Archaeological Science

Testing Technological Practices: Neutron Activation Analysis of Neolithic Ceramics From Valencia, Spain

by Sarah McClure

Technological style, chaine opératoire and labor investment of early Neolithic pottery

by Sarah McClure

with Joan Bernabeu

Enhancing virtual reality with artificial life: Reconstructing a flooded European Mesolithic landscape

by Eugene Ch'ng

A virtual reality archaeological framework for the investigation and interpretation of ancient landscapes

by Eugene Ch'ng

Large scale smelting of speiss and arsenical copper at Early Bronze Age Arisman, Iran

by Loïc Boscher

Stable Isotope Biogeochemistry of Seabird Guano Fertilization: Results from Growth Chamber Studies with Maize (Zea mays)

by Paul Szpak

Szpak P., F. J. Longstaffe, J.-F. Millaire, C. D. White. 2012. Stable Isotope Biogeochemistry of Seabird Guano Fertilization: Results from Growth Chamber Studies with Maize (Zea mays). PLoS One 7: e33741.

Background
Stable isotope analysis is being utilized with increasing regularity to examine a wide range of issues... more Background
Stable isotope analysis is being utilized with increasing regularity to examine a wide range of issues (diet, habitat use, migration) in ecology, geology, archaeology, and related disciplines. A crucial component to these studies is a thorough understanding of the range and causes of baseline isotopic variation, which is relatively poorly understood for nitrogen (δ15N). Animal excrement is known to impact plant δ15N values, but the effects of seabird guano have not been systematically studied from an agricultural or horticultural standpoint.


Methodology/Principal Findings
This paper presents isotopic (δ13C and δ15N) and vital data for maize (Zea mays) fertilized with Peruvian seabird guano under controlled conditions. The level of 15N enrichment in fertilized plants is very large, with δ15N values ranging between 25.5 and 44.7‰ depending on the tissue and amount of fertilizer applied; comparatively, control plant δ15N values ranged between −0.3 and 5.7‰. Intraplant and temporal variability in δ15N values were large, particularly for the guano-fertilized plants, which can be attributed to changes in the availability of guano-derived N over time, and the reliance of stored vs. absorbed N. Plant δ13C values were not significantly impacted by guano fertilization. High concentrations of seabird guano inhibited maize germination and maize growth. Moreover, high levels of seabird guano greatly impacted the N metabolism of the plants, resulting in significantly higher tissue N content, particularly in the stalk.

Conclusions/Significance
The results presented in this study demonstrate the very large impact of seabird guano on maize δ15N values. The use of seabird guano as a fertilizer can thus be traced using stable isotope analysis in food chemistry applications (certification of organic inputs). Furthermore, the fertilization of maize with seabird guano creates an isotopic signature very similar to a high-trophic level marine resource, which must be considered when interpreting isotopic data from archaeological material.

A Cost Surface Model of Volcanic Glass Quarrying and Exchange in Hawai‘i

by Jennifer Kahn

Glaze and slip pigment analyses of Pueblo IV period ceramics from east-central Arizona using time of flight-laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (TOF-LA-ICP-MS)

by Samuel Duwe

2007. Journal of Archaeological Science 34(3):404-414. (with Hector Neff)

Clay, Conflict, and Village Aggregation: Compositional Analyses of Pre-Classic Pottery from Taos, New Mexico

by Samuel Duwe

2007. American Antiquity 72:125-152. (with Severin Fowles, Leah Minc,
and David V. Hill)

Chapple, R. M. 2011 'Irish National Strategic Research (INSTAR) Programme- Findings From the First Phase 2008-2011. Review' Blogspot post

by Robert M Chapple

Chapple, R. M. 2011 'Irish Copper Age houses in a radiocarbon landscape: a reply to Dr Charles Mount' Blogspot post

by Robert M Chapple

Slawischer Burgwall Potzlow (Uckermark): Geomagnetische Prospektion und Ausgrabung Juli 2011

by Joachim Henning

Co-authored with Felix Biermann & Eyub Eyub; Poster, presented at "20. Jahrestagung des Mittel- und Ostdeutschen Verbandes für Altertumskunde, April 16-19, 2012, Brandenburg an der Havel"

Last Call for Papers "Raumwissen und Wissensräume"; Deadline 25-04-12

by Stefan Schreiber

Call for Papers: "Raumwissen und Wissensräume. Interdisziplinärer Theorie-Workshop für NachwuchswissenschaftlerInnen" des Lesezirkels der Cross Sectional Group V „Space and Collective Identities“ des Exzellenzclusters „Topoi. The Formation and Transformation of Space and Knowledge in Ancient Civilizations” vom 7.–9. August 2012 in Berlin

more info at: http://www.topoi.org/event/raumwissen-und-wissensraume/

Stable oxygen ( δ 18O) and hydrogen ( δD) isotopes in ovicaprid dentinal collagen record seasonal variation

by Cheryl Makarewicz

Foddering by Mongolian pastoralists is recorded in the stable carbon ( δ 13C) and nitrogen ( δ 15N) isotopes of caprine dentinal collagen

by Cheryl Makarewicz

Fish Bone Chemistry and Ultrastructure: Implications for Taphonomy and Stable Isotope Analysis

by Paul Szpak

Szpak, P. 2011. Fish Bone Chemistry and Ultrastructure: Implications for Taphonomy and Stable Isotope Analysis. Journal of Archaeological Science 38, 3358-3372.

Abstract
This paper reviews the ultrastructure and chemistry of fish bone, with an emphasis on zooarchaeology and... more Abstract
This paper reviews the ultrastructure and chemistry of fish bone, with an emphasis on zooarchaeology and stable isotope analysis. On the basis of the chemical composition of the collagen and the relationships between the collagen and mineral phases, fish bone is more susceptible to biotic and abiotic degradation than mammalian bone and is therefore less likely to be recovered in archaeological deposits. The amino acid composition of fish bone differs from that of mammals (and other taxonomic groups), most notably with respect to hydroxyproline content. The C:N ratio of fish collagen, however, is very similar and slightly lower than mammalian collagen, and thus the traditional range of acceptable C:N ratios for collagen (2.9−3.6) should not be shifted or extended for fish on the basis of the amino acid composition of collagen. An extensive survey of published archaeological bone collagen C:N ratios demonstrates that fish collagen from archaeological contexts tends to have significantly higher C:N ratios than mammalian collagen. The elevated C:N ratios in fish bone collagen may be the result of abiotic degradation processes that occur within the bone after death, the presence of exogenous humic contaminants, or endogenous lipid contaminants.

Historical Ecology of Late Holocene Sea Otters (Enhydra lutris) from Northern British Columbia: Isotopic and Zooarchaeological Perspectives

by Paul Szpak

Szpak, P., Orchard, T.J., McKechnie, I., Gröcke, D.R., 2012. Historical Ecology of Late Holocene Sea Otters (Enhydra lutris) from Northern British Columbia: Isotopic and Zooarchaeological Perspectives. Journal of Archaeological Science 39:1553-1571.

We examined the isotopic composition (δ13C and δ15N) of sea otter (Enhydra lutris) bone collagen from ten late... more We examined the isotopic composition (δ13C and δ15N) of sea otter (Enhydra lutris) bone collagen from ten late Holocene (ca. 5200 years BP – AD 1900) archaeological sites in northern British Columbia (BC), Canada. Because sea otters are now extinct from much of this region and have not fully re-colonized their former range (e.g. Haida Gwaii and most of northern BC) these data represent an important first step towards better understanding sea otter foraging ecology in BC. The isotopic data suggest a diet composed primarily of benthic invertebrates, with a very low reliance on epibenthic fish. There is very low isotopic and thus inter-individual dietary variability in Holocene BC sea otters during the late Holocene. Furthermore, zooarchaeological abundance data suggest that otters represented a widespread and significant focus of aboriginal hunting practices on the northern BC coast during the mid- to late-Holocene. The consistent reliance on a small number of low trophic level prey and limited dietary variability in Holocene BC sea otters, may reflect top-down impacts on otter populations by aboriginal peoples. As part of our assessment of sea otter diet, we review trophic discrimination factors (Δ13C and Δ15N) for bone collagen from published literature and find marked variability, with mean values of +3.7±1.6 for Δ13C (n = 21) and +3.6±1.3 for Δ15N (n = 15).

Opacifiers in Late Bronze Age glasses: the use of ToF-SIMS to identify raw ingredients and production techniques

by Chloe N. Duckworth

Journal of Archaeological Science

Time of Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) is applied to the study of four samples of opaque glass of... more Time of Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) is applied to the study of four samples of opaque glass of Late Bronze Age date. The technique is uniquely capable of identifying compositional heterogeneity at a sub-micron resolution within the crystalline opacifiers dispersed through homogeneous glass matrices. It is shown that this provides crucial information on the possible raw ingredients of the opacifying inclusions used, and has the potential for highlighting regional variations in the production technology involved in creating different colours of opaque glass.

Tasmanian knowledge and skill: Maladaptive imitation or adequate technology?

by Dwight Read

Published in American Antiquity, 7(1), 2006, pp. 164-184

A recent article has suggested that maintenance of complex tools and associated tasks in a group depends on the... more A recent article has suggested that maintenance of complex tools and associated tasks in a group depends on the presence of skilled individuals to serve as targets for imitation. The expected number of skilled target individuals, it is argued, relates to the population size. It is predicted that population size and maximum complexity of tools and/or tasks should correlate, hence a decrease in population size could lead to maladaptive loss of skills. Data from Tasmania are said to support the argument. However, the argument neither agrees with the archaeological data from Tasmania nor ethnographic observations on hunter-gatherer societies. Instead of being an example of a group that underwent maladaptive loss, the indigenous people of Tasmania appear to have used tools sufficient for the tasks at hand. An alternative model is proposed that distinguishes between motor skills and knowledge needed to do tasks effectively and takes into account assessment of the time cost for developing skills. Loss of skills more likely relates to change in the mode of resource procurement or change in technology rather than a shortage of skilled, target individuals due to decrease in population size.

Review of XTACH 2011 - International Conference on the Use of X-ray (and related) Techniques in Arts and Cultural Heritage

by Mark Beech

Beech, M. 2012. e-conservation magazine 23, pp. 22-30.

XTACH 2011, an international conference on the use of X-ray (and related) techniques in arts and cultural heritage was... more XTACH 2011, an international conference on the use of X-ray (and related) techniques in arts and cultural heritage was held on 7th-8th December 2012 at the American University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The conference was organized in cooperation with the National X-ray Fluorescence Laboratory (NXFL) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The conference was inaugurated by Dr. Peter Heath, Chancellor of the American University of Sharjah and attended by Mr. Kwaku Aning, Deputy Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and Ambassador Hamad Al-Kaabi, Ambassador of the UAE to the IAEA, university officials, faculty members and students. The conference covered a variety of topics including the usage of X-ray and micro beam X-ray analysis, synchrotron based techniques, ion beam and neutron based techniques, optical imaging and mass spectroscopy, chromatography techniques, as well as best conservation practices.