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.

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9780854045235

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Reviews

...an excellent, up-to-date sourcebook and companion guide... * Oxbow Book News, Book News 31, Summer 1996 * An authentic snapshot of current chemical applications in archaeology. * Chemistry and Industry 2 June 1997 * ... a comprehensive and current textbook badly needed ... * Geoarchaeology: An International Journal, Vol 12 No 5 1997 * I cannot recommend this book too highly... * Chromatographia, Vol 46, No 3/4, August 1997 * Archaeological Chemistry will make a fine collection to your library of reference books on instrumental analytical techniques. Perhaps reading the book will assist in solving an unsolved mystery in archaeology. * Journal of the American Chemical Society Volume 119, No 16, 1997 * ...An excellent reference resource... this book presents a comprehensive overview of a number of chemical applications within archaeology. * Archaeology in New Zealand, Vol 41, No 2, June 1998 * In any case this book is strongly recommended as an obligatory text for all chemists, who want to understand the role of chemistry, and in particular analytical chemistry, in our past history and present culture. * Chem Anal (Warsaw), 44, 993, 1999 *

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.

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