Rob Ixer
Biographic Data
| ID | 799372 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Rob Ixer |
| GIVEN NAMES | Rob |
| FAMILY NAME | Ixer |
| SIGNATURE | IXER R |
| AFFILIATIONS | University College London |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 38 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 129 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 38 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1991 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 7 |
Arithmetic approaches alone are inadequate in defining similarity
Lithological and geochemical characterization of ‘adinole’ artefacts from cave deposits in southwest Wales
Twenty-three artefacts previously identified as being manufactured from adinole, a fine-grained metasomatic rock, from late Middle to Upper Palaeolithic cave sites in southwest Wales have been re-examined in terms of their petrology and geochemistry. Standard petrography has been combined with automated SEM-EDS analysis for a single artefact to determine the mineralogy and textures of that artefact, while portable XRF and μXRF have been combined …
The enigmatic ‘Newall boulder’ excavated at Stonehenge in 1924
Was the Stonehenge Altar Stone from Orkney? Investigating the mineralogy and geochemistry of Orcadian Old Red sandstones and Neolithic circle monuments
Recent petrological, mineralogical and geochemical investigations of the Stonehenge Altar Stone have negated its source in the Old Red Sandstone (ORS) Anglo-Welsh Basin. Further, it has been suggested that it is time to look wider, across northern Britain and Scotland, especially in areas where geological and geochemical evidence concur, and there is evidence of Neolithic communities and their monuments. In this context the islands of Orkney, wit…
From the Heat of the Fire
A battle-axe made of picrite from the Cwm Mawr rock source, near Hyssington, Powys, UK, was discovered during the archaeological excavation of two Early Bronze Age barrows at Church Lawton, near Alsager in Cheshire, UK, in 1982–3. It had been subjected to intense heat and then placed in a pit, next to the cremated remains of an adult, possibly a female. The heating has radically altered the appearance of the axe. Originally very smooth and dark g…
Assessing the authenticity of a sample taken from the Altar Stone at Stonehenge in 1844 using portable XRF and automated SEM-EDS
The Stonehenge Altar Stone was probably not sourced from the Old Red Sandstone of the Anglo-Welsh Basin
Lithological description and provenancing of a collection of bluestones from excavations at Stonehenge by William Hawley in 1924 with implications for the human versus ice transport debate of the monu…
A rhyolite boulder collected by R. S. Newall in 1924 from an excavation at Stonehenge has been pivotal to arguments concerning glacial versus human transport of the bluestones to Stonehenge. Initial studies suggested that the boulder came from north Wales, and hence was a probable glacial erratic. New petrographic and geochemical analyses however support it being from Craig Rhos‐y‐Felin in west Wales, the source of much debitage recovered from St…
Dorstone Hill
Studies of early fourth-millennium BC Britain have typically focused on the Early Neolithic sites of Wessex and Orkney; what can the investigation of sites located in areas beyond these core regions add? The authors report on excavations (2011-2019) at Dorstone Hill in Herefordshire, which have revealed a remarkable complex of Early Neolithic monuments: three long barrows constructed on the footprints of three timber buildings that had been delib…
Portable XRF investigation of Stonehenge Stone 62 and potential source dolerite outcrops in the Mynydd Preseli, west Wales
Identification of the source of dolerites used at the Waun Mawn stone circle in the Mynydd Preseli, west Wales and implications for the proposed link with Stonehenge
How Waun Mawn stone circle was designed and built, and when the Bluestones arrived at Stonehenge
In response to Timothy Darvill's article, ‘Mythical rings?’ (this issue), which argues for an alternative interpretation of Waun Mawn circle and its relationship with Stonehenge, Parker Pearson and colleagues report new evidence from the Welsh site and elaborate on aspects of their original argument. The discovery of a hearth at the centre of the circle, as well as further features around its circumference, reinforces the authors’ original interp…
Reconstructing extraction techniques at Stonehenge’s bluestone megalith quarries in the Preseli hills of west Wales
Revisiting the provenance of the Stonehenge bluestones
Alteration fabrics and mineralogy as provenance indicators; the Stonehenge bluestone dolerites and their enigmatic “spots”
The original Stonehenge? A dismantled stone circle in the Preseli Hills of west Wales
Digging up Britain
Constraining the provenance of the Stonehenge ‘Altar Stone’
The old stones
Megalith quarries for Stonehenge's bluestones
Retracing the footsteps of H.H. Thomas
Ceramic studies
These three books range from the clinical (Hunt) to the folksy (Woodward and Hill), and might be seen as a progression. One travelling from the Hunt-edited encyclopaedia with its emphasis on new and exotic scientific analytical techniques, rigorous theoretical approaches and data analysis, through the Integrative approaches book using techniques and ideas that have proved effective for decades (this book is firmly within the mainstream of recent …
Craig Rhos-y-felin
Microscopic Rocks and Expansive Empires
High quality polychrome ceramics are an iconic aspect of Inca material culture. This ‘Cuzco Inca’ pottery appears suddenly in the archaeological record: but it draws upon technological and stylistic aspects of earlier local pottery and we discuss the specifics of how these pre-Inca traits were combined to form the distinctive new state ceramics. Using ceramic petrography, the dominant fabric of Cuzco Inca pottery is compared with those of two pre…
Under the stars
Matt Daw abhors our unnatural craving for continuous light. ‘Lighten our darkness’? Oh! Good lord, no! rather lead us into darkness.He sets out his stand, firmly placing himself within the enlighte
Carn Goedog is the likely major source of Stonehenge doleritic bluestones
The Geological Sources and Transport of the Bluestones of Stonehenge, Wiltshire, UK
Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain is one of the most impressive British prehistoric (c. 3000–1500 BC) monuments. It is dominated by large upright sarsen stones, some of which are joined by lintels. While these stones are of relatively local derivation, some of the stone settings, termed bluestones, are composed of igneous and minor sedimentary rocks which are foreign to the solid geology of Salisbury Plain and must have been transported to their pres…
Provenancing the rhyolitic and dacitic components of the Stonehenge landscape bluestone lithology
Stonehenge rhyolitic bluestone sources and the application of zircon chemistry as a new tool for provenancing rhyolitic lithics
Ritual in Some Early Bronze Age Gravegoods
This systematic study of selected ‘Wessex’ Early Bronze Age burial assemblages was undertaken to reassess the original purpose of the artefacts deposited and their significance in the burial ritual. Use-wear analysis and fragmentation assessment has been undertaken on daggers, whetstones, bone objects and beads. Lithological and physical analysis was also undertaken on the stone objects. The results show a remarkable disparity in use and fragment…
Constraining the provenance of the Stonehenge ‘Altar Stone’
Craig Rhos-y-felin
Beaker age bracers in England
The authors review the significance of bracers by undertaking a detailed examination of their morphology, fragmentation, manufacture and wear. The results have a number of implications regarding their use and value and this is supported by the use of petrographic and geochemical analyses which suggest discrete patterns of raw material acquisition. A description of the technical methodology and appropriate data tables are available at http://www.a…
Megalith quarries for Stonehenge's bluestones
The Mineralogy of Bronze Age Copper Ores from the British Isles
Numerous analytical studies during the latter half of this century have contributed to the compilation of a large compositional database of Early to Middle Bronze Age copper‐based artefacts revealing distinctive impurity patterns which appear to change over time. However, attempts to relate these data to copper ore sources proved problematic in the absence of firm evidence for the location of prehistoric copper mines. Over the last fifteen years …
Identification of the source of dolerites used at the Waun Mawn stone circle in the Mynydd Preseli, west Wales and implications for the proposed link with Stonehenge
Reconstructing extraction techniques at Stonehenge’s bluestone megalith quarries in the Preseli hills of west Wales
Carn Alw as a source of the rhyolitic component of the Stonehenge bluestones
How Waun Mawn stone circle was designed and built, and when the Bluestones arrived at Stonehenge
In response to Timothy Darvill's article, ‘Mythical rings?’ (this issue), which argues for an alternative interpretation of Waun Mawn circle and its relationship with Stonehenge, Parker Pearson and colleagues report new evidence from the Welsh site and elaborate on aspects of their original argument. The discovery of a hearth at the centre of the circle, as well as further features around its circumference, reinforces the authors’ original interp…
The original Stonehenge? A dismantled stone circle in the Preseli Hills of west Wales
The Catholme Ceremonial Complex, Staffordshire, UK
During the 1960s and 1970s, aerial reconnaissance on the northern side of the confluence of the Rivers Trent, Tame, and Mease in Staffordshire revealed a cluster of features indicative of prehistoric ceremonial activity. Some of the features within the cluster are morphologically unique, but a lack of previous investigation meant that their dating, phasing, and function were unknown. This paper details the results of a multi-disciplinary approach…
Assessing the authenticity of a sample taken from the Altar Stone at Stonehenge in 1844 using portable XRF and automated SEM-EDS
The Stonehenge Altar Stone was probably not sourced from the Old Red Sandstone of the Anglo-Welsh Basin
Lithological description and provenancing of a collection of bluestones from excavations at Stonehenge by William Hawley in 1924 with implications for the human versus ice transport debate of the monu…
A rhyolite boulder collected by R. S. Newall in 1924 from an excavation at Stonehenge has been pivotal to arguments concerning glacial versus human transport of the bluestones to Stonehenge. Initial studies suggested that the boulder came from north Wales, and hence was a probable glacial erratic. New petrographic and geochemical analyses however support it being from Craig Rhos‐y‐Felin in west Wales, the source of much debitage recovered from St…
Dorstone Hill
Studies of early fourth-millennium BC Britain have typically focused on the Early Neolithic sites of Wessex and Orkney; what can the investigation of sites located in areas beyond these core regions add? The authors report on excavations (2011-2019) at Dorstone Hill in Herefordshire, which have revealed a remarkable complex of Early Neolithic monuments: three long barrows constructed on the footprints of three timber buildings that had been delib…
Portable XRF investigation of Stonehenge Stone 62 and potential source dolerite outcrops in the Mynydd Preseli, west Wales
Revisiting the provenance of the Stonehenge bluestones
Alteration fabrics and mineralogy as provenance indicators; the Stonehenge bluestone dolerites and their enigmatic “spots”
A Stamford Ware Pottery Kiln in Pontefract
THIS REPORT PRESENTS the results of analyses carried out following the discovery and excavation of a medieval pottery kiln in Pontefract, a discovery which featured in the ‘Fieldwork Highlights’ section of Medieval Archaeology 53 (2009). The kiln is remarkable for having produced vessels previously only associated with the Stamford ware industry of the late 11th and 12th centuries and demonstrates the existence of at least one northern production…
Tin sources for prehistoric bronze production in Ireland
Ireland is important in the early metallurgy of northwest Europe, for it has given us a large majority of the Early Bronze Age artefacts from the whole British Isles. Is there tinore to have been mined in early Ireland to produce this bronze or must it have come from elsewhere
The Geological Sources and Transport of the Bluestones of Stonehenge, Wiltshire, UK
Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain is one of the most impressive British prehistoric (c. 3000–1500 BC) monuments. It is dominated by large upright sarsen stones, some of which are joined by lintels. While these stones are of relatively local derivation, some of the stone settings, termed bluestones, are composed of igneous and minor sedimentary rocks which are foreign to the solid geology of Salisbury Plain and must have been transported to their pres…
Tin sources for prehistoric bronze production in Ireland
Ireland is important in the early metallurgy of northwest Europe, for it has given us a large majority of the Early Bronze Age artefacts from the whole British Isles. Is there tinore to have been mined in early Ireland to produce this bronze or must it have come from elsewhere
The Mineralogy of Bronze Age Copper Ores from the British Isles
Numerous analytical studies during the latter half of this century have contributed to the compilation of a large compositional database of Early to Middle Bronze Age copper‐based artefacts revealing distinctive impurity patterns which appear to change over time. However, attempts to relate these data to copper ore sources proved problematic in the absence of firm evidence for the location of prehistoric copper mines. Over the last fifteen years …
Ritual in Some Early Bronze Age Gravegoods
This systematic study of selected ‘Wessex’ Early Bronze Age burial assemblages was undertaken to reassess the original purpose of the artefacts deposited and their significance in the burial ritual. Use-wear analysis and fragmentation assessment has been undertaken on daggers, whetstones, bone objects and beads. Lithological and physical analysis was also undertaken on the stone objects. The results show a remarkable disparity in use and fragment…
Beaker age bracers in England
The authors review the significance of bracers by undertaking a detailed examination of their morphology, fragmentation, manufacture and wear. The results have a number of implications regarding their use and value and this is supported by the use of petrographic and geochemical analyses which suggest discrete patterns of raw material acquisition. A description of the technical methodology and appropriate data tables are available at http://www.a…
The Petrology of the Wong Tei Tung Stone Tool Manufacturing Site, Sham Chung, Hong Kong Sar, China
The Wong Tei Tung archaeological site was discovered in 2003. Two periods have been proposed: an earlier period dating to around 40,000 years bp, and a later period dating to around 7000 years bp, but these dates should be treated cautiously. Initially, reported research found few traits of the Wong Tei Tung assemblage to be similar to South-east Asia lithics, especially the short axe and Sumatralith cores. It has been reported that the Wong Tei …
The Petrology of the Wong Tei Tung Stone Tool Manufacturing Site, Sham Chung, Hong Kong Sar, China
The Wong Tei Tung archaeological site was discovered in 2003. Two periods have been proposed: an earlier period dating to around 40,000 years bp, and a later period dating to around 7000 years bp, but these dates should be treated cautiously. Initially, reported research found few traits of the Wong Tei Tung assemblage to be similar to South-east Asia lithics, especially the short axe and Sumatralith cores. It has been reported that the Wong Tei …
Stonehenge rhyolitic bluestone sources and the application of zircon chemistry as a new tool for provenancing rhyolitic lithics
The Catholme Ceremonial Complex, Staffordshire, UK
During the 1960s and 1970s, aerial reconnaissance on the northern side of the confluence of the Rivers Trent, Tame, and Mease in Staffordshire revealed a cluster of features indicative of prehistoric ceremonial activity. Some of the features within the cluster are morphologically unique, but a lack of previous investigation meant that their dating, phasing, and function were unknown. This paper details the results of a multi-disciplinary approach…
Provenancing the rhyolitic and dacitic components of the Stonehenge landscape bluestone lithology
Carn Alw as a source of the rhyolitic component of the Stonehenge bluestones
Carn Goedog is the likely major source of Stonehenge doleritic bluestones
A Stamford Ware Pottery Kiln in Pontefract
THIS REPORT PRESENTS the results of analyses carried out following the discovery and excavation of a medieval pottery kiln in Pontefract, a discovery which featured in the ‘Fieldwork Highlights’ section of Medieval Archaeology 53 (2009). The kiln is remarkable for having produced vessels previously only associated with the Stamford ware industry of the late 11th and 12th centuries and demonstrates the existence of at least one northern production…
Microscopic Rocks and Expansive Empires
High quality polychrome ceramics are an iconic aspect of Inca material culture. This ‘Cuzco Inca’ pottery appears suddenly in the archaeological record: but it draws upon technological and stylistic aspects of earlier local pottery and we discuss the specifics of how these pre-Inca traits were combined to form the distinctive new state ceramics. Using ceramic petrography, the dominant fabric of Cuzco Inca pottery is compared with those of two pre…
Craig Rhos-y-felin
Retracing the footsteps of H.H. Thomas
Ceramic studies
These three books range from the clinical (Hunt) to the folksy (Woodward and Hill), and might be seen as a progression. One travelling from the Hunt-edited encyclopaedia with its emphasis on new and exotic scientific analytical techniques, rigorous theoretical approaches and data analysis, through the Integrative approaches book using techniques and ideas that have proved effective for decades (this book is firmly within the mainstream of recent …
The old stones
Megalith quarries for Stonehenge's bluestones
Digging up Britain
Constraining the provenance of the Stonehenge ‘Altar Stone’
Revisiting the provenance of the Stonehenge bluestones
Alteration fabrics and mineralogy as provenance indicators; the Stonehenge bluestone dolerites and their enigmatic “spots”
The original Stonehenge? A dismantled stone circle in the Preseli Hills of west Wales
Portable XRF investigation of Stonehenge Stone 62 and potential source dolerite outcrops in the Mynydd Preseli, west Wales
Archaeology (33 works) · History (24 works) · Geology (22 works) · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies (21 works) · Geography (19 works) · Geological and Geochemical Analysis (14 works) · History (14 works) · Ancient history (13 works) · Geochemistry (12 works) · Geology and Paleoclimatology Research (11 works)