- Archaeometry, Archaeological Science, Material Culture, Iroquoian Societies (Archaeology), Iroquoian Archaeology, Archaeology of Hungary, and 23 moreArchaeology of Southern Italy, Archaeology, Anthropology, Archaeology of Mediterranean Trade, 3) Petrography and Manufacturing Technology of Ancient Ceramics, Material Culture Studies, Landscapes in prehistory, Mediterranean prehistory, Neolithic Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology, Landscape Archaeology, Ceramics (Archaeology), Prehistoric (Archaeology in Northeastern North America), Archaeological Method & Theory, Archaeological Theory, Ceramic Analysis (Archaeology), Identity, Bronze Age Europe (Archaeology), Ceramics, Archaeology of pre-Roman Italy, Chaîne Opératoire, Anthropocene, and Anthropocene studiesedit
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Since the 1970s, archaeologists have increasingly depended on archaeometric rather than strictly stylistic data to explore questions of ceramic provenance and technol- ogy, and, by extension, trade, exchange, social networks and even... more
Since the 1970s, archaeologists have increasingly depended on archaeometric rather than strictly stylistic data to explore questions of ceramic provenance and technol- ogy, and, by extension, trade, exchange, social networks and even identity. It is accepted as obvious by some archaeometrists and statisti- cians that the results of the analyses of compo- sitional data may be dependent on the format of the data used, on the data exploration method employed and, in the case of multivari- ate analyses, even on the number of elements considered. However, this is rarely articulated clearly in publications, making it less obvious to archaeologists. In this short paper, we re- examine compositional data from a collection of bricks, tiles and ceramics from Hill Hall, near Epping in Essex, England, as a case study to show how the method of data exploration used and the number of elements considered in multivariate analyses of compositional data can affect the sorting of ceramic samples into ...
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The present study re-examines geochemical data produced by instrumental neutron activa- tion analysis (INAA) of sixty-two fired clay sed- iment samples from the western Nile delta in Egypt. The goal is to assess the strengths and... more
The present study re-examines geochemical data produced by instrumental neutron activa- tion analysis (INAA) of sixty-two fired clay sed- iment samples from the western Nile delta in Egypt. The goal is to assess the strengths and weaknesses of principal component analysis (PCA) and bivariate data splitting (BDS), two widely used data analysis methods, in success- fully sorting differing sediment chemistries. Both PCA and BDS are performed using vari- ous data formats [i.e. original, calcium (Ca)- corrected, scandium (Sc)-normalized, or loga- rithmically (log10) transformed]. Both PCA and BDS are shown to sort differing chemistries well. While PCA has the advantage of speed, BDS has the advantage of providing specific chemical clarity and the opportunity to assess the degree of sand dilution more precisely. In PCA, the data format is semi-immaterial, while in BDS, different formats of the data may hin- der, rather than enhance, data interpretation, depending on the questions being as...
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Research Interests: Geography, Archaeology, Landscape Archaeology, Archaeological Method & Theory, Archaeology of Southern Italy, and 9 moreNeolithic Archaeology, Archaeology of pre-Roman Italy, Neolithic Europe, Clay Technology (Archaeology), Ceramic Petrography, Ceramic analysis, Ceramic Analysis Archaeology, Pottery Archaeology, and Taskscape
Research Interests: Archaeology, Geochemistry, Data Analysis, Archaeometry, Pottery, and 4 moreNormalization, Pca, Outliers, and PIXE
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Research Interests: Archaeology, Geology, Geochemistry, Landscape Archaeology, Archaeological Science, and 15 moreProvenance, Neolithic Archaeology, Southern Italian Neolithic, Provenance studies of archaeological material, Ceramic Petrography, Raw materials, Calabria, Case Study, Optical microscopy, Laboratory experiment, Neutron Activation Analysis, Clay Raw Materials Survey and sourcing, X ray diffraction, Ceramic Analysis Archaeology, and Organization of Production
Dr. Kostalena Michelaki founded the laboratory for Interdisciplinary Research of Archaeological Ceramics (LIRAC) in 2006, thanks to funding by the Canadian Foundation for Innovation. She established this facility to examine the... more
Dr. Kostalena Michelaki founded the laboratory for Interdisciplinary Research of Archaeological Ceramics (LIRAC) in 2006, thanks to funding by the Canadian Foundation for Innovation. She established this facility to examine the relationships between technology, society and the environment, through the archaeometric analysis of technological choices made by people in the production and use of ceramics. Scholars working in LIRAC, and in associated McMaster research centers such as the Brockhouse Institute for Materials Research and the McMaster Institute for Applied Radiation Sciences, have analyzed materials from North and South America, the Near East, and the Mediterranean. In this talk we explore three research projects—the Neolithic and Bronze Ages in Calabria, Italy, Late Woodland Ontario, and Formative Period in the Lake Titicaca Basin, Bolivia—to highlight the successes of LIRAC, and reflect on some of the challenges associated with analytical approaches in what might be called a social geoarchaeology. What unites these regionally diverse case studies is their application of geochemical and mineralogical methods to both explore questions of provenance but also underlying social practices. Our paper demonstrates the shared view that embedded within ceramic objects is a record of human decisions that constituted a range of social practices.
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Dr. Kostalena Michelaki founded the laboratory for Interdisciplinary Research of Archaeological Ceramics (LIRAC) in 2006, thanks to funding by the Canadian Foundation for Innovation. She established this facility to examine the... more
Dr. Kostalena Michelaki founded the laboratory for Interdisciplinary Research of Archaeological Ceramics (LIRAC) in 2006, thanks to funding by the Canadian Foundation for Innovation. She established this facility to examine the relationships between technology, society and the environment, through the archaeometric analysis of technological choices made by people in the production and use of ceramics. Scholars working in LIRAC, and in associated McMaster research centers such as the Brockhouse Institute for Materials Research and the McMaster Institute for Applied Radiation Sciences, have analyzed materials from North and South America, the Near East, and the Mediterranean. In this talk we explore three research projects—the Neolithic and Bronze Ages in Calabria, Italy, Late Woodland Ontario, and Formative Period in the Lake Titicaca Basin, Bolivia—to highlight the successes of LIRAC, and reflect on some of the challenges associated with analytical approaches in what might be called a social geoarchaeology. What unites these regionally diverse case studies is their application of geochemical and mineralogical methods to both explore questions of provenance but also underlying social practices. Our paper demonstrates the shared view that embedded within ceramic objects is a record of human decisions that constituted a range of social practices.
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Archaeologists investigating Middle Bronze to Early Iron Age periods (1600–900 b.c.) in southern Italy often explore linkages between emerging inequality and foreign trade connections, establishing a coupled trope of “change emerges from... more
Archaeologists investigating Middle Bronze to Early Iron Age periods (1600–900 b.c.) in southern Italy often explore linkages between emerging inequality and foreign trade connections, establishing a coupled trope of “change emerges from external forces” and “waiting for civilization to arrive”. Based on excavations at the Recent/Final Bronze and Early Iron Ages (RFBA/IA, 1200–900 b.c.) site of Sant’Aniceto in Calabria, we offer an alternative narrative in which hierarchy and institutionalized inequality held little sway in this community. By employing a building biography approach, we examine the variety of ways people sustain their communities through the creation and value of difference (e.g., age, knowledge, or skill) that characterize daily life, even when political hierarchy is absent. Our research at Sant’Aniceto centers on understanding the locally-grounded experiences and lives of people by approaching social difference through the lens of the materialities of everyday life.
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Rehydroxylation (RHX) dating was recently suggested as a simple, cheap, and accurate method for dating ceramics. It depends on the constant rate of rehydroxylation (the slow reintroduction of OH) of clays after they are fired and... more
Rehydroxylation (RHX) dating was recently suggested as a simple, cheap, and accurate method for dating ceramics. It depends on the constant rate of rehydroxylation (the slow reintroduction of OH) of clays after they are fired and dehydroxylated (purged of OH) during the production of pots, bricks, or other ceramics. The original firing of the ceramic artifact should set the dating clock to zero by driving all hydroxyls out of the clay chemical structure. To examine whether this assumption holds, especially for pot firings of short duration and low intensity, as those in small-scale traditional settings, we performed thermogravimetric analysis of clay samples of known mineralogy at temperatures and for durations reported from traditional sub-Saharan, American, and South Asian pottery firings. If a sample was not completely dehydroxylated during its production, then current RHX methods would systematically overestimate its age. Results demonstrate that in the majority of samples, complete dehydroxylation (DHX) did not occur within, or even beyond, the conditions common in traditional firings. Consequently, between .01 and 1.5% of a sample’s mass in residual OH may remain after firings analogous to those observed in the ethnographic record. Lack of complete DHX at the scales we have observed can result in the over-estimation of ceramic ages by decades to tens of thousands of years, depending largely on the age of the sample, and the amount of residual OH present.
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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... more
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 'mostly kept' by Indigenous groups within Québec. Chemical group distribution within individual provinces is complex. A tentative chronology of copper chemical groups provides additional insight into the complex trading/exchange patterns among the Indigenous groups of southern Ontario.
Basque kettles and distinctive fragments from them have been found in archeological sites dating from the end of the 16th and the beginning of the 17th centuries C.E. all the way from the Canadian Maritimes to the lower Great Lakes. Both... more
Basque kettles and distinctive fragments from them have been found in archeological sites dating from the end of the 16th and the beginning of the 17th centuries C.E. all the way from the Canadian Maritimes to the lower Great Lakes. Both kettles and their fragments, as well as tools and ornaments made from them, were extensively traded among the Aboriginal communities, following trade routes established long before the arrival of Europeans. Little is known, however, about how these European copper objects were actually exchanged and distributed among the different Aboriginal communities. In this paper we argue that the establishment of metal chemical groups using instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) data can allow us to define groups of artifacts that had been produced using similar raw materials and manufacturing techniques and, thus, provide a refined way to trace similar objects through space and time. The spatial and temporal patterning of group chemistries could then illuminate the nature of the exchange and trade of European copper items, by allowing archeologists to ex- amine which communities were linked through which metal chemistries. In the present study we determine whether or not the same metal chemistries are shared among 59 Basque copper kettle samples found in three burial sites in Nova Scotia and 204 European copper artifacts found at the contemporaneous Ball site, a late 16th century Wendat village. We then explore the implications of the strong chemical connections among these materials for trade among Europeans and the various coastal Aboriginal communities, as well as that be- tween the Wendat of the Ball site and their allies to the east.
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In this paper, we argue that pot-making should be considered in its broader landscape to reveal not only its articulation with the many other quotidian tasks undertaken by a community but also how ancient people oriented themselves in... more
In this paper, we argue that pot-making should be considered in its broader landscape to reveal not only its articulation with the many other quotidian tasks undertaken by a community but also how ancient people oriented themselves in that landscape. We address this point in the context of two small Neolithic communities in southern Calabria, Italy, by treating archaeological ceramics as congealed taskscapes and implementing a novel methodology to unravel the interactions among people, materials, and landscapes. We examine how clay sources are distributed in the local landscape, what the qualities of the clays within them are, and what specific materials the Neolithic potters used in making their pots. We ask not only where in the landscape potters went to get their raw materials but also where they did not go. Their selective engagement with the landscape reveals a social understanding of parts of the landscape considered “appropriate” and “relevant” to pot-making (inland areas) and parts that were not (coastal areas). We also ask what other tasks potters could have undertaken while collecting clays. The co-occurrence of resources in the landscape highlights the need to consider the interlocking of various daily tasks and reveals which tasks could have been perceived as socially related. By explicitly considering the task of pot- making in its landscape, this paper reveals the relational and mutually constitutive articulation of both in everyday life.
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The present study re-examines geochemical data produced by instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) of sixty-two fired clay sediment samples from the western Nile delta in Egypt. The goal is to assess the strengths and weaknesses... more
The present study re-examines geochemical data produced by instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) of sixty-two fired clay sediment samples from the western Nile delta in Egypt. The goal is to assess the strengths and weaknesses of principal component analysis (PCA) and bivariate data splitting (BDS), two
widely used data analysis methods, in successfully sorting differing sediment chemistries. Both PCA and BDS are performed using various data formats [i.e. original, calcium (Ca)- corrected, scandium (Sc)-normalized, or logarithmically (log10) transformed]. Both PCA and BDS are shown to sort differing chemistries well. While PCA has the advantage of speed, BDS has the advantage of providing specific chemical clarity and the opportunity to assess
the degree of sand dilution more precisely. In PCA, the data format is semi-immaterial, while in BDS, different formats of the data may hinder, rather than enhance, data interpretation, depending on the questions being asked.
widely used data analysis methods, in successfully sorting differing sediment chemistries. Both PCA and BDS are performed using various data formats [i.e. original, calcium (Ca)- corrected, scandium (Sc)-normalized, or logarithmically (log10) transformed]. Both PCA and BDS are shown to sort differing chemistries well. While PCA has the advantage of speed, BDS has the advantage of providing specific chemical clarity and the opportunity to assess
the degree of sand dilution more precisely. In PCA, the data format is semi-immaterial, while in BDS, different formats of the data may hinder, rather than enhance, data interpretation, depending on the questions being asked.
"Since the 1970s, archaeologists have increasingly depended on archaeometric rather than strictly stylistic data to explore questions of ceramic provenance and technology, and, by extension, trade, exchange, social networks and even... more
"Since the 1970s, archaeologists have increasingly depended on archaeometric rather than strictly stylistic data to explore questions of ceramic provenance and technology, and, by extension, trade, exchange, social networks and even identity. It is accepted as obvious by some archaeometrists and statisticians that the results of the analyses of compositional data may be dependent on the format of the data used, on the data exploration method employed and, in the case of multivariate analyses, even on the number of elements considered. However, this is rarely articulated clearly in publications, making it less obvious to archaeologists. In this short paper, we reexamine compositional data from a collection of bricks, tiles and ceramics from Hill Hall,
near Epping in Essex, England, as a case study to show how the method of data exploration used and the number of elements considered in multivariate analyses of compositional data
can affect the sorting of ceramic samples into chemical groups. We compare bivariate data splitting (BDS) with principal component analysis (PCA) and centered log ratio-principal
component analysis (CLR-PCA) of different unstandardized data formats [original concentration data and logarithmically transformed (i.e. log10 data)], using different numbers of
elements. We confirm that PCA, in its various forms, is quite sensitive to the numbers and types of elements used in data analysis."
near Epping in Essex, England, as a case study to show how the method of data exploration used and the number of elements considered in multivariate analyses of compositional data
can affect the sorting of ceramic samples into chemical groups. We compare bivariate data splitting (BDS) with principal component analysis (PCA) and centered log ratio-principal
component analysis (CLR-PCA) of different unstandardized data formats [original concentration data and logarithmically transformed (i.e. log10 data)], using different numbers of
elements. We confirm that PCA, in its various forms, is quite sensitive to the numbers and types of elements used in data analysis."
Copper-based metal artifacts from the Ball site, a late 16th e early 17th century Huron (Wendat) village in southern Ontario that doubled in size during its estimated 20-year existence, were analysed by INAA. The goal was to assess the... more
Copper-based metal artifacts from the Ball site, a late 16th e early 17th century Huron (Wendat) village in southern Ontario that doubled in size during its estimated 20-year existence, were analysed by INAA. The goal was to assess the number of kettles that had reached the village, explore the chronology of their arrival and examine patterns in their discard within the site. Our results suggest that about two to three dozen European copper, red brass, and yellow brass kettles may have reached the village during its occupation; that copper kettles may have been traded to the inhabitants of the village before brass kettles; that the new inhabitants may have brought some kettles with them; and that differences in the discarding of copper and brass pieces inside and outside longhouses indicate that yellow brass was possibly of lower value than red copper.
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Ceramic provenance studies have helped archaeologists examine trade and exchange in multiple scales, the organization of production, and even vessel function. Yet, they may go even further, to provide a venue for the examination of past... more
Ceramic provenance studies have helped archaeologists examine trade and exchange in multiple scales, the organization of production, and even vessel function. Yet, they may go even further, to provide a venue for the examination of past people’s perception of their landscape. To do so, a methodology is needed that links the choices prehistoric potters made, as reflected in their ceramics, with the choices their landscape could afford them, as reflected in the extent and distribution of local clays, and the physical, chemical and mineralogical characteristics of these clays. Using the region of Bova Marina in southwestern Calabria as a case study, we have combined a raw materials survey with field and laboratory experiments, along with chemical and mineralogical analyses of the collected sediments to understand the distribution and the physical, chemical and mineralogical variability of locally available clays and provide baseline data against which prehistoric ceramic materials from the region may be compared. We show that the local sediments can be divided into three major units, based on their macroscopic, mineralogical and chemical characteristics, that correspond well with the major geological units outcropping in the study area. While two of these units have internally consistent properties, the third is variable
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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... more
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 ceramic chemical data, although rapid and easy, may overlook existing chemical groups and outliers, especially when the ratio of non-diagnostic to diagnostic elements is high. To evaluate whether geochemistry is more important than data dispersion in data assessment, we re-examine chemical concentration data from previously published ceramic, clay and daub samples from the lower Ohio River Valley. We begin by briefly discussing steps we took to ensure that the data set reflects geochemical differences, rather than analytical or data transfer errors. Next, we use bivariate plots, as well as PCA and CLR–PCA, to examine different versions of our altered data, using varying numbers of element combinations. We propose that the careful examination of bivariate plots is critical in establishing the elements that should be included in PCA and other multivariate analyses.
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We are pleased to announce the closing conference of the NPAP project. We started in 2007 with research that mainly concerns the ancient pottery of excavation in Italy (Satricum) and excavations in Greece (Halos, Zakynthos). The main aim... more
We are pleased to announce the closing conference of the NPAP project. We started in 2007 with research that mainly concerns the ancient pottery of excavation in Italy (Satricum) and excavations in Greece (Halos, Zakynthos). The main aim was the development of new methodologies in archaeological pottery studies for increasing the quality and quantity of the information that can be derived from a basic ceramic dataset. Perspectives from a range of traditions in pottery studies were thus combined and integrated, such as technological, stylistic and geological approaches. Data from other regions mainly in Greece and Italy were also used and compared to increase the proportion of diagnostic material.
In this conference the final results of the NPAP material studies will be presented and specific research questions regarding the cross-regional production, distribution and use (consumption) of pottery will be addressed. The NPAP final conference aims at facilitating dialogue and interaction between young and established researchers. Merging a wide spectrum of pottery analyses and adopting cross-regional and cross-temporal approaches, this conference will represent a innovative multidisciplinary event for all those working with ancient ceramics and interested in a holistic approach to the subject.
In this conference the final results of the NPAP material studies will be presented and specific research questions regarding the cross-regional production, distribution and use (consumption) of pottery will be addressed. The NPAP final conference aims at facilitating dialogue and interaction between young and established researchers. Merging a wide spectrum of pottery analyses and adopting cross-regional and cross-temporal approaches, this conference will represent a innovative multidisciplinary event for all those working with ancient ceramics and interested in a holistic approach to the subject.