TY - JOUR
T1 - Micro-PIXE/PIGE analysis of Palaeolithic mammoth ivory
T2 - Potential chemical markers of provenance and relative dating
AU - Heckel, C.
AU - Müller, K.
AU - White, R.
AU - Floss, H.
AU - Conard, N. J.
AU - Reiche, I.
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors greatly acknowledge the access to the AGLAE facility, C2RMF Paris, France, and the support by the AGLAE team, as well as Emilande Apchain, master's student, and Marie Albéric, PhD student, at LAMS. The study received support via the transnational access within the framework of the CHARISMA European project co-funded by the European Commission within the action ‘Research Infrastructures’ of the ‘Capacities’ Programme GA No. FP7-228330 (FP7 European programme 2009-14). Heckel“s research in France was supported by the Georges Lurcy Foundation and the Chateaubriand Fellowship program. Additionally, we thank the reviewers, whose suggestions have improved the clarity and precision of this article. Thanks also to Sibylle Wolf.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2014 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2014/12/5
Y1 - 2014/12/5
N2 - Micro-Proton Induced X-ray and Gamma-ray Emission (micro-PIXE/PIGE) provide non-destructive methods for the evaluation of the major, minor and trace element compositions of archaeological material. The current study applies micro-PIXE/PIGE analysis to mammoth ivory artefacts from four Palaeolithic sites (Abri Castanet, Vogelherd Cave, Grottes de la Verpillière I and II) in France and Germany in order to assess the effectiveness of this approach to material older than 30,000. y. BP. It has thus far not been established whether such methods of analysis can yield results of scientific and archaeological interest on ivory material that has undergone such extended periods of diagenesis. This approach evaluated preservation state in terms of mean elemental concentrations (Mg vs. Ca) and a comparative assessment of F-content as an indication of relative burial time. The results also indicate that analysis of trace elements (Sr, Zn, Br) can provide chemical markers of archaeological provenance. The results of this study are compared to data in the existing database established by the same methods of analysis on ivory objects from several different time periods and archaeological sources. The implications of these results for the study of archaeological ivories from Palaeolithic contexts are discussed.
AB - Micro-Proton Induced X-ray and Gamma-ray Emission (micro-PIXE/PIGE) provide non-destructive methods for the evaluation of the major, minor and trace element compositions of archaeological material. The current study applies micro-PIXE/PIGE analysis to mammoth ivory artefacts from four Palaeolithic sites (Abri Castanet, Vogelherd Cave, Grottes de la Verpillière I and II) in France and Germany in order to assess the effectiveness of this approach to material older than 30,000. y. BP. It has thus far not been established whether such methods of analysis can yield results of scientific and archaeological interest on ivory material that has undergone such extended periods of diagenesis. This approach evaluated preservation state in terms of mean elemental concentrations (Mg vs. Ca) and a comparative assessment of F-content as an indication of relative burial time. The results also indicate that analysis of trace elements (Sr, Zn, Br) can provide chemical markers of archaeological provenance. The results of this study are compared to data in the existing database established by the same methods of analysis on ivory objects from several different time periods and archaeological sources. The implications of these results for the study of archaeological ivories from Palaeolithic contexts are discussed.
KW - Diagenesis
KW - Mammoth ivory
KW - Micro-Proton Induced X-ray Emission and Micro-Proton Induced Gamma Ray Emission
KW - Minor and trace element analysis
KW - Upper and Middle Palaeolithic
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U2 - 10.1016/j.palaeo.2014.09.010
DO - 10.1016/j.palaeo.2014.09.010
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84910685737
SN - 0031-0182
VL - 416
SP - 133
EP - 141
JO - Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology
JF - Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology
ER -