Search results for "Copy"

High-resolution spectroscopy and analysis of the V2 + V3 combination band of SF6 in a supersonic jet expansion

2013

International audience; Sulphur hexafluoride is a very strong greenhouse gas whose concentration is increasing in the atmosphere. It is detected through infrared absorption spectroscopy in the strong ν3 fundamental region. Due to the existence of low-lying vibrational states of this molecule, however, many hot bands arise at room temperature and those are still not known. We present here a contribution to the elucidation of this hot band structure, by analysing the ν2 + ν3 combination band. We use a supersonic jet expansion high-resolution spectrum at a rotational temperature of ca. 25 K that was recorded thanks to the Jet-AILES setup at the Source Optimisée de Lumière d'Energie Intermédiai…

Mineral soil composition interfacing archaeology and chemistry

2016

Abstract In the last decade, different soil types have been analysed to evaluate the effect of human activities from an archaeological point of view. In particular, in the last few years, tremendous advances have been made in sample preparation and analytical methods used in archaeological soil analyses. However, there is still a need to set standardized protocols to achieve different archaeological goals. Therefore, in this study, the analytical methods available to study archaeological soils have been reviewed together with a critical discussion on the challenging archaeological questions, which could be answered by determining their mineral composition. Data on trace elements and rare ea…

Minimally invasive bone biopsies of fully wrapped mummies guided by computed tomography and fibre-optic endoscopy: Methods and suggested guidelines

2020

Abstract Recent advances in the recovery and analysis of ancient DNA (aDNA) and application of isotopic analysis of tissue obtained from mummified human remains has been accompanied by continued advances in non-invasive imaging using X-ray computed tomography (CT) and use of minimally invasive surgical techniques employing small fibre-optic endoscopes. We used these state-of-the-art techniques to examine ancient Egyptian mummies in the Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collection of Berlin, obtaining bone samples for aDNA, stable isotope analyses and radiocarbon dating. CT and endoscopic guidance were applied to locate and biopsy bones using pre-existing access points in order to avoid any furthe…

Ceramic raw materials: how to recognize them and locate the supply basins—mineralogy, petrography

2020

This tutorial paper is focused on the mineralogical-petrographic characterization of clayey raw materials with the purpose of sourcing supply basins and answering questions about the provenance of the corresponding archaeological ceramic artefacts. The first part gives general indications of how to profitably study archaeological ceramic thin sections through the polarizing microscope. Brief notes are provided on the theoretical basis of optical microscopy. A scheme is then provided for the petrographic description of ceramic samples, concerning the textural and compositional characteristics of aplastic inclusions and groundmass. Suggestions are also given for identifying any minero-petrogr…

A new method for the identification of archaeological soils by their spectral signatures in the vis-NIR region

2020

Abstract This paper introduces a statistical method to identify spectral signatures of buried archaeological remains and distinguish them from spectra of the background soil in the visible to near infrared region. The proposed method is based on the Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The difference between an archaeological spectrum and non-archaeological soil spectra is quantified by a so-called R value. R values larger than 1 indicate that the spectrum represents an archaeological material. The method is successfully applied to samples from five study sites in Italy and Hungary with special conditions. The reflection spectra are taken in a time-efficient way with a field spectrometer. Th…

Effects of cooking on mollusk shell structure and chemistry: Implications for archeology and paleoenvironmental reconstruction

2016

Mollusk shells excavated from archeological sites have been used to reconstruct paleoenvironment, human foraging, and migratory patterns. To retrieve information on past environment or human behavior, chemical signatures such as oxygen stable isotopes (δ18Oshell) are analyzed. Shell archeological remains usually represent food waste. Thermal treatments such as boiling and roasting may influence shell structure and biochemical composition. However, little is known about the relationship between changes at macro-, microstructural and chemical levels. This work is a calibration study on modern Phorcus (Osilinus) turbinatus shells. A simulation of two different cooking methods (boiling and roas…

Why should traceology learn from dental microwear, and vice-versa?

2019

Dental and artifact microwear analyses have a lot in common regarding the questions they address, their developmental history and their issues. However, few paleontologists and archeologists are aware of this, and even those who are, do not take into account most of the methodological insights from the other field. In this focus article, we briefly review the main developmental steps of both methods, highlight how similar their histories are and how combining methodological developments can improve both research fields. In both cases, the traditional analyses have been strongly criticized mainly because of their subjectivity and their lack of repeatability and reproducibility. Quantitative …

A compositional analysis by energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence of Iberian copper-alloy votive figurines from southern Spain (fourth-third centuries…

2018

Evolutionary convergence in conodonts revealed by Synchrotron-based Tomographic Microscopy

2016

Regional provenance of dolerite prehistoric objects through mineral analysis

2016

Abstract A methodology based on the mineral analysis determination has been developed to identify the origin of dolerite stone outcrops collected to fabricate lithic objects during the Prehistoric period. The method is based on the use of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) to analyse rare earth elements (REE) and trace elements. Additionally a no destructive geochemical analysis based on X-ray fluorescence (XRF) was employed for major elements analysis. The aforementioned methodologies were applied to samples from different archaeological fields or natural outcrops located in the Mediterranean area of Spain, between Valencia and Alicante. Principal component analysis (PCA…