Archaeometry最新文献

The primary objective of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview of the challenges involved in detecting ancient ayahuasca, a traditional hallucinogenic drink from the Amazon region, which is prepared using Banisteriopsis caapi liana and other plants, by utilizing advanced analytical techniques. The presence of harmine and harmaline in Andean archaeological findings has led certain authors to speculate that the Banisteriopsis liana may have been the source plant responsible for their occurrence. Consequently, the utilization of this liana can be traced back to at least 500 CE. However, a combination of archaeological, ethnobotanical, biochemical and analytical chemistry considerations has rendered uncertain the true origins of the presence of harmine and harmaline in ancient mummies and artifacts. Thus, the archaeological evidence does not convincingly prove the ancient usage of ayahuasca.

Late and Inca period pottery in the Northwestern Argentine region present two or three characteristic prefiring colors (red, black, and white or cream) in their decoration. Sanagasta and Belén vessels from Late Period are characterized by a bichrome black-on-red/cream and black-on-red painted decoration, respectively, whereas Inca vessels exhibit a black-on-red painted decoration. Analytical results obtained by μRaman, FT-IR, and XRD analyses on a relatively large number of samples show that the pre-Hispanic potters during Late and Inca periods used a manganese-based technique to obtain black colours in these large vessels fired in an oxidising atmosphere. Black paints were produced by the systematic use of different mineral complex mixtures of Mn (pyrolusite, bixbyte, and hausmannite) and hematite. As a result, spinel phases like jacobsite (a Fe-Mn compound) and magnetite were formed at different firing temperatures. Red paints were obtained using the mineral hematite. A detailed discussion is presented concerning the firing conditions to obtain these black hues.

Raman spectroscopy and laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry were used to characterize the chemical composition of 34 red garnet beads from Lower Nubian sites, dated between about 3200 BCE and 600 CE. All beads from the A-Group to the Meroitic period feature a similar calcium-poor almandine composition (69%–78% almandine, 15%–22% pyrope, 2%–6% grossular, 3%–9% spessartine), which differs from other calcium-poor almandine garnet types, sourced mostly from Indian deposits in Antiquity. The Nubian beads constitute a new garnet type, named “cluster I”, featuring high yttrium (180 to 1205 ppm), moderately low chromium (13–70 ppm), and high scandium (119–213 ppm) concentrations. Their compositions match with previous and two new analyses from two alluvial garnet deposits, Wadi El-Haraz and Wadi Abu Dom, near the Fourth Cataract of the Nile in Upper Nubia, about 670 km as the crow flies from the Lower Nubian graves. Garnet trade between the Bayuda desert and Lower Nubia sites, and possibly even Egypt, flourished for almost four millennia. Northeastern Africa is the cradle for the oldest use of a gemstone that is harder than quartz—the red almandine garnet.

A Post-Meroitic bead, the youngest in the assembly, displays an unusual faceting, a diamond tipped drill hole, excellent polish, distinct short- and long-prismatic colorless mineral inclusions, and a calcium- and manganese-poor pyrope composition. This suggests that it was not of a local, Nubian, production, but imported, most probably from a South Asian site.

Although the ornamentation of the Lascaux cave seems relatively homogeneous in style, the analysis by scanning and transmission electron microscopy of 32 microsamples from the figures of the Hall of the Bulls (Bull Rotunda) and one desquamated sample from the soil highlighted different paint pots. The black and red paint matters with their associated mineralogical phases were extensively characterized. Considering previous stylistic and superimposition studies, we were eventually able to confirm five creation steps of monothematic figures (‘assemblages’) based on the chemical and mineralogical characteristics. Further interpretations in terms of the rhythm and temporal framework of the Hall of the Bulls (Bull Rotunda) of the Lascaux cave could be reinforced. Some particular representations such as the black cave bear and one of the cross-shaped signs were shown to be likely added at later moments by different hands because their paint pots were different from those of the Bull Rotunda and similar to that of other representations in deeper rooms of the Lascaux cave. We also found that the paint matter of the Bull Rotunda was different than those of other Palaeolithic cave sites on a more regional scale indicating a very local sourcing.

This paper is a pilot study using lead isotope analysis to source native copper in the Lake Superior Basin. Forty Pb isotope samples are sampled from native copper deposits across the Lake Superior Basin and analyzed via MC-ICP-MS at Indiana University's Metal Isotope Lab. The result of this analysis demonstrates that there is a significant overlap between Pb signatures of native copper sources within the Lake Superior Basin. As a result, lead isotope analysis is not recommended as an alternative for sourcing native copper within the Lake Superior Basin.

Reinforcement is a critical aspect in the preservation of waterlogged wooden artifacts to ensure their long-term stability. In this study, we investigated the use of bacterial cellulose compounded with xylitol as a reinforcement material for simulated waterlogged wooden artifacts at varying concentrations. Evaluation of the reinforcement effects was based on indicators such as antishrinking efficacy, mechanical strength, and microscopic morphology. Our findings revealed that bacterial cellulose alone had limited effectiveness but showed enhanced reinforcement when mixed with xylitol. Optimized conditions resulted in remarkable improvements in bending strength (94.5 MPa) and deformation (20 mm) of the reinforced wood. This study offers novel insights and a scientific foundation for the reinforcement of waterlogged wooden artifacts, with potential implications for their preservation in cultural heritage conservation practices.

The paper is devoted to testing Kohonen self-organising maps, with elliptic Fourier coefficients as quantitative variables, for the task of morphological classification of fragmented and non-standardised ceramics. The advantage of the methodology used is its ability to account for the systematic statistical relationships inherent in the dataset, build models of varying degrees of generalisation and visualise multivariate data. The approbation of the method was carried out on materials from the Hlyboke Ozero-2 settlement in Eastern Ukraine. The results are compared with the results obtained using principal component analysis + k-means clustering.

Cherts originating from carbonate lacustrine environments have been widely exploited by Upper Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers in the south of the Pyrenees. Archaeo-petrographic sourcing studies have identified different potential sources but were unable to distinguish them. This study conducted geochemical characterisation of geological and archaeological lacustrine chert samples using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), and applied the supervised classification model partial least squares–discriminant analysis to LIBS spectra. The model was able to discriminate geological sources and provide predictions for the origin of a selection of chert artefacts recovered at the Middle Magdalenian level from Cova del Parco (Lleida, Spain).

The Hengduan Mountains are located on the southeastern edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, where farmers began to settle 6000 years ago. Animal husbandry plays a significant role in the sustenance economies of agricultural civilizations. It is unclear how Neolithic people acquired animal resources in the Hengduan Mountains. We explore animal geographical origins and feeding practices using the strontium, carbon, and oxygen isotope composition of tooth enamel at the Guijiabao and Yingpanshan sites during the Neolithic Age in the Hengduan Mountains. Multi-isotopic evidence demonstrates that animals originate from several different regions with diverse foods. Guijiabao domestic dogs and pigs with a mixed C₃/C₄ diet share a similarly broad dietary spectrum with humans as enclosed animals, but the other pigs are wild boars with a C₃ diet, likely free-range animals or directly captured as meat resources. Yingpanshan dogs and pigs are both domestic animals with a mixed C₃/C₄ or C₄-based diet, but pigs with different ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios are likely raised by dispersed feeding modes. The inhabitants had diverse approaches for obtaining animal resources, including husbandry, hunting, and exchange. Diverse animal subsistence patterns are closely related to the complex geographical environment, reflecting the adaptation of farmers living in the high mountain valley regions.

The populations in Sumhuram (third/second century bce to fifth century ce) and Hamr al-Sharqiya 1 (HAS1) (first millennium bce to first/second century ce) were involved in one of the most important examples of large-scale trade systems in antiquity: the maritime network connecting the coasts of the Indian Ocean. This research focuses on a total of 35 southwestern Arabian and Indian pottery sherds from both the settlements of Sumhuram and Hamr al-Sharqiya 1, analysed through a multi-analytical complementary approach. This study intends to test the input potential of this type of approach applied to ceramics in the context of the Indian Ocean trade network. The techniques adopted are powder X-ray diffraction, optical microscopy, inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry and scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The results obtained allow the identification of eight distinct groups, each characterized by unique (textural, mineralogical, geochemical) signatures, providing specific clues for determining their provenance, specifically from the Indian subcontinent and southwestern Arabia. This paper shows the importance of this type of archaeometric study that must be integrated into a transdisciplinary approach.