and one in Hungary encompass six types of investigation: Quaternary sedimentary stratigraphies, archaeological contexts, surveys of old ground surfaces, topsoil surveys of lithic scatter sites, topsoil prospection surveys and ‘natural’ topsoils. The findings highlight the wide range of χ_MAX values that may be encountered; identify factors affecting χ_MAX; demonstrate that χ_CONV provides a measure of enhancement resulting from burning; and identify environments in which χ_LF analysis is likely to be problematic.     

Book Review

Abstract

The year 2011 marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the World Archaeological Congress (WAC). WAC marked a bold intervention in the politics of knowledge in archaeology in the context of the mid-1980s. But how has it fared in contemporary worlds of practice? In this paper, two senior WAC members take a close and critical look at the changing fortunes, meanings, and contexts of the organization. At its centre, is an account of the controversial meeting between the WAC Executive and Rio Tinto Limited, the mining multinational, in Melbourne in 2007. Other parts of the paper engage with notions of the Indigenous, and discuss the assumptions informing the WAC programme Archaeologists Without Borders. Framed as a challenge, the paper invites response and commentary, as a way of opening debate which allows us to envisage alternative futures for the discipline, beyond the banal prospect of 'Archaeology Inc.'.     

Managing Oman's Archaeological Resource: Historical Perspectives

Abstract

This article examines the history of the development of archaeological resource management in the Sultanate of Oman. It provides an overview of past and present practices and investigates the relevance of current management to the present state of Omani society. Although archaeological resource management in Oman started only three decades ago, the government has made enormous progress in establishing archaeological organizations and in creating their administrative and legislative tools. Nevertheless, it is also evident that the national system of archaeological resource management is facing a number of challenges that need to be addressed. The significance of this study lies in the fact that it is the first attempt to review this resource management historically. It aims to fill an obvious lacuna left by the many researchers who, since starting their activities in the 1950s, have only focused on the archaeology of the resource without evaluating the system through which this resource has been managed.     

Management Plans for Archaeological Sites: A World Heritage Template

Abstract

A failed attempt to produce a Management Manual for World Heritage Archaeological Sites and Monuments brought together a body of experts in 2002 at Ma'agan, Israel. This paper aims to make the general recommendations of the Ma'agan meeting more widely known among those concerned with the management of archaeological sites. The paper summarizes the outcomes of the meeting, including ideas on the structure of a management plan, the planning process, team building and public participation, site significance, conservation, monitoring, maintenance, presentation and interpretation, tourism and action plans; and includes a select bibliography.     

Site Conservation in Morocco: The Emergence of a Practice at Aghmat

Abstract

It is still uncommon for foreign and national archaeological excavations in Morocco to include architectural or site conservators during the excavation and post-excavation periods. The few existing examples of conservation have all been carried out long after the site or the building had been excavated. The site conservation activities during the Aghmat excavations in summer 2006 illustrate how the presence of archaeological conservators, advising the archaeological team and implementing urgent interventions, has ensured a safe excavation and has contributed to the preservation of the physical integrity of the excavated buildings. The excavation of the imposing archaeological features of the medieval bath of Aghmat provided the first opportunity in Moroccan archaeology for Moroccan archaeological conservators to be involved in condition assessment, planning, and provision of conservation activities to preserve the bath.

The primary aim of this paper is to present the site conservation experience in the Aghmat project, which is the first such project to be initiated during an excavation, and to be conducted mainly by a Moroccan team; it aims also to highlight the conservation procedures adopted and to incite discussion.     

AN EVALUATION OF ANALYTICAL AND INTERPRETATIVE METHODOLOGIES FOR THE EXTRACTION AND IDENTIFICATION OF LIPIDS ASSOCIATED WITH POTTERY SHERDS FROM THE SITE OF SAGALASSOS,TURKEY*

Three lipid analysis methods were applied to extracts of archaeological potsherds from the ancient city of Sagalassos, south‐west Turkey. In the fatty acid methyl ester fraction, obtained by selective transesterification of acylglycerols, the ratio of methyl palmitate to methyl stearate was determined. Secondly, by means of gas chromatography– combustion–isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC–C–IRMS), stable carbon isotope ratios were measured for the same methyl esters. Finally, triglyceride composition was determined via high‐performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (HPLC–MS). All three methods can be used to trace the origin of animal fat. Agreement between them is reasonable, especially in recognizing ruminant adipose fat. One sample was found to be of dairy origin using both GC–C–IRMS and HPLC–MS. The advantages of the various methods are discussed. Variations in lipid composition were observed between samples from different periods and excavated in diverse areas within the city of Sagalassos.     

THE CHARACTERIZATION OF WATERLOGGED ARCHAEOLOGICAL WOOD: THE THREE ROMAN SHIPS FOUND IN NAPLES (ITALY)*

Three apparently well‐preserved shipwrecks dating back to Roman times were brought to light near Piazza Municipio in Naples (Italy), during the excavation for the construction of Line 1 of the subway. The shipwrecks were covered by marine sand and silt, below the water table. In order to establish the nature and the extent of wood degradation and, therefore, determine how best to preserve the shipwrecks, a diagnostic investigation was carried out. The study involved the identification of wood species, chemical characterization of the residue component and physical and micro‐morphological characterization.