Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Yuanjun Xu, Zhu An, Ning Huang, Deyun Zhao
Summary: Pottery shards for daily use excavated from the Jinsha Site in China, dating back to the late Shang Dynasty to the Western Zhou Dynasty, were found to have similar elemental composition and content, with a firing temperature likely less than 800 degrees Celsius, indicating a primitive open fire method of production. This suggests that pottery production technology during the Shang and Zhou Dynasties was not advanced. The study benefitted from the use of multi-technique analytical methods.
EUROPEAN PHYSICAL JOURNAL PLUS
(2021)
Article
Humanities, Multidisciplinary
Wenjing Li, Wugan Luo, Fengchun Huang, Yue Chen, Changsui Wang
Summary: This study analyzed proto-porcelain shards from the Yejiashan Cemetery and found that there are at least two distinct provenance areas for proto-porcelain. This discovery is significant for understanding cultural exchange and manufacturing industry during the early Western Zhou Dynasty.
Article
Instruments & Instrumentation
Letian Zhu, Xiaoling Gao, Bin Zhang, Yi Bao, Jianming Zheng
Summary: PIXE technique was used to determine the composition of protoporcelain from Xia and Shang Dynasty. The study revealed that protoporcelain from Erlitou might not be from Piaoshan kiln in Zhejiang, and only a small portion of Shang Dynasty protoporcelain from Yinxu could be traced back to Huzhou and Deqing in Zhejiang, indicating other sources for the majority. This provided a new analytical method for studying the provenance of ancient ceramics.
NUCLEAR INSTRUMENTS & METHODS IN PHYSICS RESEARCH SECTION B-BEAM INTERACTIONS WITH MATERIALS AND ATOMS
(2023)
Article
Dentistry, Oral Surgery & Medicine
Panagiotis Gakis, Elias Kontogiorgos, Stephanie Zeller, William W. Nagy
Summary: The study evaluated and compared the marginal fit of anterior lithium disilicate veneers fabricated with different techniques, finding that firing affects the marginal fit of veneers made with the cutback technique but not for those made with the staining technique.
JOURNAL OF PROSTHETIC DENTISTRY
(2022)
Article
Archaeology
Li Haichao
Summary: Proto-porcelain from the Western Zhou Dynasty was highly valued and possibly originated in southern China. Detailed information about its owners, inclusion in sets of objects, regional and chronological features, and provenance is still unclear. Through archaeological context analysis, it was found that proto-porcelain was mainly used by high-status groups, especially by Shang people and members of the central court or important regional states with the surname Ji. A redistribution system of proto-porcelain from the central court to regional states was identified, indicating a political strategy of the central court.
ASIAN PERSPECTIVES-THE JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGY FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC
(2021)
Article
Anthropology
Kunlong Chen, Jianjun Mei, Thilo Rehren, Siran Liu, Wei Yang, Marcos Martinon-Torres, Congcang Zhao, Yoshimitsu Hirao, Jianli Chen, Yu Liu
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE
(2019)
Article
Anthropology
Yingzhu Wang, Thilo Rehren, Yuchen Tan, Dexin Cong, Peter Weiming Jia, Julian Henderson, Hongjiao Ma, Alison Betts, Kunlong Chen
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE
(2020)
Article
Anthropology
Silvia Amicone, Miljana Radivojevic, Patrick Sean Quinn, Christoph Berthold, Thilo Rehren
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE
(2020)
Article
Anthropology
Rahil Alipour, Thilo Rehren, Marcos Martinon-Torres
Summary: The article presents new evidence of intentional chromium addition to steel in ancient Persia in the early 2nd millennium CE, based on archaeological finds from the 11th c. CE site of Chahak in Iran. This practice predates the development of chromium-alloyed stainless steel in the early 20th century, suggesting an early knowledge of utilizing chromium in steelmaking processes.
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Anthropology
Siran Liu, Xiaolin He, Jianli Chen, Guisen Zou, Shijia Guo, Xicheng Gong, Thilo Rehren
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE
(2020)
Article
Anthropology
Carmen Ting, Thilo Rehren, Athanasios Vionis, Vasiliki Kassianidou
Summary: This study challenges the traditional view that glazed ware production in the eastern Mediterranean was technologically stagnant after the late medieval period, using scientific analyses and a holistic approach to highlight the changes in technology and craft organization. The research focuses on the examples from Cyprus, showing that the production in Paphos was short-lived while Famagusta and Lapithos continued production with different technical practices. Further changes in technical practices occurred around the 16th/17th centuries, coinciding with the Ottoman rule.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Archaeology
Anna-Maria Sdralia, Vasiliki Kassianidou, Thilo Rehren
Summary: Two Late Roman slag heaps in western Cyprus were studied to understand the copper production processes. Based on the chemical and microscopic analysis of the slag samples, it was found that the two slag heaps have similar compositions with a wide variability in manganese content. The prevalence of sulfide inclusions suggests that the slag comes from copper-matte smelting.
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE-REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Anthropology
Meghna Desai, S. Jaikishan, Thilo Rehren
Summary: Radiocarbon dating is widely used for metal objects in archaeology and history, but there is limited understanding of isotopic homogeneity in iron-carbon alloys. This study analyzes 14C measurements of crucible steel from India and finds a wide scatter of dates beyond the expected range. Factors including variability in raw material, sampling contamination, and fractionation during metal cleaning are discussed as potential influences on isotopic values. It is argued that selective dissolution of metal phases and mass-dependent fractionation during solidification distort the 14C signature, leading to apparent older ages. Further research is recommended to reduce potential errors in dating steel and cast iron.
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Archaeology
Umberto Veronesi, Thilo Rehren, Marcos Martinon-Torres
Summary: This paper presents an analytical study of early modern chemical vessels used in the laboratory of the Old Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, exploring the nature and range of laboratory activities conducted in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. The analyses of residues found within the vessels indicate engagement in technological and philosophical quests at the time.
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE-REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Archaeology
Christopher J. Davey, Brunella Santarelli, Thilo Rehren
Summary: The study of a well-preserved crucible fragment from the Middle Kingdom Egyptian fortress in Buhen in lower Nubia revealed the unexpected presence of numerous prills of very arsenic- and nickel-rich copper alloy in what looks like a smelting slag. Based on optical and scanning electron microscopy on a polished section, this paper discusses the potential metallurgical process that was carried out in this Middle Kingdom Egyptian type of crucible. Strongly reducing conditions preserved in the sample taken from near the low-sitting spout of the vessel indicate that it was likely used for smelting a very rich secondary copper-arsenic ore, rather than for the more oxidising refining of raw copper, or simple casting of copper-arsenic alloy. However, the evidence is not unambiguous, and these alternative interpretations are also discussed, considering the chronology and geographical context of the fortress near a known copper deposit in what was then the southern border of pharaonic Egypt.
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE-REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Archaeology
Artemios Oikonomou, Thilo Rehren, Anastasia Fiolitaki
Summary: This study presents archaeometric data of a large assemblage of early Byzantine glass excavated in ancient Lappa, revealing a variety of glass compositional groups such as mineral-natmn based groups and plant ash signature group. The differentiation into four compositional groups can be broadly linked to object types, while the glass working debris covers all compositional groups.
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE-REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Archaeology
Fan Yang, Thilo Rehren, Ping Kang, Siran Liu, Kunlong Chen
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE-REPORTS
(2020)
Article
Archaeology
Edwinus C. Lyaya, Shadreck Chirikure, Philip E. Janney, Thilo Rehren
JOURNAL OF AFRICAN ARCHAEOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Anthropology
Abidemi Babatunde Babalola, Adisa Benjamin Ogunfolakan, Thilo Rehren
Article
Archaeology
Th. Rehren, M. Brueggler
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE-REPORTS
(2020)
Article
Anthropology
Julia Becher, Alex Schoeman, Gavin Whitelaw, Stephen Buckley, Jean-Pierre Celliers, Sara Cafisso, Matthias Belser, Maxime Rageot, Cynthianne Spiteri
Summary: This study represents the first application of Organic Residue Analysis (ORA) to southern African early farming pottery to gain a deeper understanding of past human behavior and subsistence patterns. The study found evidence of dairy processing and multi-purpose functionality of the ceramics. It also discovered potential medicinal use and the involvement of dung in pottery sealing and mending.
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE
(2024)
Article
Anthropology
Jon Clindaniel, Matthew Magnani
Summary: Large sources of digital trace data have become important in the study of material culture. The authors introduce a computational method to observe digital formation processes and highlight the importance of accounting for these processes in studies utilizing digital trace data.
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE
(2024)
Article
Anthropology
Rebecca A. G. Reid, Miranda M. E. Jans, Lesley A. Chesson, Rebecca J. Taylor, Gregory E. Berg
Summary: Chemical treatment of skeletal remains can reduce overall DNA quality and quantity but has no significant impact on stable isotope ratio analysis. Examination of treated and untreated human remains through histological and stable isotope analysis reveals that treated remains exhibit better preservation compared to untreated remains. Stable isotope ratio analysis is viable for both treated and untreated remains, regardless of their origin.
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE
(2024)
Article
Anthropology
Laura Tome, Eneko Iriartec, Antonio Blanco-Gonzalez, Margarita Jambrina-Enriquez, Natalia Eguez, Antonio V. Herrera-Herrera, Carolina Mallola
Summary: This paper presents the outcomes of a microcontextual geoarchaeological study conducted on earthen dwellings from the Early Iron Age village of Cerro de San Vicente. The study employed soil micromorphology, lipid biomarker analysis, XRD, and XRF analyses to investigate various aspects of the dwellings, including construction materials, site formation processes, and daily life practices. The results have shed light on the construction layers, floor use, maintenance, repaving, periods of abandonment and decay, and the presence of lipid biomarkers associated with dwelling functionality. The study significantly contributes to our understanding of ancient construction practices and the utilization of domestic spaces during the Early Iron Age.
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE
(2024)