MULTICOIN: A TOOL FOR CLASSIFYING COINS IN A MULTIMEDIA ENVIRONMENT

Classifying coins found during excavation is a challenging task for the archaeologist. This paper describes a multimedia system designed to assist the archaeologist by enabling him either to classify coins based on a pre-existing catalogue or to draw up his own catalogue for specific purposes. The system can also be used to train novices in the field: following an initial screening, the archaeologist only has to examine coins specifically requiring his expertise. A case study uses coins minted in Salerno 800–1200 AD, but the system has been designed to classify any set of coins by simply changing the underlying knowledge base. Very little training is required to operate the user-friendly system, which runs on multimedia PCs, as it is written using the C++ language and makes full use of the advanced features of Windows 3.11.     

STRIKING THE BALANCE: THE ROLES OF PETROGRAPHY AND GEOCHEMISTRY IN STONE AXE STUDIES IN IRELAND*

There has been a long but sporadic history of research on stone axes in Ireland, leading to the formation of the Irish Stone Axe Project (ISAP) in 1990. The purpose of this paper is to outline the research strategy of the project and to indicate the petrological techniques that are being applied in parallel with archaeological and archival studies to classify and identify potential sources for Irish stone axes. These include macroscopic studies, transmitted and reflected light microscopy on polished thin sections and X-ray fluorescence analyses. The results of the macroscopic examination of 15916 axes indicate that one rock type, porcellanite, was the dominant source, but that a wide range of other lithologies was also exploited. Several avenues for more detailed research are highlighted. A case study of gabbro axes demonstrates the value of this systematic approach to stone axe studies, and the results of this study suggest that some of these axes are petrographically consistent with British Group I, presumed to originate from sources in Cornwall, south-west England.     

A GROUND RADAR SURVEY OF MEDIEVAL KILN SITES IN SUZU CITY,WESTERN JAPAN*

A ground-penetrating radar study of medieval kiln sites located near Suzu city, on the Noto peninsula, was conducted prior to excavation. Archaeological site plans estimated from time slices of the closely-spaced parallel radar profiles are compared with excavations and a proton magnetometer survey. The results indicate that non-destructive remote sensing with radar can help to determine effectively the presence and general structural features of intact kiln floors.     

The re-identification of great bustard (Otis tarda) from Fishbourne Roman Palace,Chichester, West Sussex,as common crane (Grus grus)

Abstract

This paper details the results of recent reanalysis of the animal remains from the 1960s excavations at Fishbourne Roman Palace, West Sussex. It argues that specimens originally identified as belonging to the great bustard are, in fact, misidentified remains of common crane. This discovery has important connotations. First, these findings need to be reported so that the avian archaeological record can be updated to avoid future syntheses of Romano-British faunal remains incorrectly including great bustard. Secondly, interpretations of the zooarchaeological remains at Fishbourne Palace will alter, due to the differing ecological histories of bustards and cranes.     

CONIFEROUS WOOD PULP IN TRADITIONAL KOREAN PAPER BETWEEN THE 15TH AND 18TH CENTURIES ad*

One hundred and sixty‐nine fibre samples from books in the Korean collection and 68 samples from books in the Japanese collection at the British Library were analysed. A further 15 samples of Korean paper from a private collection were also examined. The analysis confirmed that most of the papers contained mulberry species (Moraceae family) as the main papermaking material, and other materials, such as hemp, rice straw and reed, which have been commonly known as supplements to traditional Korean papermaking. However, 15 Korean papers and one Japanese paper dating between ad 1498 and 1798 appeared to include coniferous wood fibres. This substantial find supports a previous single find of a coniferous wood fibre in Korean paper. The dates of most of these papers containing wood fibres precede the use of wood pulps in European paper.     

RQ-MODE PRINCIPAL COMPONENTS ANALYSIS OF CERAMIC COMPOSITIONAL DATA*

RQ-mode principal components analysis (PCA) is a means for calculating variable and object loadings on the same axes, so that elements can be displayed along with data points on a single diagram. The biplots resulting from RQ-mode PCA preserve both Euclidean relations among the objects and variance-covariance structure. When used with data on the chemical composition of archaeological pottery, such biplots facilitate recognizing compositional subgroups and determining the chemical basis of group separation. RQ-mode PCA is illustrated in this paper with neutron activation data on Mesoamerican Plumbate pottery.     

ANALYSIS OF THE FATTY DEBRIS FROM THE WRECK OF A BASQUE WHALING SHIP AT RED BAY,LABRADOR

Analysis of fatty material from barrels in a submerged wreck of a whaler in Labrador water showed it to contain free fatty acids, including some higher fatty acid, consistent with whale oil and certainly of marine origin. Conversion to adipocere was extensive but not complete.     

SEX IDENTIFICATION OF SLAVE SACRIFICE VICTIMS FROM QIN STATE TOMBS IN THE SPRING AND AUTUMN PERIOD OF CHINA USING ANCIENT DNA

Ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis was employed to determine the sex of slave sacrifice victims from Qin State tombs during the Spring and Autumn Period of China. It is difficult to obtain sex information from fragmentary skeleton samples with the aid of skeletal morphology methods. aDNA was extracted from the dentine in selected tooth samples of sacrificial slaves using a modified traditional method, which combines together phenol/chloroform extraction, silicon dioxide adsorption and ultrafiltration concentration. Based on the sequence differences between the amelogenin homologous gene in the X and that in the Y chromosome, a pair of specific primers was designed to identify the sex of the selected samples. In the selected eight typical samples, the aDNA analytical results revealed that three were males and two were females. These findings indicate that molecular sex identification might provide more valuable information for archaeological research on the institution of slave sacrifice in the Spring and Autumn Period of China.     

A Novel Application of Molecular Techniques to Pacific Archaeofish Remains*

Until recently, the identification of fish bone from Pacific archaeological sites generally relied upon morphological analysis of a relatively restricted number of skeletal elements. Limited morphological variation within fish families, amongst other things, has often restricted Pacific archaeofish determinations to the level of family or, in some cases, genus. We suggest that these relatively imprecise determinations may mask important aspects of prehistoric human fishing practices and subsistence patterns. This paper describes a molecular technique that allows for more precise taxonomic determinations, initially applied to the large and diverse family of Serranidae. The technique involves extraction, amplification, sequencing and analysis of mitochondrial DNA variation in the 16s ribosomal RNA gene. Following development of protocols and primers for modern reference materials, the technique was applied to an archaeological faunal assemblage from Aitutaki, southern Cook Islands.