Transitions in Islamic plant-ash glass vessels: on-site chemical analyses conducted at the Raya/al-Tur area on the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt

This study focuses on the chemical composition of Islamic plant-ash glass (dated from the 9th to 11th centuries) excavated from the Raya/al-Tur area on the South Sinai in Egypt. Plant-ash glass objects from the Raya site were classified into three compositional types based on on-site chemical analyses with a portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometer. Based on typological characteristics and chemical composition comparisons with contemporary glass objects from other Islamic sites, one hypothesis holds that plant-ash glass objects produced in the Syria–Palestine or Mesopotamian regions could have been imported to Raya during the 9th to 10th centuries. In particular, some colorless glass vessels with a high magnesium/calcium ratio were noted to exhibit post-Sassanian cut decorations. Conversely, most of the bluish-green plant-ash glass objects from the Monastery of Wadi al-Tur near the Raya site exhibited relatively high levels of aluminum, titanium, iron, and lead. These pieces were likely produced during the Fatimid period (late 10th to 12th centuries), and based on their elemental composition, possibly originated in Egypt. The present work provides a greater understanding of chronological changes in post-9th century Islamic plant-ash glasses and the development of social and commercial networks within the Middle Eastern area.     

The impact of mining activities on the environment reflected by pollen,charcoal and geochemical analyses

This article presents results of a multi-proxy study of a fen deposit in the former mining district of Falkenstein near Schwaz in the Tyrol, Austria. The aim of the study in the framework of the special research program HiMAT (The History of Mining Activities in the Tyrol and Adjacent Areas – Impact on Environment & Human Societies) was to disclose the ecological impact of mining in pollen and heavy metal diagrams and to create a model combining the changes in palaeoecological proxies with historical evidences for mining. The application of this palaeoecological–historical model to prehistoric times allowed us to reconstruct the impact of mining and metallurgic activities in the surroundings of the fen during the last millennia. The results of stratigraphy, radiocarbon dating, LOI, pollen and micro-charcoal analyses as well as geochemical analyses of scandium, lead and lead isotopes validated by historical and archaeological data are hereby presented.     

Moving sources: A preliminary study of volcanic glass artifact distributions in northeast China using PXRF

Recent studies have highlighted the long-distance transport of obsidian from the Paektusan (Tianchi or Baitoushan in Chinese) volcano on the border between China and North Korea to eastern Russia and Korea, but little is known about the role of the local population in the production and movement or exchange of this important raw material. This paper addresses this data lacuna by presenting sourcing results of 440 artifacts from 18 Late Paleolithic sites located in northeast China. A portable XRF enabled rapid non-destructive characterization of samples. The results show that although Paektusan obsidian was widely transported throughout northeast Asia, material from at least three other sources was also used. In particular, we highlight the significance of basaltic glass artifacts with the same geochemistry as sources found in the Primorye region of Far East Russia in sites from northeast China. This result indicates a two-way movement of volcanic glass artifacts between Primorye and the northeast of China rather than a unidirectional long-distance exchange system originating from Paektusan Volcano.     

Lead pigments and related tools at Akrotiri,Thera, Greece. Provenance and application techniques

This paper refers to an investigation of finds that are associated with the raw materials and tools for the preparation or use of lead pigments at Akrotiri on Thera, Greece, during the Early, Middle and Late Cycladic Bronze Age (c. 3000–1600 BC). For the detection and the preliminary characterisation of remains of pigments that were found on stone tools, the in situ application of X-Ray Fluorescence spectroscopy proved to be invaluable. In order to identify the chemical composition of the pigments and to investigate their provenance from a geological perspective, quantitative X-Ray Diffraction analysis was conducted. A thorough visual macro and microscopic examination of the morphology of the materials permitted the determination of physical features (colour, homogeneity, grain size) as indicators of their nature or degree of processing. Based on the results of these analyses, the traces of lead oxides that were detected on the stone tools are associated with specific collections of litharge items discovered at the settlement of Akrotiri, and probably provide evidence of their earliest use in preparing pigments.     

A Byzantine Shipwreck from Cape Stoba,Mljet, Croatia: an interim report

The Cape Stoba shipwreck is located on the seabed off the island of Mljet in Croatia at a depth of 21–28 m. Following initial investigation in 1975, four seasons of excavation have been carried between 2010 and 2014 by the Department for Underwater Archaeology of the Croatian Conservation Institute, joined by the Department of Studi Umanistici of the Università Ca' Foscari of Venice from 2012. The wreck‐site is evidenced by a cargo of nine amphora types dated to the 10th‐11th century AD, produced in the Eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea area, and glassware of Levantine production. The only direct evidence of the ship itself to date, is one iron anchor.     

Historical signature of Roman mining activities in the Bidasoa estuary (Basque Country,northern Spain): an integrated micropalaeontological,geochemical and archaeological approach

This work presents an integrated micropalaeontological (foraminiferal content), geochemical (Pb, Zn, Cu, Ni, Cr, and Al, Pb isotope ratios, radiocarbon dating) and archaeological approach to the environmental impact caused by Roman mining in the Bidasoa estuary (northern Spain). Sediments collected in the ancient Roman port of Irun represent a typical infilling sequence, reflecting a progressive isolation from the estuarine environment. They exhibit elevated contents of Pb, clearly higher than those recommended nowadays for acceptable sediment quality. Isotope composition confirms exploitation of local galenas as the main source for this metal. Results from a borehole (25 m long) reveal that Pb pollution extended also to the adjacent estuarine area. The beginning of Roman mining activities is recorded by a marked increase in Pb concentrations. However, the maximum value appears later in time (after 660 cal AD). Although this enrichment could be related to the reworking upstreams of previously polluted materials, recently obtained archaeological data suggest that episodes of historically non-documented mining activities could have taken place in the surrounding area after Roman times.     

Study of medieval glass fragments from Savona (Italy) and their relation with the glass produced in Altare

Altare was in the medieval and post-medieval period an important glassmaking center in the Liguria region in Northern Italy. The first historical evidence of glassmaking in Altare is dated to the twelfth century. In spite of that, due to the continuity of glassmaking up to the present time and the contemporaneous intensive urbanization of the territory, no medieval glass from Altare or its immediate vicinity has been analyzed up to now. In this work, glass from archaeological excavations in the center of Savona, city with close ties with the glassmaking center, was studied. Glass fragments, dated from the tenth to the sixteenth century were selected from the collections of the Archaeological Museum in Savona and non-destructively analyzed with quantitative PIXE-PIGE. The resulting compositions, compared with known glass productions of the same time and evaluated on the basis of historical documents, offer an interesting panorama on the variety of glass circulation in Liguria.     

中国传统灰土灰浆强度增强方法研究

中国传统灰土灰浆中水硬性凝胶材料-水合硅酸钙和水合硅酸铝的形成可以大幅度提高其强度,但在自然条件下生成此类水硬性化合物需要很长时间。本文借鉴现代水泥工艺中利用焙烧黏土材料可提高火山灰活性的原理,从而有效缩短形成水硬性化合物的反应时间,在短时间内大大提高灰浆的强度。以此为出发点,加工制备性能优良的灰浆材料,为传统砌体建筑的保护提供适宜的保护修复材料。     

透闪石玉物相构成及沁蚀演化机理新解

中国是世界上玉文化源远流长的地区,随着玉文化研究的深入和玉学的兴起,玉石的物相构成及受沁演化机理成为学界和出土古玉鉴定中的重要问题。由于埋藏环境的作用,许多玉器出土时的面貌和成分结构已发生很大改变。本研究运用扫描电子显微镜及能谱仪(SEM-EDX)、显微激光拉曼光谱仪(MLRM)和傅里叶变换红外光谱仪(FTIR)等分析设备,对湖北省京山市苏家垄遗址春秋时期M88号墓棺内出土的4件玉器残片以及1件现代透闪石玉原石开展比较研究。研究确认透闪石玉中除了纤维状的矿物成分,还包含玻璃相的高级脂肪酸盐,分布于晶界及晶体间隙的玻璃相脂肪酸盐在玉石晶链间形成缓冲,使透闪石玉具有较高的韧性,不易崩碎。当腐蚀发生时,脂肪酸盐会变质分解溶出,部分会在玉石裂隙及疏松处富集并吸附其他物质,致使玉石受沁。脂肪酸盐大量流失后,透闪石玉晶链因失去缓冲而极易碎裂。此时,链状结构中Ca-O键和Fe-O键因强度低于Mg-O键而优先断裂流失,使得玉石内阳起石结构减少,外观由半透明向不透明转变,甚至白化。关于古代玉石中脂肪酸盐来源及其对玉石影响的研究,为古玉研究开拓了新的途径。