R G V Hancock
Biographic Data
| ID | 4063701 |
|---|---|
| NAME | R G V Hancock |
| GIVEN NAMES | R G V |
| FAMILY NAME | Hancock |
| SIGNATURE | HANCOCK R G V |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Toronto |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 49 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 223 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 49 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1984 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 10 |
On Sourcing Stonehenge Sarsen Stone #58: A Response to Nash and Ciborowski's Comments
This is a brief response to Nash and Ciborowski's comments in 2025 on our 2024 paper, which focused on the reinterpretation of geochemical data for Stonehenge stone #58 published by Nash et al. in 2020. We address the problems they perceived in our use of absolute elemental concentrations, our selection of discriminating elements, and single‐sample comparisons and show the limited relevance of their arguments to our conclusions. We maintain that …
Psychometric evaluation of an Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) measurement tool: An equitable assessment or reinforcing biases
Aspects of Late Paleoindian Lithic Technological Organization in the Northwestern Lake Superior Region of Canada
This chapter focuses on selected aspects of Late Paleoindian lithic technological systematics including: their sources of lithic raw materials, the effect of distance from local raw material sources on certain aspects of tool assemblages (standardization, curation and versatility), and evidence regarding biface preform production and transportation. The data used is from a three-year field research program at Cummins site near Thunder Bay, Canada…
Comparing Chemistries: Inter‐Laboratory Evaluation of Glass Bead Compositional Research in the Great Lakes Region
Glass beads from archaeological sites in the North American Great Lakes region have been subject to chemical analysis for several decades. Early work identified key elements in glass beads using Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA), a bulk sample analysis method. Laser Ablation‐Inductively Coupled Plasma‐Mass Spectrometry (LA‐ICP‐MS) now offers an alternative, point‐based analytical method. We compare results of analyzing the same arti…
Early Neolithic chert variability in central Cyprus: Geo-chemical and spatial analyses
Justification for reassessing elemental analysis data of ceramics, sediments and lithics using rare earth element concentrations and ratios
The mensuration of multi‐elemental concentrations from assorted archaeological materials has always required great care and attention to detail to ensure good‐quality data and their ensuing interpretations. Although most suspect data were generated before the wide use of computers, error‐free data are not still a certainty. This paper presents the geochemical rationale for a proposed chemical data‐assessment process, using a globally dispersed co…
Tracing the Distribution of Late 16th and Early 17th Century European Copper Artefacts in Southern Québec and Ontario, Canada
To understand the nature of trade/exchange of ‘Basque’ copper kettles and their fragments among Indigenous communities from Québec to Ontario, Canada, we examined 948 copper samples from 75 archaeological sites. We found that 936 samples were sortable into 11 coarse chemical groups: seven biased towards Ontario, three favouring Québec and only one balanced between the two provinces. This pattern may represent kettles and pieces ‘mostly traded’ or…
Biostratigraphic Evidence Relating to the Age-Old Question of Hannibal's Invasion of Italy, II: Chemical Biomarkers and Microbial Signatures
As discussed in Part I, a large accumulation of mammalian faeces at the mire site in the upper Guil Valley near Mt. Viso, dated to 2168 cal 14C yr., provides the first evidence of the passage of substantial but indeterminate numbers of mammals within the time frame of the Punic invasion of Italia. Specialized organic biomarkers bound up in a highly convoluted and bioturbated bed constitute an unusual anomaly in a histosol comprised of fibric and …
Biostratigraphic Evidence Relating to the Age-Old Question of Hannibal's Invasion of Italy, I: History and Geological Reconstruction
Controversy over the alpine route that Hannibal of Carthage followed from the Rhône Basin into Italia has raged amongst classicists and ancient historians for over two millennia. The motivation for identifying the route taken by the Punic Army through the Alps lies in its potential for identifying sites of historical archaeological significance and for the resolution of one of history's most enduring quandaries. Here, we present stratigraphic, ge…
Using regional chemical comparisons of European copper to examine its trade to and among Indigenous groups in late 16th and early 17th century Canada: A case study from Nova Scotia and Ontario
Elemental Analysis of Ochre Outcrops in Southern British Columbia, Canada
Ochre is a red mineral pigment that was a key element of social and ceremonial practices among cultures of the P acific N orthwest C oast. It is recovered routinely from archaeological excavations, is visible as pigment for pictographs, and is described in the historical record as a trade item and component of ceremonial practices. Despite its ubiquity in the archaeological record, it is difficult to interpret its significance without first under…
Neutron Activation Analysis of Inca and Colonial Ceramics From Central Highland Ecuador
Fifty‐three ceramic samples were collected in the area of the colonial city of Riobamba, Ecuador (today Sicalpa/Cajabamba). Neutron activation analysis was used to attempt to establish elemental compositions, and from these gain information on the manufacturing locations of these samples. Colonial samples imported from Panama were separable by their high Cs contents, and can be sorted into glazed and unglazed industries based on As and Cs. High A…
Geochemical characterization of ochre from central coastal British Columbia, Canada
Chemistry Versus Data Dispersion: Is There a Better Way to Assess and Interpret Archaeometric Data
Given the common use of chemical concentration data to define ceramic groups that aid in the exploration of ancient technology, trade and provenance, it is important to reflect on how we collectively establish and define both chemical groups and outliers. In this paper, we argue that commonly used data analysis procedures, such as principal component analysis and centred log‐ratio principal component analysis favoured in the examination of cerami…
How reliable are our published archaeometric analyses? Effects of analytical techniques through time on the elemental analysis of obsidians
Thoughts on the Utility of a Bivariate‐splitting Approach to Olmec Ceramic Data Interpretation
A recently resolved debate centred on the interpretation of a major set of INAA data that was based on Olmec ceramics from Mexico. In an attempt to answer questions arising from the debate, this paper discusses the effect of numbers of samples chosen for data interpretation. It also presents interpretations of the ceramic data set based on a bivariate data‐splitting approach and compares the results of this with the multivariate analysis approach…
Archaeometry at Slowpoke‐toronto
This paper describes the archaeometric research conducted at the SLOWPOKE Reactor Facility of the University of Toronto (SLOWPOKE‐Toronto) during its existence from 1971 to 1998. The contributions to student teaching and research are described, and the total contribution of the facility to studies of an eclectic assortment of ancient and historic materials is addressed
Elemental Analyses of North American Glass Trade Beads
Although European-made glass trade beads can be sorted into bead varieties and studied in that manner on the basis of physical attributes, much more information can be obtained about them by means of chemical analysis. Such analyses produce chemical fingerprints that may be compared and grouped. Bead varieties that have matching chemistries were made using the same ingredients that probably came from the same sources, suggesting that they were ma…
Soils Consumed by Chimpanzees of the Kanyawara Community in the Kibale Forest, Uganda
Geochemical Analysis and Sociocultural Complexity: A Case Study From Early Iron Age Megiddo (Israel)
Few archaeological sites can claim a more celebrated position than Megiddo, the Armageddon of biblical revelation. Guardian to a strategic pass on the ancient land bridge that traverses the region, it has long been known that Megiddo played a prominent role in the emergence of the Iron Age nation‐states of biblical fame. Given its pivotal location, Megiddo provides an ideal opportunity to examine the experience of a community that found itself at…
Neutron Activation Analysis of Colonial Ceramics From Southern Highland Ecuador
Sixty‐one ceramic samples collected in Cuenca, Ecuador, were analysed by neutron activation analysis in an attempt to establish their elemental compositions. The bulk of the samples were manufactured in the region of Cuenca, with others imported from Quito in the northern highlands of Ecuador, from Panama Vieja in Panama, and from Seville in Spain. Relative to the Cuenca ceramics, the Spanish samples were separable primarily by their high Ca cont…
New evidence from tile-stamps for imperial properties near Gravina, and the topography of imperial estates in SE Italy
An abstract is not available for this content so a preview has been provided. Please use the Get access link above for information on how to access this content
Geophagy by the bonnet macaques (Macaca radiata) of southern India: A preliminary analysis
The Adaptive Significance of Geophagy for Japanese Macaques (Macaca fuscata) at Arashiyama, Japan
Chemical Analysis of 17th‐century Red Glass Trade Beads from Northeastern North America and Amsterdam
Seventeenth‐century opaque red (redwood) glass trade beads of different shapes and sizes were made of mixed alkali (mainly soda)–lime glasses and were coloured with Cu, presumably as cuprous oxide or as finely dispersed elemental Cu. During the early 17th century, beads of all shapes were opacified with Sn; cored beads, with uncoloured cores and hence lower Cu levels, also tended to have slightly lower Sn contents than uncored beads. By the mid‐1…
Geochemical characterization of ochre from central coastal British Columbia, Canada
Neutron Activation Analysis of Sixteenth‐ and Seventeenth‐century European Blue Glass Trade Beads From the Eastern Great Lakes Area of North America
Sixteenth‐ and seventeenth‐century European blue glass trade beads from aboriginal sites in the eastern Great Lakes area of North America have been analysed non‐destructively using low neutron dose instrumental neutron activation analysis, so that the beads could be returned to their keepers. Dark blue (cobalt‐coloured) beads are readily separable from turquoise (copper‐coloured) beads. Differences in the chemistries of the turquoise blue beads a…
Samoan Volcanic Glass
On the Source of Clay Used for Cologne Roman Pottery
Chemical analyses have been made of Roman wares found in Cologne and of bearded man jugs found both in Cologne and Frechen. The question of the influence of the approximately 1600 year difference in time between the manufacture of the two major groups of wares is addressed. It is concluded that the Roman wares were very probably made of Frechen clay
How reliable are our published archaeometric analyses? Effects of analytical techniques through time on the elemental analysis of obsidians
Mountain gorilla geophagy: A possible seasonal behavior for dealing with the effects of dietary changes
Distinguishing European Trade Copper and North‐eastern North American Native Copper
The Abuse of Bone Analyses for Archaeological Dietary Studies
Elemental Analysis of Ochre Outcrops in Southern British Columbia, Canada
Ochre is a red mineral pigment that was a key element of social and ceremonial practices among cultures of the P acific N orthwest C oast. It is recovered routinely from archaeological excavations, is visible as pigment for pictographs, and is described in the historical record as a trade item and component of ceremonial practices. Despite its ubiquity in the archaeological record, it is difficult to interpret its significance without first under…
Neutron Activation Analysis of Colonial Ceramics From Southern Highland Ecuador
Sixty‐one ceramic samples collected in Cuenca, Ecuador, were analysed by neutron activation analysis in an attempt to establish their elemental compositions. The bulk of the samples were manufactured in the region of Cuenca, with others imported from Quito in the northern highlands of Ecuador, from Panama Vieja in Panama, and from Seville in Spain. Relative to the Cuenca ceramics, the Spanish samples were separable primarily by their high Ca cont…
Radiocarbon Dating of Copper-Preserved Organics
The small but vital role of 14 C dating in archaeometric research is clearly shown in the copper project reported herein. The 14 C ages place a time perspective on the “Old Copper Culture Complex,” substantiating early Libby dates that had been questioned. The respective roles of INAA, PGE and Pb isotope work are briefly summarized. A long tradition of heat treatment from Paleoindian stone to Archaic copper is suggested
A rapid Inaa method to characterize Egyptian ceramics
New evidence from tile-stamps for imperial properties near Gravina, and the topography of imperial estates in SE Italy
An abstract is not available for this content so a preview has been provided. Please use the Get access link above for information on how to access this content
White Glass Beads from the Auger Site, Southern Ontario, Canada
Tracing the Distribution of Late 16th and Early 17th Century European Copper Artefacts in Southern Québec and Ontario, Canada
To understand the nature of trade/exchange of ‘Basque’ copper kettles and their fragments among Indigenous communities from Québec to Ontario, Canada, we examined 948 copper samples from 75 archaeological sites. We found that 936 samples were sortable into 11 coarse chemical groups: seven biased towards Ontario, three favouring Québec and only one balanced between the two provinces. This pattern may represent kettles and pieces ‘mostly traded’ or…
Chemistry Versus Data Dispersion: Is There a Better Way to Assess and Interpret Archaeometric Data
Given the common use of chemical concentration data to define ceramic groups that aid in the exploration of ancient technology, trade and provenance, it is important to reflect on how we collectively establish and define both chemical groups and outliers. In this paper, we argue that commonly used data analysis procedures, such as principal component analysis and centred log‐ratio principal component analysis favoured in the examination of cerami…
The Adaptive Significance of Geophagy for Japanese Macaques (Macaca fuscata) at Arashiyama, Japan
Neutron Activation Analysis of Ad 1660–1930 European Copper‐coloured Blue Glass Trade Beads From Ontario, Canada
Blue glass trade beads from well‐dated late seventeenth‐ to early twentieth‐century sites and collections have been analysed non‐destructively by instrumental neutron activation analysis. The beads display enough variations in their elemental contents to allow us to characterize the different chemistries. The implication of these results is that similar chemical analyses of blue beads from undated archaeological sites may be used to help date the…
Comparing Chemistries: Inter‐Laboratory Evaluation of Glass Bead Compositional Research in the Great Lakes Region
Glass beads from archaeological sites in the North American Great Lakes region have been subject to chemical analysis for several decades. Early work identified key elements in glass beads using Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA), a bulk sample analysis method. Laser Ablation‐Inductively Coupled Plasma‐Mass Spectrometry (LA‐ICP‐MS) now offers an alternative, point‐based analytical method. We compare results of analyzing the same arti…
Biostratigraphic Evidence Relating to the Age-Old Question of Hannibal's Invasion of Italy, II: Chemical Biomarkers and Microbial Signatures
As discussed in Part I, a large accumulation of mammalian faeces at the mire site in the upper Guil Valley near Mt. Viso, dated to 2168 cal 14C yr., provides the first evidence of the passage of substantial but indeterminate numbers of mammals within the time frame of the Punic invasion of Italia. Specialized organic biomarkers bound up in a highly convoluted and bioturbated bed constitute an unusual anomaly in a histosol comprised of fibric and …
Thoughts on the Utility of a Bivariate‐splitting Approach to Olmec Ceramic Data Interpretation
A recently resolved debate centred on the interpretation of a major set of INAA data that was based on Olmec ceramics from Mexico. In an attempt to answer questions arising from the debate, this paper discusses the effect of numbers of samples chosen for data interpretation. It also presents interpretations of the ceramic data set based on a bivariate data‐splitting approach and compares the results of this with the multivariate analysis approach…
Soils Consumed by Chimpanzees of the Kanyawara Community in the Kibale Forest, Uganda
The Effects of Corrosion on Inaa Characterizations of Brass Kettles of the Early European Contact Period in Northeastern North America
Trace Element Geochemistry of Native Copper From the White Pine Mine, Michigan (Usa): Implications for Sourcing Artefacts
Eighty‐five samples of native copper from the White Pine mine in upper Michigan were analysed by neutron activation to document geochemical variability within a single locality. Silver, sodium, antimony and scandium contents vary by two orders of magnitude, whereas arsenic values vary by three orders of magnitude. This variability reinforces the need for provenance studies of artefacts to examine sufficient samples to test for heterogeneity withi…
Chemical Analysis of Copper Alloy Trade Metal From a Post‐contact Huron Site in Ontario, Canada
Fifty‐three copper‐based metal fragments, recovered from the Robitaille site in southcentral Ontario, were analysed by neutron activation to establish their chemical make‐up and to sort them by their trace elemental chemistries. Three different European copper samples, one brassy copper and 48 brass samples with five different chemistries were found. As few as eight trading actions may account for all of the recovered European metal fragments
On the Source of Clay Used for Cologne Roman Pottery
Chemical analyses have been made of Roman wares found in Cologne and of bearded man jugs found both in Cologne and Frechen. The question of the influence of the approximately 1600 year difference in time between the manufacture of the two major groups of wares is addressed. It is concluded that the Roman wares were very probably made of Frechen clay
Neutron Activation Analysis of Ceramics: Problems With Titanium and Calcium
Titanium and calcium in ceramic materials can be analysed by neutron activation using a number of radioisotopes. Historical usage of scandium‐47 for the analysis of both elements is reviewed. Measurements were made of the production and decay of 47 Sc sources prepared by SLOWPOKE reactor irradiations of pure titanium and calcium salts. Relative interferences were established and their effects calculated for a range of ceramic types. This study in…
A rapid Inaa method to characterize Egyptian ceramics
A hierarchical taxonomic procedure for provenance determination: A case study of Chalcolithic ceramics from the central Zagros
The Abuse of Bone Analyses for Archaeological Dietary Studies
Samoan Volcanic Glass
Geophagia by mountain gorillas (Gorilla gorilla beringei) in the Virunga Mountains, Rwanda
[The Development of Social Complexity in the Indo-Pacific Region] Preliminary Cultural Implications From Initial Studies of the Ceramic Technology at Ban Chiang
Distinguishing European Trade Copper and North‐eastern North American Native Copper
Radiocarbon Dating of Copper-Preserved Organics
The small but vital role of 14 C dating in archaeometric research is clearly shown in the copper project reported herein. The 14 C ages place a time perspective on the “Old Copper Culture Complex,” substantiating early Libby dates that had been questioned. The respective roles of INAA, PGE and Pb isotope work are briefly summarized. A long tradition of heat treatment from Paleoindian stone to Archaic copper is suggested
Prehistoric Antigorite Procurement in Cyprus
The Canadian Palaipaphos Survey Project in the Paphos district of south‐western Cyprus investigated extensive areas of the Esouzas, Xero, and Dhiarizos River valleys, locating hundreds of archaeological sites spanning the nine millennia from the aceramic Neolithic period to the recent era (Rupp et al. s1984 and 1986). Antigorite artefacts were recovered from Neolithic, Chalcolithic and Bronze Age settlements. A number of geological sources have b…
Geochemistry and clay mineralogy of soils eaten by Japanese macaques
Neutron Activation Analysis of Sixteenth‐ and Seventeenth‐century European Blue Glass Trade Beads From the Eastern Great Lakes Area of North America
Sixteenth‐ and seventeenth‐century European blue glass trade beads from aboriginal sites in the eastern Great Lakes area of North America have been analysed non‐destructively using low neutron dose instrumental neutron activation analysis, so that the beads could be returned to their keepers. Dark blue (cobalt‐coloured) beads are readily separable from turquoise (copper‐coloured) beads. Differences in the chemistries of the turquoise blue beads a…
Geophagy amongst rhesus macaques on Cayo Santiago, Puerto Rico
Th century lead smelting in central north America: Evidence from lead isotope and Inaa measurements
Mountain gorilla geophagy: A possible seasonal behavior for dealing with the effects of dietary changes
Chemical Analysis of Copper Alloy Trade Metal From a Post‐contact Huron Site in Ontario, Canada
Fifty‐three copper‐based metal fragments, recovered from the Robitaille site in southcentral Ontario, were analysed by neutron activation to establish their chemical make‐up and to sort them by their trace elemental chemistries. Three different European copper samples, one brassy copper and 48 brass samples with five different chemistries were found. As few as eight trading actions may account for all of the recovered European metal fragments
Neutron Activation Analysis of Ad 1660–1930 European Copper‐coloured Blue Glass Trade Beads From Ontario, Canada
Blue glass trade beads from well‐dated late seventeenth‐ to early twentieth‐century sites and collections have been analysed non‐destructively by instrumental neutron activation analysis. The beads display enough variations in their elemental contents to allow us to characterize the different chemistries. The implication of these results is that similar chemical analyses of blue beads from undated archaeological sites may be used to help date the…
Geochemistry and clay mineralogy of termite mound soil and the role of geophagy in chimpanzees of the Mahale Mountains, Tanzania
Geophagy of Holstein Hybrid Cattle in the Northern Andes, Venezuela
During the course of a Quaternary stratigraphic reconnaissance of the northern Venezuelan Andes, W. C. Mahaney and M. Bezada observed Holstein hybrid cattle consuming reddish-brown soil formed in residual regolith from bedrock outcrops (Figure 1). In all cases, the source sites of the eaten soils were located above 3,000 m a.s.l. in the Venezuelan paramo. While there are a number of such sites, only one was sampled to characterize mineral composi…
Analysis of geophagy soils in Kibale Forest, Uganda
Trace Element Geochemistry of Native Copper From the White Pine Mine, Michigan (Usa): Implications for Sourcing Artefacts
Eighty‐five samples of native copper from the White Pine mine in upper Michigan were analysed by neutron activation to document geochemical variability within a single locality. Silver, sodium, antimony and scandium contents vary by two orders of magnitude, whereas arsenic values vary by three orders of magnitude. This variability reinforces the need for provenance studies of artefacts to examine sufficient samples to test for heterogeneity withi…
White Glass Beads from the Auger Site, Southern Ontario, Canada
The Effects of Corrosion on Inaa Characterizations of Brass Kettles of the Early European Contact Period in Northeastern North America
Geophagy by the bonnet macaques (Macaca radiata) of southern India: A preliminary analysis
Archaeology (29 works) · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies (28 works) · Geography (27 works) · Geology (25 works) · Cultural Heritage Materials Analysis (23 works) · Chemistry (21 works) · Geology (21 works) · Mineralogy (17 works) · Materials Science (16 works) · Metallurgy (13 works)