山东青州香山汉墓出土西汉彩绘陶器腐蚀病害及其机理分析

为保护山东青州香山汉墓出土大量精美的西汉彩绘陶器,针对出土器物的腐蚀病害现状,运用X-射线衍射分析和偏光显微分析等技术手段,对出土彩绘陶器表面的白色盐分产物和陶片本体进行了检测。检测结果表明,表面盐分产物成分为碳酸钙和硫酸钙;该批陶器烧制材料主要由砂屑及粘土构成,所用粘土为岩土矿长期风化的积聚产物;制作工艺以模为主,模、塑结合;并结合以上的几种分析结果对其腐蚀病害及产生机理进行了论述,发现陶器表面风化是云母类矿物内部化学键断裂以及保存环境中的可溶盐的破坏应力所致。本研究结果为彩绘陶器保护修复提供了科学依据。     

周原甲骨灼烧状况与风化原因研究

为了研究周原出土甲骨的灼烧状况与风化原因,用测色色差、X射线衍射、热重、扫描电镜和显微红外等多种分析手段对九种周原无字甲骨样进行了分析。结果表明,被分析样品都曾经受不同温度的灼烧,造成有机质丢失与骨头结构的破坏,这是导致甲骨风化的主要原因。出土后用酸浸泡清洗水垢,可能是导致甲骨风化的另一原因。在用于研究甲骨灼烧状况的诸多方法中,X射线衍射与扫描电镜分析两的作用突出。     

Impression and replica methods for studying hypoplasia and perikymata on human tooth crown surfaces from archaeological sites

Perikymata and enamel hypoplasia can be studied most easily by light and scanning electron microscopy of replicas rather than of the original tooth crown surface. Delicate archaeological specimens require special handling. Selection of specimens and cleaning technique are some of the most important factors in producing good replicas, and this paper outlines procedures that have been developed over some years. Several widely available materials produce similarly detailed initial impressions of the crown surface, but an addition-type silicone dental impression material is recommended here because of its superior stability. The replica itself is cast in the mould of the original impression, and a slow-curing low-viscosity Araldite resin-hardener system is recommended. The paper outlines procedures for taking impressions from a variety of dental remains, together with methods for handling, examining and storing the replicas. The non-destructive techniques outlined here make it possible to take records of large numbers of crown surfaces in the field, or during a short museum visit, for later study in the laboratory. Many replicas can be produced from one original crown surface impression and the replicas are very robust—they can be mailed easily to other researchers for records or comparative studies. With continuing calls for reburial or repatriation of archaeological human remains, the production of a permanent record for future study is of considerable concern.     

山东临淄山王村俑坑出土陶质彩绘颜料初步分析

2008年5月山东临淄山王村俑坑出土了数量较多的彩绘陶质文物,为了了解彩绘颜料结构和成分,采用粉末偏光显微法、剖面观察结合拉曼光谱分析对彩绘文物表面颜料样品进行分析。结果表明,这批陶质文物表面彩绘是以白灰做地仗层,由碳酸钙、白土、铁黑（Fe₃O₄）、铁红（Fe₂O₃）、朱砂等颜料调和而成,且厚度不均。在个别样品中发现了少量的中国蓝颗粒(BaCuSi₄O₁₀),这是这次分析中较为重要的发现,此分析结果也可为考古研究提供科学信息。     

Swept under the rug: the problem of unacknowledged ambiguity in lithic residue identification

Microscopic analysis of organic residues on stone tools is used to interpret prehistoric stone tool functions. The morphology of some residues can be difficult to interpret, yet this ambiguity is rarely acknowledged in the literature. Our research seeks to understand the nature of this ambiguity by objectively identifying ambiguous residues in our reference collection. We trained four archaeologists in residue analysis using one part of our reference collection, then tested their ability to identify sixty-eight residues in another part of the same collection. Forty-eight of the residues in the test (70%) were correctly identified by three or all four subjects. We considered the remaining twenty residues, which were correctly identified by two or fewer of the subjects, to be ambiguous. These are most often in the hide-scraping, bone-scraping, and hardwood-scraping (macerated) categories, and tend to have an atypical morphology which falls in the range of variability of another residue category. Some of these residues also have optical properties which make them more difficult to image than others. We explore the potential for scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to improve residue identification in a second test. This test shows a modest improvement in identification success rates of ambiguous residues when SEM images are included. We conclude that while images from different types of microscopes can improve reliability of identification, some residues will always be ambiguous. Rather than being ignored, these ambiguities should be brought to light, closely examined, and published as such.     

Using provenance data to assess archaeological landscapes: an example from Calabria, Italy

Ceramic provenance studies have helped archaeologists examine trade and exchange in multiple scales, the organization of production, and even vessel function. Yet, they may go even further, to provide a venue for the examination of past people’s perception of their landscape. To do so, a methodology is needed that links the choices prehistoric potters made, as reflected in their ceramics, with the choices their landscape could afford them, as reflected in the extent and distribution of local clays, and the physical, chemical and mineralogical characteristics of these clays. Using the region of Bova Marina in southwestern Calabria as a case study, we have combined a raw materials survey with field and laboratory experiments, along with chemical and mineralogical analyses of the collected sediments to understand the distribution and the physical, chemical and mineralogical variability of locally available clays and provide baseline data against which prehistoric ceramic materials from the region may be compared. We show that the local sediments can be divided into three major units, based on their macroscopic, mineralogical and chemical characteristics, that correspond well with the major geological units outcropping in the study area. While two of these units have internally consistent properties, the third is variable.     

Chemical analysis of 17th century Millefiori glasses excavated in the Monastery of Sta. Clara-a-Velha,Portugal: comparison with Venetian and façon-de-Venise production

A set of ten Millefiori glass fragments dating from the 17th century, originated from archaeological excavations carried out at the Monastery of Sta. Clara-a-Velha (Coimbra, Portugal), were characterized by X-ray electron probe microanalysis (EPMA), Raman microscopy and UV–Visible absorption spectroscopy. All glasses are of soda-lime-silica type. The use of coastal plant ash is suggested by the relatively high content of MgO, K₂O and P₂O₅, as well as by the presence of chlorine. Tin oxide or calcium antimonate were the opacifiers used in the opaque glasses, cobalt in the blue glasses, copper in the turquoise glasses, iron in the yellow and greenish glasses, and iron and copper were found in the opaque red and aventurine glasses. Based on the concentrations of alumina and silica four different sources of silica were identified, allowing the classification of the glasses into the following compositional groups: low alumina (<2 wt%), which includes a sub-group of cristallo samples with SiO₂ > 70 wt%, medium alumina (2–3 wt%), high alumina (3–6 wt%) and very high alumina (>6 wt%). Comparison with genuine Venetian and façon-de-Venise compositions showed that two fragments are of Venetian production, one of Venetian or Spanish production and the remaining are of unknown provenance. In two fragments the glass of the decoration is probably Venetian or Spanish but the glass used in the body is also of unknown provenance.     

Practical quantitative lithic use-wear analysis using multiple classifiers

Although use-wear analysis of prehistoric stone tools using conventional microscopy has proven useful to archaeologists interested in tool function, critics have questioned the reliability and repeatability of the method. The research presented here shows it is possible to quantitatively discriminate between various contact materials (e.g., wood, antler) using laser scanning confocal microscopy in conjunction with conventional edge damage data. Experiments with replica and prehistoric tools suggest the quantitative method presented here provides valid functional inferences and is flexible enough to accommodate other relevant sources of data on tool function.     

An investigation of climatic change in the holocene epoch using archaeological charcoal from Swaziland, Southern Africa

A methodology is described for the analysis of Holocene charcoals excavated from a rock shelter in the Lubombo Mountains of northeast Swaziland. Scanning electron microscopy was used to compare these with modern reference woods. Of the ancient material 96·6% could be identified, in some cases at specific level. It is in such a subtropical area, where the woody flora is so rich, that assemblages of local taxa can be used in palaeoclimatic reconstructions. The changing taxa indicated by the charcoal fragments from the rock shelter clearly reflect minor shifts in Holocene climate, from moist to dry and back to moist in recent times. This is of relevance to the fluctuations in Stone Age populations in southern Africa. The wider use of such evidence to complement other palaeoenvironmental and archaeological data is advocated.     

Stable isotopic composition of chitin from arthropods recovered in archaeological contexts as palaeoenvironmental indicators

The effects of biodegradation and heating on the stable carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen and oxygen isotope ratios of chitin in arthropods were studied. Chitinous exoskeletons from seven aquatic arthropod species were subjected to anaerobic marine biodegradation in mud, to terrestrial biodegradation in soils, and to thermal degradation under anaerobic and aerobic conditions. The isotope ratios of chromatographically separated D-glucosamine hydrochloride and derivatives from treated and untreated specimens were then compared. Carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and hydrogen stable isotope ratios were all found to be conserved during partial degradation of chitin. Micromorphological comparative studies using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) indicated that no fungal chitin or other contaminants were present in the chitins that were chemically isolated from biodegraded substrates. Our results indicate that it will be possible to use stable isotope ratios of archaeological chitin samples for environmental and climatic reconstructions. An illustration of the utility of this approach comes from the observation that the stable isotope ratios of chitin from crustacean exoskeletons recovered from archaeological sites with ages up to 1400 years bp are in good agreement with measurements on modern crustaceans from similar environments.