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.     

MANGANESE STAINING OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL GLASS: THE CHARACTERIZATION OF Mn‐RICH INCLUSIONS IN LEACHED LAYERS AND A HYPOTHESIS OF ITS FORMATION

During the study of a large number of archaeological glass fragments, manganese‐rich inclusions in leached layers were observed in a limited number of cases. This phenomenon occurs only in black‐coloured leached layers. Since the formation mechanism of such manganese‐rich inclusions is still unclear, a combination of several analytical techniques was used in order to investigate this phenomenon and, more specifically, to obtain more information on (a) the composition and morphology of the inclusions, (b) the chemical state of Mn and (c) the 3D morphology of the inclusions. A mechanism that might explain the formation of these inclusions is proposed.     

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.'.     

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.