Frank Asaro
Datos Biográficos
| ID | 230643 |
|---|---|
| NOMBRE | Frank Asaro |
| NOMBRES | Frank |
| APELLIDO | Asaro |
| FIRMA | ASARO F |
| AFILIACIONES | Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory |
| VERIFICADO | No |
| TOTAL DE OBRAS | 37 |
| TOTAL DE CITAS | 437 |
| TOTAL COMO AUTOR | 37 |
| TOTAL COMO EDITOR | 0 |
| PRIMER AÑO DE PUBLICACIÓN | 1969 |
| AÑO MÁS RECIENTE DE PUBLICACIÓN | 2010 |
| ÍNDICE H | 12 |
Silver in ancient pottery
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Differentiation of ceramic chemical element composition and vessel morphology at a pottery production center in Roman Galilee
Preferential Distribution of Lamps from the Jerusalem Area in the Late Second Temple Period (Late First Century B.C.E.-70 C.E.)
This is a systematic, regional, analytical study on the origins of the "Herodian" lamp, the most common lamp in late Second Temple—period Judaea. The project included 176 Herodian lamps from the northern sites of Gamala, Iotapata, Sepphoris, Dora, and Scythopolis, as well as several hundred examples of non-cooking ware of this period from the Galilee and Golan, and from Jerusalem and nearby sites. All samples were measured using both instrumental…
The History of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis Programme for Archaeological and Geological Materials
The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory pottery provenance group developed standards and instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) methods that are used at many archaeometry laboratories around the world. The background and development of ‘Standard Pottery’ and of methods for INAA are described. Early pottery provenance studies are described, and other research programmes, involving obsidian and magmatic mixing, the origin of the stone us…
The Discovery of Anomalously High Silver Abundances in Pottery From Early Roman Excavation Contexts in Jerusalem
This is the first study on the differential distribution and concentrations of silver in ceramics recovered from archaeological excavations. The chemical compositions of 1174 pottery vessels from 38 Roman‐period sites in Israel have been determined. Unusually high and variable abundances of silver were discovered in pottery samples of all vessel types and chemical compositions from four distinct archaeological contexts dating to late first centur…
Determining Pottery Provenance
A recently developed high‐precision X‐ray fluorescence (XRF) method, applied for the first time to the study of archaeological pottery, determines the abundances of 13 trace and four major elements from one X‐ray spectrum acquired over a 1000 second counting interval. For replicate archaeological samples, the short‐term and long‐term measurement precisions were close to 1% for the ten elements measured with highest precision. These are comparable…
Obsidian Procurement and Distribution in the Tikal-Yaxha Intersite Area of the Central Maya Lowlands
Obsidian from known outcrops in the Mesoamerican highlands has been recovered from lowland Maya sites, providing significant evidence for long-distance procurement and local redistribution of obsidian by the ancient Maya. Prior chemical-characterization studies of obsidian from the lowland Maya area provide a foundation for the study of Tikal-Yaxha obsidian presented here. The samples used in this analysis came from middens associated with 12 res…
Interregional Contacts Between Tell En‐nasbeh and Littoral Philistine Centres in Canaan During Early Iron Age I
Philistine bichrome ware from Tell en‐Nasbeh, an Israelite village in the hill country, has been characterized by instrumental neutron activation analysis. A group of pottery stylistically indistinguishable from wares made in Philistia is shown to be of local origin, while other sherds match kiln wasters found in the littoral Philistine city of Ashdod. These findings attest to complex and reciprocal interregional contacts between the Philistines …
An Initial Consideration of Obsidian Procurement and Exchange in Prehispanic Ecuador
We have examined the role of long-distance trade in Prehispanic Ecuador using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and neutron-activation analysis (NAA) of obsidian artifacts from the archaeological sites of El Inga, Chobshi Cave and Site OGSE-46 on the Santa Elena Peninsula. Results indicate that two geological sources east of Quito, Yanaurco-Quiscatola and Mullumica, were the principal source of raw obsidian at these sites. We situate our findings within a…
Ecuadorian Obsidian Sources Used for Artifact Production and Methods for Provenience Assignments
A study by neutron activation analysis and X-ray fluorescence measurements of 116 Ecuadorian obsidian artifacts as well as primary and secondary source samples has shown that the material originated from two Andean sources in north-central Ecuador, a flow in the valley of Mullumica, and deposits found on Yanaurco Chico and the nearby Quiscatola crest. The Yanaurco-Quiscatola deposit complex, homogeneous within our ability to measure, is represent…
Obsidian Sources and Elemental Analyses of Artifacts in Southern Mesoamerica and the Northern Intermediate Area
Obsidian sources, and the proportions of those sources represented in site collections, are known poorly in the southeast mesoamerican periphery. The Honduran sources of La Esperanza and Güinope are described and 'fingerprinted' chemically, and their utilization is explored in selected sites in Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. Although prehistoric Nicaraguans and Costa Ricans used obsidian from sources as far away as Honduras and Guatemala, m…
Maya Maritime Trade and Sources of Obsidian at San Juan, Ambergris Cay, Belize
San Juan is a small Late and Terminal Classic transshipment point on the north end of Ambergris Cay, Belize. It was well situated to have participated in the Maya maritime trade network that served large population centers on Corozal and Chetumal bays and those communities linked to these bays by the New River and Rio Hondo. A sample of Terminal Classic obsidian was sourced using visual, x-ray fluorescence, and neutron activation techniques. Alth…
News and Short Contributions
Kostas Kotsakis, Anthony P. Andrews, Frank Asaro, Helen V. Michel, Fred H. Stross, Pura Cerrera Rivero, Thomas H. Guderjan, James F. Garber, Herman A. Smith, News and Short Contributions, Journal of Field Archaeology, Vol. 16, No. 3 (Autumn, 1989), pp. 355-376
Special Studies
Provenience analysis of a small sample of obsidian artifacts from Isla Cerritos, a Terminal Classic/Early Postclassic Itzá trading port on the north coast of Yucatán, indicates a wide range of raw material sources from Central Mexico to the Guatemalan Highlands. The overwhelming predominance of Central Mexican obsidian reinforces the notion that Isla Cerritos was the main trading port of Chichén Itzá. The analysis also provides an indirect approx…
Sources of Obsidian from El Mirador, Guatemala
Sources of the Quartzite of Some Ancient Egyptian Sculptures
This article reports the results of analysis of samples collected from some Egyptian quartzite artifacts. such as statuary, dating from the New Kingdom. Most of the artifacts are located in Upper Egypt, but the results of analysis suggest that, until the middle of the fourteenth century B.C., the quartzite came from a more distant quarry near Cairo rather than from the quartzite quarries located near Aswan in Upper Egypt
The Chipped Stone Industry of Cihuatan and Santa Maria, El Salvador, and Sources of Obsidian from Cihuatan
The chipped stone industry of Cihuatan and Santa Maria, Postclassic sites of north-central El Salvador, is discussed briefly in terms of behavioral/technological typology. The industry was based almost exclusively on obsidian and emphasized specialized production of prismatic blades. Source determinations by X-rayfluorescence and neutron activation analysis of 20 obsidian specimens from Cihuatan indicate that at least three highland Guatemalan so…
Provenience Analysis of Obsidians from the Central Peten Lakes Region, Guatemala
A set of 296 obsidian artifacts from the lakes area of the Department of Peten, Guatemala, has been provenienced by X-ray fluorescence and neutron activation analysis. The obsidians come from socioeconomic contexts (primarily rural/domestic) and time periods-from the Middle Preclassic period, ca. 800 B.C., up to the time of Spanish contact, A.D. 1525-that have been poorly represented in previous Lowland provenience studies. Thus they provide new …
The Northern Colossus of Memnon
Chemical and petrographic studies of the two 720‐ton ‘Colossi of Memnon’ located near Luxor, and of Egyptian quartzite quarries indicate that the rear pedestal blocks of the northern statue were quarried at Aswan, while the other, main components of the monuments were quarried near Cairo. Our studies suggest that the rear pedestal blocks of the northern statue were part of the reconstruction project undertaken by Roman emperor Septimius Severus. …
Tikal Obsidian
The obsidian industry of Classic period Tikal, Guatemala, is discussed with regard to geological source determinations and behavioral typology. The potential of these two approaches for cultural reconstruction is greatly extended when they can supplement each other. Recent source determinations of obsidian artifacts from Tikal indicate (1) a behavioral link between locally-produced prismatic blades of Highland Guatemalan stone and ceremonial inci…
Precise Characterization of Guatemalan Obsidian Sources, and Source Determination of Artifacts from Quiriguá
For the determination of provenience of obsidian artifacts, precise and accurate measurements of composition patterns of the geologic sources are necessary for definitive and cost-effective assignments. Inter-comparison of data from different laboratories is often difficult. Suggestions for maximizing the usefulness of data already in the literature are made, contributions to a useful data bank of source composition patterns are recorded, and pro…
Extraterrestrial Cause for the Cretaceous-Tertiary Extinction
Platinum metals are depleted in the earth's crust relative to their cosmic abundance; concentrations of these elements in deep-sea sediments may thus indicate influxes of extraterrestrial material. Deep-sea limestones exposed in Italy, Denmark, and New Zealand show iridium increases of about 30, 160, and 20 times, respectively, above the background level at precisely the time of the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinctions, 65 million years ago. Reasons a…
Chemical Study of the Plate of Brass
The Plate of Brass is an inscribed brass artifact which has been attributed to the landing of Francis Drake on the California coast in 1579 A.D. In the present study the chemical abund~nces of the major and trace constituents in the Plate of Brass were quantitatively measured.These values were compared with measurements on both medieval and modern brasses and with the levels of impurities expected in brass making processes from medieval times to …
Imported and Local Bichrome Ware in Megiddo
Mayan Obsidian
High‐precision neutron activation measurements have been made on mesoamerican obsidian from Ixtepeque and El Chayal which are thought to be the major sources of volcanic glass artifacts in pre‐Columbian times. These results are compared with measurements on obsidian artifacts from Lubaantun, Wild Cane Cay, Frenchman's Cay and Moho Cay
Pottery Analysis by Neutron Activation
Special Studies
Provenience analysis of a small sample of obsidian artifacts from Isla Cerritos, a Terminal Classic/Early Postclassic Itzá trading port on the north coast of Yucatán, indicates a wide range of raw material sources from Central Mexico to the Guatemalan Highlands. The overwhelming predominance of Central Mexican obsidian reinforces the notion that Isla Cerritos was the main trading port of Chichén Itzá. The analysis also provides an indirect approx…
Tikal Obsidian
The obsidian industry of Classic period Tikal, Guatemala, is discussed with regard to geological source determinations and behavioral typology. The potential of these two approaches for cultural reconstruction is greatly extended when they can supplement each other. Recent source determinations of obsidian artifacts from Tikal indicate (1) a behavioral link between locally-produced prismatic blades of Highland Guatemalan stone and ceremonial inci…
An Initial Consideration of Obsidian Procurement and Exchange in Prehispanic Ecuador
We have examined the role of long-distance trade in Prehispanic Ecuador using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and neutron-activation analysis (NAA) of obsidian artifacts from the archaeological sites of El Inga, Chobshi Cave and Site OGSE-46 on the Santa Elena Peninsula. Results indicate that two geological sources east of Quito, Yanaurco-Quiscatola and Mullumica, were the principal source of raw obsidian at these sites. We situate our findings within a…
High-Precision Chemical Characterization of Major Obsidian Sources in Guatemala
The important Mesoamerican obsidian source El Chayal has been carefully explored and sampled. Forty new source specimens have been subjected to neutron activation analysis, and the composition patterns are recorded and compared. The westernmost of the known Guatemalan obsidian sources, Tajamulco, has also been studied. Precise analytical data are also reported for the important Ixtepeque and Rio Pixcaya sources. In addition, the complete analytic…
Ecuadorian Obsidian Sources Used for Artifact Production and Methods for Provenience Assignments
A study by neutron activation analysis and X-ray fluorescence measurements of 116 Ecuadorian obsidian artifacts as well as primary and secondary source samples has shown that the material originated from two Andean sources in north-central Ecuador, a flow in the valley of Mullumica, and deposits found on Yanaurco Chico and the nearby Quiscatola crest. The Yanaurco-Quiscatola deposit complex, homogeneous within our ability to measure, is represent…
Provenience Analysis of Obsidians from the Central Peten Lakes Region, Guatemala
A set of 296 obsidian artifacts from the lakes area of the Department of Peten, Guatemala, has been provenienced by X-ray fluorescence and neutron activation analysis. The obsidians come from socioeconomic contexts (primarily rural/domestic) and time periods-from the Middle Preclassic period, ca. 800 B.C., up to the time of Spanish contact, A.D. 1525-that have been poorly represented in previous Lowland provenience studies. Thus they provide new …
Precise Characterization of Guatemalan Obsidian Sources, and Source Determination of Artifacts from Quiriguá
For the determination of provenience of obsidian artifacts, precise and accurate measurements of composition patterns of the geologic sources are necessary for definitive and cost-effective assignments. Inter-comparison of data from different laboratories is often difficult. Suggestions for maximizing the usefulness of data already in the literature are made, contributions to a useful data bank of source composition patterns are recorded, and pro…
Obsidian Sources and Elemental Analyses of Artifacts in Southern Mesoamerica and the Northern Intermediate Area
Obsidian sources, and the proportions of those sources represented in site collections, are known poorly in the southeast mesoamerican periphery. The Honduran sources of La Esperanza and Güinope are described and 'fingerprinted' chemically, and their utilization is explored in selected sites in Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. Although prehistoric Nicaraguans and Costa Ricans used obsidian from sources as far away as Honduras and Guatemala, m…
Sources of Obsidian from El Mirador, Guatemala
A Lyons Branch of the Pottery‐making Firm of Ateius of Arezzo
S Fifty‐one waster sherds of Terra Sigillata (∼20‐0 b.c. ) from Arezzo, Italy and Lyons, France have been chemically analysed for twenty‐eight elements by neutron activation and seven by X‐ray fluorescence. Most of the elemental abundances were measured with high precision and cross‐comparisons of the two techniques of measurement (and sample preparation) give added insight as to their relative precision, the calibration differences and the exten…
Composition Variations in Obsidian Sources and the Archaeological Implications
S An obsidian source can exhibit considerable variations in chemical composition. One such flow at Borax Lake in Lake County, California has been carefully investigated by neutron activation analysis of specimens from a number of different loci. It was found that the variable elements were completely coherent, and thus judgements concerning provenience could be just as definitive as with extremely homogeneous materials
Maya Maritime Trade and Sources of Obsidian at San Juan, Ambergris Cay, Belize
San Juan is a small Late and Terminal Classic transshipment point on the north end of Ambergris Cay, Belize. It was well situated to have participated in the Maya maritime trade network that served large population centers on Corozal and Chetumal bays and those communities linked to these bays by the New River and Rio Hondo. A sample of Terminal Classic obsidian was sourced using visual, x-ray fluorescence, and neutron activation techniques. Alth…
Comparison of Neutron Activation Analysis From the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory and the Hebrew University
Neutron activation measurements for Eu, Sc, Cs. Th, Ta, and Fe on 6 samples of pottery and rock by the Hebrew University and the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory have been compared. The average disagreement exclusive of counting errors was 1.1%. The practical importance of this study to archaeology is that data taken on source materials in one laboratory can be used by the other. Methods of determining the consistency of measurements within a laborat…
Corinth and Corfu
Neutron activation was used to analyze pottery from Corinth and Corfu. Fine painted pottery from Corinth was shown to be surprisingly constant in composition over several hundred years. The clays closest to the clay used in the ancient pottery were found near the Potters' Quarter and in the neighborhood of the Tile Works, 1.9 miles distant. It was definitely established that Corinthian type pottery was manufactured in Corfu; the Corinthian type p…
The Chipped Stone Industry of Cihuatan and Santa Maria, El Salvador, and Sources of Obsidian from Cihuatan
The chipped stone industry of Cihuatan and Santa Maria, Postclassic sites of north-central El Salvador, is discussed briefly in terms of behavioral/technological typology. The industry was based almost exclusively on obsidian and emphasized specialized production of prismatic blades. Source determinations by X-rayfluorescence and neutron activation analysis of 20 obsidian specimens from Cihuatan indicate that at least three highland Guatemalan so…
Sources of Some Obsidian Flakes from a Paleoindian Site in Guatemala
Neutron activation analysis was used to determine the chemical composition of sources of obsidian artifacts from the Paleoindian site of Los Tapiales in Guatemala with an occupation date of around 10,700 radiocarbon years ago. Three different sources were detected, all between 50 and 75 km from Los Tapiales. The predominant source represented in our ten samples was in the Rio Pixcayá area, and another was in the Tajumulco area. A third source, id…
Differentiation of ceramic chemical element composition and vessel morphology at a pottery production center in Roman Galilee
Determining Pottery Provenance
A recently developed high‐precision X‐ray fluorescence (XRF) method, applied for the first time to the study of archaeological pottery, determines the abundances of 13 trace and four major elements from one X‐ray spectrum acquired over a 1000 second counting interval. For replicate archaeological samples, the short‐term and long‐term measurement precisions were close to 1% for the ten elements measured with highest precision. These are comparable…
The Origin of the "Palestinian" Bichrome Ware
The origin of the Palestinian Bichrome Ware، للحصول على النص الكامل يرجى زيارة مكتبة الحسين بن طلال في جامعة اليرموك او زيارة موقعها الالكتروني
An Introductory Study of Mycenaean Iiic1 Ware From Tel Ashdod
Mayan Obsidian
High‐precision neutron activation measurements have been made on mesoamerican obsidian from Ixtepeque and El Chayal which are thought to be the major sources of volcanic glass artifacts in pre‐Columbian times. These results are compared with measurements on obsidian artifacts from Lubaantun, Wild Cane Cay, Frenchman's Cay and Moho Cay
Alašiya of the Amarna Letters
It will soon be 70 years since the first arguments were presented concerning the geographical location of the ancient kingdom or city-state of Alasiya.References to Alasiya have come to light in Akkadian, Ugaritic, Hittite and Egyptian texts, and from such diverse locations as Ras Shamra, Alalakh, Boghazkoy, Mari, Karnak, and Tell el-Amarna.The dating of these various texts covers a span from the 18th-12th centuries
The History of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis Programme for Archaeological and Geological Materials
The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory pottery provenance group developed standards and instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) methods that are used at many archaeometry laboratories around the world. The background and development of ‘Standard Pottery’ and of methods for INAA are described. Early pottery provenance studies are described, and other research programmes, involving obsidian and magmatic mixing, the origin of the stone us…
The Discovery of Anomalously High Silver Abundances in Pottery From Early Roman Excavation Contexts in Jerusalem
This is the first study on the differential distribution and concentrations of silver in ceramics recovered from archaeological excavations. The chemical compositions of 1174 pottery vessels from 38 Roman‐period sites in Israel have been determined. Unusually high and variable abundances of silver were discovered in pottery samples of all vessel types and chemical compositions from four distinct archaeological contexts dating to late first centur…
Pottery Analysis by Neutron Activation
An Introductory Study of Mycenaean Iiic1 Ware From Tel Ashdod
Composition Variations in Obsidian Sources and the Archaeological Implications
S An obsidian source can exhibit considerable variations in chemical composition. One such flow at Borax Lake in Lake County, California has been carefully investigated by neutron activation analysis of specimens from a number of different loci. It was found that the variable elements were completely coherent, and thus judgements concerning provenience could be just as definitive as with extremely homogeneous materials
The Origin of the "Palestinian" Bichrome Ware
The origin of the Palestinian Bichrome Ware، للحصول على النص الكامل يرجى زيارة مكتبة الحسين بن طلال في جامعة اليرموك او زيارة موقعها الالكتروني
A Lyons Branch of the Pottery‐making Firm of Ateius of Arezzo
S Fifty‐one waster sherds of Terra Sigillata (∼20‐0 b.c. ) from Arezzo, Italy and Lyons, France have been chemically analysed for twenty‐eight elements by neutron activation and seven by X‐ray fluorescence. Most of the elemental abundances were measured with high precision and cross‐comparisons of the two techniques of measurement (and sample preparation) give added insight as to their relative precision, the calibration differences and the exten…
Alašiya of the Amarna Letters
It will soon be 70 years since the first arguments were presented concerning the geographical location of the ancient kingdom or city-state of Alasiya.References to Alasiya have come to light in Akkadian, Ugaritic, Hittite and Egyptian texts, and from such diverse locations as Ras Shamra, Alalakh, Boghazkoy, Mari, Karnak, and Tell el-Amarna.The dating of these various texts covers a span from the 18th-12th centuries
Chemical Composition Patterns of Ceramic, Wares From Fustät, Egypt
Corinth and Corfu
Neutron activation was used to analyze pottery from Corinth and Corfu. Fine painted pottery from Corinth was shown to be surprisingly constant in composition over several hundred years. The clays closest to the clay used in the ancient pottery were found near the Potters' Quarter and in the neighborhood of the Tile Works, 1.9 miles distant. It was definitely established that Corinthian type pottery was manufactured in Corfu; the Corinthian type p…
Sources of Some Obsidian Flakes from a Paleoindian Site in Guatemala
Neutron activation analysis was used to determine the chemical composition of sources of obsidian artifacts from the Paleoindian site of Los Tapiales in Guatemala with an occupation date of around 10,700 radiocarbon years ago. Three different sources were detected, all between 50 and 75 km from Los Tapiales. The predominant source represented in our ten samples was in the Rio Pixcayá area, and another was in the Tajumulco area. A third source, id…
Imported and Local Bichrome Ware in Megiddo
Mayan Obsidian
High‐precision neutron activation measurements have been made on mesoamerican obsidian from Ixtepeque and El Chayal which are thought to be the major sources of volcanic glass artifacts in pre‐Columbian times. These results are compared with measurements on obsidian artifacts from Lubaantun, Wild Cane Cay, Frenchman's Cay and Moho Cay
Perspectives on the Dating of Prehistoric Great Basin Petroglyphs by Neutron Activation Analysis
The possible relative dating of petroglyphs by nuclear measurements on desert varnish is explored. The abundances of 30 major and trace elements in desert varnish samples from the Grimes Point petroglyph site in western Nevada were measured by neutron activation analysis techniques. Samples of both desert varnish and heart rock from a non‐artifactual test boulder of andesite were studied and the elements tungsten, arsenic, antimony, thorium, uran…
Comparison of Neutron Activation Analysis From the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory and the Hebrew University
Neutron activation measurements for Eu, Sc, Cs. Th, Ta, and Fe on 6 samples of pottery and rock by the Hebrew University and the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory have been compared. The average disagreement exclusive of counting errors was 1.1%. The practical importance of this study to archaeology is that data taken on source materials in one laboratory can be used by the other. Methods of determining the consistency of measurements within a laborat…
High-Precision Chemical Characterization of Major Obsidian Sources in Guatemala
The important Mesoamerican obsidian source El Chayal has been carefully explored and sampled. Forty new source specimens have been subjected to neutron activation analysis, and the composition patterns are recorded and compared. The westernmost of the known Guatemalan obsidian sources, Tajamulco, has also been studied. Precise analytical data are also reported for the important Ixtepeque and Rio Pixcaya sources. In addition, the complete analytic…
Chemical Study of the Plate of Brass
The Plate of Brass is an inscribed brass artifact which has been attributed to the landing of Francis Drake on the California coast in 1579 A.D. In the present study the chemical abund~nces of the major and trace constituents in the Plate of Brass were quantitatively measured.These values were compared with measurements on both medieval and modern brasses and with the levels of impurities expected in brass making processes from medieval times to …
Extraterrestrial Cause for the Cretaceous-Tertiary Extinction
Platinum metals are depleted in the earth's crust relative to their cosmic abundance; concentrations of these elements in deep-sea sediments may thus indicate influxes of extraterrestrial material. Deep-sea limestones exposed in Italy, Denmark, and New Zealand show iridium increases of about 30, 160, and 20 times, respectively, above the background level at precisely the time of the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinctions, 65 million years ago. Reasons a…
Precise Characterization of Guatemalan Obsidian Sources, and Source Determination of Artifacts from Quiriguá
For the determination of provenience of obsidian artifacts, precise and accurate measurements of composition patterns of the geologic sources are necessary for definitive and cost-effective assignments. Inter-comparison of data from different laboratories is often difficult. Suggestions for maximizing the usefulness of data already in the literature are made, contributions to a useful data bank of source composition patterns are recorded, and pro…
The Northern Colossus of Memnon
Chemical and petrographic studies of the two 720‐ton ‘Colossi of Memnon’ located near Luxor, and of Egyptian quartzite quarries indicate that the rear pedestal blocks of the northern statue were quarried at Aswan, while the other, main components of the monuments were quarried near Cairo. Our studies suggest that the rear pedestal blocks of the northern statue were part of the reconstruction project undertaken by Roman emperor Septimius Severus. …
Tikal Obsidian
The obsidian industry of Classic period Tikal, Guatemala, is discussed with regard to geological source determinations and behavioral typology. The potential of these two approaches for cultural reconstruction is greatly extended when they can supplement each other. Recent source determinations of obsidian artifacts from Tikal indicate (1) a behavioral link between locally-produced prismatic blades of Highland Guatemalan stone and ceremonial inci…
Provenience Analysis of Obsidians from the Central Peten Lakes Region, Guatemala
A set of 296 obsidian artifacts from the lakes area of the Department of Peten, Guatemala, has been provenienced by X-ray fluorescence and neutron activation analysis. The obsidians come from socioeconomic contexts (primarily rural/domestic) and time periods-from the Middle Preclassic period, ca. 800 B.C., up to the time of Spanish contact, A.D. 1525-that have been poorly represented in previous Lowland provenience studies. Thus they provide new …
The Chipped Stone Industry of Cihuatan and Santa Maria, El Salvador, and Sources of Obsidian from Cihuatan
The chipped stone industry of Cihuatan and Santa Maria, Postclassic sites of north-central El Salvador, is discussed briefly in terms of behavioral/technological typology. The industry was based almost exclusively on obsidian and emphasized specialized production of prismatic blades. Source determinations by X-rayfluorescence and neutron activation analysis of 20 obsidian specimens from Cihuatan indicate that at least three highland Guatemalan so…
Sources of the Quartzite of Some Ancient Egyptian Sculptures
This article reports the results of analysis of samples collected from some Egyptian quartzite artifacts. such as statuary, dating from the New Kingdom. Most of the artifacts are located in Upper Egypt, but the results of analysis suggest that, until the middle of the fourteenth century B.C., the quartzite came from a more distant quarry near Cairo rather than from the quartzite quarries located near Aswan in Upper Egypt
Maya Maritime Trade and Sources of Obsidian at San Juan, Ambergris Cay, Belize
San Juan is a small Late and Terminal Classic transshipment point on the north end of Ambergris Cay, Belize. It was well situated to have participated in the Maya maritime trade network that served large population centers on Corozal and Chetumal bays and those communities linked to these bays by the New River and Rio Hondo. A sample of Terminal Classic obsidian was sourced using visual, x-ray fluorescence, and neutron activation techniques. Alth…
News and Short Contributions
Kostas Kotsakis, Anthony P. Andrews, Frank Asaro, Helen V. Michel, Fred H. Stross, Pura Cerrera Rivero, Thomas H. Guderjan, James F. Garber, Herman A. Smith, News and Short Contributions, Journal of Field Archaeology, Vol. 16, No. 3 (Autumn, 1989), pp. 355-376
Special Studies
Provenience analysis of a small sample of obsidian artifacts from Isla Cerritos, a Terminal Classic/Early Postclassic Itzá trading port on the north coast of Yucatán, indicates a wide range of raw material sources from Central Mexico to the Guatemalan Highlands. The overwhelming predominance of Central Mexican obsidian reinforces the notion that Isla Cerritos was the main trading port of Chichén Itzá. The analysis also provides an indirect approx…
Archaeology (34 obras) · Geography (27 obras) · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies (24 obras) · Geology (20 obras) · Geology (18 obras) · History (16 obras) · Cultural Heritage Materials Analysis (14 obras) · Pottery (12 obras) · Art (11 obras) · Ancient history (8 obras)