Archaeometric Clearinghouse

Abstract

The “Clearinghouse” continues to evolve in ways designed to enhance its original and continuing purpose: to build bridges between archaeology and archaeometry. An earlier instalment contained a state-of-the-art report on “Direct Detection in Radiocarbon Dating” by E. B. Banning and L. A. Pavlish (JFA 5 1978] 480–483). This is the first time the column carries an account of original research. Such reports are ordinarily found in the main sections of the Journal, but the paper below presents a methodologically novel approach that promises to further the use of archaeometric analysis of large assemblies of archaeological finds.

One of the limits of sophisticated (read expensive and time-consuming) methods of physical or chemical analysis is that they cannot be routinely applied to tens of thousands of objects, and that a mere handful of analyses out of such large bodies of artifacts may not be representative of the whole. The approach used by Ms. Minzoni-Deroche bridges this gap and should encourage field archaeologists and archaeometrists to join forces in tackling large assemblies of finds that have not seemed to be attractive targets before.