The Santa María pottery of El Bolsón valley (Catamarca,Argentina): Compositional characterization and implications on the elaboration processes,ca. 1000–1600 ce

The results obtained from the multi-analytic compositional characterization of ceramic pastes and paints of the Santa María style, from the El Bolsón valley (Belén Department, Catamarca Province, Argentina), are presented here. This pottery style had a wide regional distribution in Northwestern Argentina between ca. 1000 and1600 ce and is characterized by its complex iconography painted in black, cream and red. The analyses show that the containers correspond to the technical tradition of using grog temper and suggest that its manufacture involved a double firing process. This reveals a new practice for the time.     

The Pyramids—Cement or Stone?

Several samples of pyramids from Giza were obtained. The samples were analysed by scanning electron microscopy, electron diffraction by X-rays, powder X-ray diffraction, inductively coupled plasmography, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and other techniques. Some scientists who have recently studied the pyramids have suggested that the pyramids were poured into place, stone by stone. The prevailing theory among Egyptologists is, of course, that the pyramids were built from blocks of natural stone. All of the results obtained during this study directly support the concept that the pyramids are made of limestone and are not cementitious in nature.     

X-ray fluorescence analysis of late Roman and Sassanian silver plate

About 200 analyses have been made on late Roman and Sassanian silver objects using energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence. This has shown that the main feature of the composition of the silver throughout the period and across the geographical area studied was towards high fineness (average silver percentage about 95%). Compositional differences are found between Roman and Sassanian silversmiths' products for the elements copper and lead. Much of the material analysed came from hoards, and using a statistical technique on the analytical data (Discriminant Analysis) broad compositional differences between hoards were found to emerge. The use of different compositions of silver for different joined parts of a single object are discussed.     

A Pigment Characterization Approach to Selection of Dating Methods and Interpretation of Rock Art: The Case of the Mikinak Site,Lake Wapizagonke,Quebec, Canada

Dating is perhaps the most frequently asked question in rock art studies, but still one of the most difficult to answer. However, chronology is vital in order to understand and interpret rock art sites. Unfortunately, attempts at dating the Mikinak site, at Lake Wapizagonke, Quebec, Canada were unsuccessful. But a multi‐instrumental protocol applied to characterize paintings shows that at least three different paint recipes were employed to create the site. These may reflect three different phases of paintings, and that at least three different artists contributed to the production of this site.     

For Whom the Bells Fall: Metals from the Cenote Sagrado,Chichén Itzá

Bells of copper and copper alloys and gold–copper alloys were deposited in events at the Cenote Sagrado at Chichén Itzá, Mexico during the site's primary occupation (ad 750–1050) and in later centuries. Housed in three museums in the United States and Mexico, bells (n = 38) were evaluated for traces of fabrication and alteration using Vis–UV–IR optical microscopy. Bulk compositions were determined through p‐ED‐XRF. Phases and compositional variation by depth were characterized through XRD and RBS. The technological styles of bell groups were ascribed to communities of metallurgical practice, from West and Central Mexico to Costa Rica and Panama.     

The application of Mössbauer spectroscopy to the characterisation of western mediterranean obsidian

Iron-57 Mössbauer absorption spectra have been measured for samples of obsidian from known geological flows and from archaeological site material from the western Mediterranean region. Of the four main sources available to prehistoric man it is possible to distinguish Sardinian (SA) and Pantellerian obsidian from Lipari obsidian on the basis of differences in the local atomic surroundings of iron atoms, as determined from the Mössbauer spectra. There is, however, some overlap between Lipari and Pontine Island obsidians. The Gabellotto flow on Lipari is readily identified through the presence of magnetite inclusions. The ratio of ferric to ferrous ions is found to be much higher in the surface layers (< 60 μm) than in the bulk obsidian as detected using Mössbauer backscattering.     

重庆忠县翠屏山崖墓群出土晋代金银器的分析研究

利用微聚焦能量色散X射线荧光光谱仪(EDXRF)、拉曼光谱仪(RS)、X射线电子能谱仪(XPS)等无损分析法,对重庆忠县翠屏山崖墓出土金银器的基体成分、表面腐蚀物成分以及其物相结构进行了系统的分析测试。结果表明:两个金器样品的含金量均高达90%,纯度较高。此外,还含有一定含量的银、铜、锌、镍、铷等杂质元素;银器中,大多数样品含银量高达97.38~98.85%,同时还含有少量硫、铬、镍、锌、金等杂质元素;银器表面附着的黑色的腐蚀物,经鉴定为Ag2S,红褐色腐蚀物的物相结构为Cu2O;值得关注的是,有一个银器样品含银95.2%,含铜3.19%,应为铜银合金,此结果对于探讨我国古代银铜合金技术发展与演变的研究,具有非常重要的意义。     

Archaeometric Investigation of Medieval Pottery from Excavations at Novo Brdo,Serbia

Medieval pottery from excavations at Novo Brdo, Serbia, an important mining and trading centre during the 14th and 15th centuries, was investigated by a combination of optical microscopy, inductively coupled plasma – optical emission spectrometry, Fourier transform infrared, micro‐Raman and energy‐dispersive X‐ray fluorescence spectroscopy and X‐ray powder diffraction methods in order to determine its composition and firing temperature. The samples investigated were made of medium‐ to coarse‐grained, non‐calcareous clay, by a relatively well‐controlled firing procedure in an oxidizing atmosphere. The firing temperature was estimated to be 850–950°C. The similarity between the chemical composition of the investigated pottery and the local raw clay, combined with the outward appearance and the archaeological findings, indicate domestic production. The pottery is covered with the transparent lead‐rich glaze. Iron and copper were used as colourants.     

藤花落遗址出土石镞岩性的反射光谱图型分类研究

江苏连云港藤花落遗址出土了大量的石镞,多以泥板岩为主要的加工材料,其器型非常地多样化,可以看出当时的石镞工艺技术是有非常专业的生产体系。按其岩性的目测鉴定,全都是变质岩中的板岩,合计80件。透过反射光谱学反映石镞岩石总体的反射率大小以及光谱曲线斜率变化,用以辅助区分石镞的主要岩类,以达到分类的目的及定量统计分析。此次测试是藉由南京大学成矿作用国家重点实验室的Lambda900 UV/Vis/NIR光谱仪于密闭黑暗环境中所测试完成的。     

The Effect of Accelerated Alteration on the Discrimination between Baltic and Romanian Amber

Ten geological samples (five from each source—Romanian amber and Baltic amber) in duplicate for five different media (air, water, saline, acid and basic) were subjected to thermal alteration at 80 ± 2°C for 12 weeks, in the dark. The samples were analysed before and after the accelerated alteration experiment by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, both in transmittance and reflectance mode, and the acquired spectra were statistically processed by multivariate data analysis, mainly using principal component analysis. The results of the experiment are useful in giving a better picture of how to discriminate between archaeological amber artefacts.