Overview
"The application of chemistry within archaeology is an important and fascinating area. It allows the archaeologist to answer such questions as ""what is this artefact made of?"", ""where did it come from?"" and ""how has it been changed through burial in the ground?"", providing pointers to the earliest history of mankind. Archaeological Chemistry begins with a brief description of the goals and history of archaeological science, and the place of chemistry within it. It sets out the most widely used analytical techniques in archaeology and compares them in the light of relevant applications. The book includes an analysis of several specific archaeological investigations in which chemistry has been employed in tracing the origins of or in preserving artefacts. The choice of these investigations conforms to themes based on analytical techniques, and includes chapters on obsidian, ceramics, glass, metals and resins. Finally, it suggests a future role for chemical and biochemical applications in archaeology. Archaeological Chemistry enables scientists to tackle the fundamental issues of chemical change in the archaeological materials, in order to advance the study of the past. It will prove an essential companion to students in archaeological science and chemistry, field and museum archaeologists, and all those involved in conserving human artefacts."
Full Product Details
Author: A Mark Pollard (University of Oxford, UK) ,
Carl Heron (The British Museum, UK) ,
R Gillard (University of Wales)
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry
Imprint: Royal Society of Chemistry
Edition: 2nd edition
Dimensions:
Width: 15.60cm
, Height: 2.50cm
, Length: 23.40cm
Weight: 1.799kg
ISBN: 9780854042623
ISBN 10: 0854042628
Pages: 456
Publication Date: 22 April 2008
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Tertiary & Higher Education
Replaced By: 9781782624264
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Out of stock
The supplier is temporarily out of stock of this item. It will be ordered for you on backorder and shipped when it becomes available.
Reviews
<p>Chemistry looks back <p>Archaeological chemistry<p>A. Mark Pollard and Carl Heron<br>RSC Publishing, Cambridge, UK, 2008, 437pp., (HB) ISBN 978-0-85404-262-3 <p>Reviewed by Howell G M Edwards<p>Mark Pollard and Carl Heron have set out to produce a text that will bring together an interdisciplinary readership in the fields of chemical conservation, restoration, archaeological excavation, historical provenancing, and chemical analysis. It is perhaps the latter area that will appeal most to chemists, but it must be appreciated that the application of chemical analytical procedures to artefacts and archaeological materials has several unique restraints which demand, in particular, minimal sampling, or preferably non-invasive and non-destructive analysis. These pose major challenges for analytical chemists due to the special nature of the specimens presented.<p>One of the first chemists to analyze ancient pigments was Sir Humphry Davy, who published his results from the analysis of
Author Information
A. Mark Pollard is Edward Hall Professor of Archaeological Science at the University of Oxford, UK. His research has encompassed the application of the physical sciences, particularly chemistry, to archaeology. Carl Heron is currently the Director of Scientific Research at The British Museum and a former Professor of Archaeological Sciences at the University of Bradford, UK. His research focusses on the identification of amorphous organic matter preserved in association with archaeological materials.
