Repositório RCAAP

The “El Castillejo” archaeological site is placed in the homonymous hill, very close to the village of Alameda (Malaga, Spain). The study of the surface materials showed a wide period of occupation, from the Copper Age to the Early Roman Empire. The major part of the evidences dates from the Late Bronze Age (close to VIII-VII centuries BC), as a consequence of the trade with the Phoenician coastal settlements, to Iberian times (around III century BC) when an oppidum was built. In this work, 17 painted sherds, mainly Iberian, have been selected. The samples have been analyzed using X-ray fluorescence (WDXRF) and X-ray diffraction coupled to the Rietveld Method (RQPA). The microstructure of the samples have been observed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The pigments have been analyzed using micro-Raman.

The aim of this work is to present the microscopic and microanalytical study made by means of SEM-EDX for the identification and characterization of gilding techniques over different archaeological objects from central Iberian Peninsula, which are dated between 5th century BC and mid 1st century BC. This work provides a new approach in a region and a chronological period often forgotten in archaeometallurgical studies.

The archaeological investigation of the area today integrated in the Núcleo Arqueológico da Rua dos Correeiros (NARC, CNS 1950) allowed the collection of a considerable number of Lusitanian amphorae. The archaeometric study of some of these amphorae, through chemical analysis of ceramic body by neutron activation, and comparison with similar existing compositional studies for three production centers of the Tagus basin (Porto dos Cacos, Quinta do Rouxinol e Garrocheira), allowed to establish the provenance of a wide range of these amphorae. Studies also point to the existence of a new unknown pottery production center, which would have produced amphorae with morphologies similar to those known bética amphorae of the so called Lusitana 12 type and also some similar to the well-known baetican Haltern 70 type (Diogo, 1987). Considering the contexts in which they were found (I century BC / I century AD), it is not clear whether these amphorae could be produced for the transportation of fish products or other food items. Later, when at the site already worked the workshops of fish products, the compositional study of the set of local amphorae collected enlighten us about the potteries that could have supplied this activity. In Late Antiquity both Porto dos Cacos’ (Alcochete) and Quinta do Rouxinol’s (Seixal) pottery centres, especially the latter, were the main containers suppliers for the fish sauces produced at NARC, but some samples have a different composition more close to that documented at Garrocheira’s (Benavente) pottery centre, stressing the diversity of container suppliers in this period.

The first bronze productions did probably occur during 1800-1600 BC. Metallurgical specificities of this transition period have been scarcely studied, namely for the Portuguese territory. In the present study, plain axes of Bujões and Barcelos types, from central and northern Portugal, attributed to 1st Bronze Age, have been analysed by energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) and micro-EDXRF to determine their elemental composition. Results show that the axes are made of a copper–tin alloy, occasionally with lead, arsenic and antimony impurities. The tin content is in most of the cases between 8 and 11%, showing similarities with the Sn contents adopted in bronze objects of later chronologies, as during Late Bronze Age.  

El poblamiento de la Primera Edad del Hierro en la región de la “Vieja Polonia” es un periodo relativamente bien documentado a partir de recientes excavaciones arqueológicas. Se han hallado yacimientos funcionalmente distintos como lugares fortificados, lugares de culto y necrópolis, con una cronología entre los siglos VI y V a.C. Este trabajo presenta los resultados de un estudio arqueomérico realizado con el propósito de determinar la tecnología de producción y la posible procedencia local o no local de los principales tipos de cerámica hallados en estos yacimientos. Se ha caracterizado una selección de muestras cerámicas y arcillas actuales procedentes de tres yacimientos casi exactamente coetáneos pero funcionalmente distintos (el lugar fortificado de Starosiedle, el lugar de culto de Kozó y la necrópolis de Sękowice), mediante las siguientes técnicas: observación petrográfica con lámina delgada, difracción de rayos X (DRX), microscopía electrónica de barrido (MEB) y fluorescencia de rayos X (FRX). Los resultados indicaron que los tres yacimientos compartieron una única tradición tecnológica sin mostrar una determinada especialización en relación a su funcionalidad. Esta tradición se caracteriza por el uso de arcillas ilíticas no calcáreas, con una mayor presencia de caolinita en el caso de la cerámica de Starosiedle y un contenido más elevado de clorita en el caso de la cerámica de Kozów. La cerámica analizada se coció en condiciones predominantemente reductoras a temperaturas relativamente bajas entre 700 y 750 °C.  

A set of ancient glass recovered in the archaeological site of El Saucedo (Talavera la Nueva, Toledo) has been analyzed using SEM-EDX and LIBS techniques. The fragments correspond mainly to soda-lime-silica glasses while those samples for parietal decoration correspond to potash-lime-silica glass. This study of ancient glasses represents one of the applications that the SECYR laboratory has been carrying out with the LIBS technique on several materials with archaeological importance. LIBS is a novel technique in the field of the archaeometry and its potential for the identification of the major elements in the glass has been demonstrated.

The archaeological survey developed in prehistoric settlement of Valencina de la Concepción allowed us to recognize an important archeological context where stands a large concentration of beaker pottery. The archaeometric study of common and beaker pottery and its comparation with the regional geology and sediments previously collected has identified the possible areas of clay raw material supply.

In this paper we assess the pottery production in a mining and metallurgical community of the third millennium BCE. The results of chemical, mineralogical and petrographic analysis of pottery samples and their relation with sediment samples previously collected in the vicinity of the settlement, has revealed the use of local raw materials.

We present a new set of elemental analysis from several pre-Islamic archaeological sites in Morocco, using non-destructive ED-XRF techniques. The main feature is the high number of objects made of unalloyed copper, even in recent periods when bronze alloy is usual. Some copper-tin and brass alloys have been detected.

The aim of this study was to determine the type of glass of a representative selection of glass pieces from the archaeological excavation of the Borne Market in the old historic center of Barcelona, provided by the Historical Museum of the City of Barcelona. From the XIIth to the XVIIIth century the commercial, political and economic development of the city was in the Borne area. During the War of Succession between the Royal Houses of Austria and Borbón in 1714, this area was destroyed and a large amount of debris of everyday life in eighteenth century was buried. We have made a selection of the most representative pieces for analysis. These were analyzed with a non-destructive technique, fluorescence spectroscopy of scattered X-ray energy (EDXRF) and other destructive, optical emission spectroscopy inductively coupled plasma (ICP-OES). Stylistically, the pieces are the “Venetian way” and “Bohemian fashion”, however, the finish and the quality of them is closer to Catalan origin item. This work offers the possibility of a confirmation of these hypotheses from analytical data.

In this work we focus on the general problems concerning SW Iberia Late Prehistory Green beads distribution. To accomplish this task we have characterised via XRF and XRD Green beads coming from megalithic structures and settlements and compared them with mineral data coming from Pico Centeno and Palazuelo de las Cuevas mining complexes. This study has shown that raw material selection during III millennium BCE for bead working in SW Iberia accounts several minerals (variscite, muscovite, talc, chlorite, …) which are exchanged as exotics in a regional and supra-regional scale.

In this paper we study the technological choices referred to inlay processes by physico-chemical analysis (XRD, and FTIR) in order to explore collective technical identity patterns alongside the Guadiana River – i.e. raw material selection –, comparing the production technology. As a result of the study of technical identity we can engage the result of these fashioning techniques with social boundaries.

This work reports the results of the archaeometric study carried out in a set of Late Roman glasses found in the Mazarron Harbour (Murcia). The glasses came from small objects and they were produced by blowing. The chemical analyses demonstrated that all were natron-based soda lime silicate glasses. The common degradation pathologies were pits, dealkalinizated layers and surface deposits. Additionally, accelerated chemical attacks by simulation tests were conducted to establish the degradation mechanism of soda lime silicate glass in synthetic river and seawater. In both cases, a similar mechanism was confirmed, even though the estimated degradation rate was nine times higher on seawater than on river water. Simulation tests have proved to be useful to determine the degradation patterns observed in the Late Roman underwater glasses here studied.

The Castro de Vila Nova de São Pedro (VNSP) is an emblematic settlement located at Azambuja, Portugal. It was predominantly occupied during the Chalcolithic period (III Millennium BC). A diversified collection of 53 copper-based artefacts (mostly in a fragmentary condition), belonging to the extensive metallic collection of VNSP deposited at MAC, was studied using micro-EDXRF spectrometry, optical microscopy, SEM-EDS and Vickers microhardness measurements. Results show that the artefacts collection is mainly composed of copper or arsenical copper, being 38% made of copper alloyed with arsenic (As > 2%). A statistically significant association was found between copper alloyed with arsenic and artefacts classified as tools/weapons (blades, arrowheads and daggers). Microstructural analyses show that the majority of this group (73%) was shaped with forging plus annealing operation cycles and 23% received a final cold hammering. An association between the presence of a final forging treatment and artefacts presenting higher arsenic contents was identified. Nevertheless, no direct correlation was found between the arsenic content of the alloy and/or a final forging treatment and artefacts hardness. However, it was observed that a harder forging was applied to the cutting edge of the artefacts and despite the arsenic content in the alloy a high hardness was obtained in this area.

In this paper we present both a review of geological and geomorphological studies and a lithological analysis of the unpublished lithic assemblage recovered at the site of the river mouth Guadalmesí (Tarifa, Cádiz), with the aim of identifying selection strategies and procurement of lithic raw materials used for tools manufacturing by classic H. neanderthalensis in the Campo de Gibraltar.

In this paper we review geological and lithological analysis of unpublished lithic assemblage recovered in the excavation of La Fontanilla Solutrean (Conil de la Frontera, Cádiz). The study was carried out petrological and technological remnants located in stratigraphic connection with the aim of identifying strategies selection and procurement of lithic raw materials used for the manufacture of tools.

The existence of a significant number of construction ceramics materials and loom weights Conimbriga and in two villae of its territory, allowed to collect, study and organize the various forms. From the selection and sampling of these materials was possible to establish a compositional and technological characterization of this territory. The typological study of the construction ceramic materials was based on registration of shapes and dimensions, have been classified into types according to their shape and in subtypes according to their dimensions. As for the ceramic loom weights were classified according to their shape, noting the various details, including the number of holes, marks and weight. The study of the compositional characteristics of the ceramic was made by X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF). From the results obtained by XRF analysis was performed multivariate statistics, and point out the relative homogeneity in some groups, particularly for the construction ceramic materials of Conimbriga and into the pondera found in the diferents sites in study.

The decoration of a group of ceramics of Chilean diaguita and viluco type (dated between the 15th and 17th centuries A.D. and recovered from different archaeological sites in Northern Mendoza, Argentina), was analyzed using Micro Raman Spectroscopy (MRS) and Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence (EDXRF). According to the results obtained, hematite, vegetal carbon, pyrolusite, anatase and calcium compounds are the main components of the pigments used in the ceramic decorations.

Three Southwestern Middle Bronze Age funerary hypogea were excavated at the archaeological site of Horta do Folgão (Serpa, Portugal). Funerary offerings included a small awl and a sword with six rivets, the last being very rare among archaeological artefacts recorded from contexts of this epoch (1800-1600 BC). These metallic artefacts were characterized by EDXRF, micro-EDXRF, OM and SEM-EDS to establish their elemental composition and manufacture. They are composed of copper with variable arsenic contents (1.6% – awl; 4.3% – sword), which is typical among the South-western Middle Bronze Age metallurgy. The manufacture involved hammering and annealing with different characteristics, i.e. somewhat crude for the awl, but efficient for the sword. Besides, the blade was more deformed at the tip and especially at the cutting-edge, certainly to obtain a higher hardness. This study constitutes a good example of the use of an analytical methodology with negligible effects in important archaeological and museological artefacts, in order to get a better knowledge of the prehistoric evolution in the Portuguese territory.

Archaeological charcoal is a key bioindicator used to reconstruct the bio-geographical history of plant species. Taxonomic identification and subsequent Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) dating can be used as a tool to identify and interpret the role of key plant species in terms of climate and human activities. A review of charcoal analysis data from Portuguese archaeological sites is presented here in an attempt to identify climatic and anthropogenic bioindicators and to place them in a chronological sequence mainly based on the above mentioned AMS dates.