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Project

A new approach to lead isotope ratio data: the flow and recycling of materials and ideas

The main goal of this research project is to develop an innovative method to interpret lead isotope ratio data in archaeology, based on the three fundamental ratios measured in laboratory studies (208Pb/204Pb, 207Pb/204Pb, 206Pb/204Pb) and interpreting these with kernel density techniques (KDE). Though such KDE-based approach may be well developed in statistics, it has only been suggested and nearly never effectively used in archaeological science, thus going beyond the state of the art. This new method will be applied, in combination with other compositional data, in the study of two particular material categories, i.e. glass and metal, identifying and quantifying the input of fresh materials (from mineral resources) versus the continued reuse of previously formed materials (through recycling and mixing). In effect, the recycling of glass, silver and metallic lead on the scale of the Roman empire will be investigated. The focus in this project is on detecting and quantifying change over time and differences over space in the archaeological record. Mapping the ‘flow’ of glass, silver and lead in the late Bronze age and Roman Mediterranean world requires an answer to the questions: • What are the striking changes and similarities between the LIA ‘fingerprints’ of glass, silver and lead assemblages from subsequent time periods in the Roman world? • How can this continuity or change be interpreted? Is it possible, and to what extent, to identify the timing and origin of new input of fresh glass, silver and lead into the Roman system of material procurement? • For all these materials, is it possible to interpret changes in a social-geographical context, also taking into account material characteristics, archaeological context and manufacturing characteristics? Such inferences cannot be meaningfully made on the basis of individual analyses of isolated objects, but observations of change have to be made on the basis of group properties, giving sense to what is expected of the composition of a group of objects for a certain time and period. Existing ore and artefact data already assembled and available to the research group will be evaluated, complemented by targeted new analysis by MC-ICP-MS.

Date:1 Jun 2020 →  Today
Keywords:Lead isotopes, Kernel density estimates, Glass, Metal
Disciplines:Geoarchaeology, Archaeological science
Project type:PhD project