A Consumer's Guide to Archaeological Science: Analytical Techniques

By Mary E. Malainey

Book Overview

Part I Basic Science.-Chapter 1 Elements, Atoms and Molecules.- Matter and the Atom.-The Periodic Table of Elements.-Chemical Bonding.-Chemical Equations.-Cellular Energy.-Electrical Conductivity.-Chapter 2 Electromagnetic Radiation.-Wavelength, Frequency and Energy.-The Electromagnetic Spectrum.-Energy Absorption and Emission by Atoms and Molecules.-Chapter 3 Radioactive Isotopes and Their Decay.-Emissions.-Radioactive Decay.-The Uranium Decay Series.-Nuclear Reactions.-Chapter 4 Stable Isotopes.-Carbon.-Nitrogen.-Strontium.-Lead.-Oxygen.-Hydrogen.-Chapter 5 Organic Compounds.- Important Organic Compound Families.-Lipids.-Amino Acids and Proteins.-Carbohydrates.-Deoxyribonucleic Acid.-Chapter 6 Other Useful Concepts.-Acids and Bases.-Stereochemistry and the Polarimeter.-Chemical Reactions.- Part II Applications.-Chapter 7 Compositional Analysis.-Chapter 8 Radiocarbon dating.-Carbon-14.- Using Radioactive Carbon to Date Organic Material.-Counting β Emissions.-Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Dating.-Conventional Radiocarbon Ages.-Carbon Exchange Reservoir.-Differences in Circulation Time in the Carbon Cycle.-Secular Variation.-Converting Radiocarbon Ages Into Calendar Dates.-Sampling Considerations.-Sample Pretreatment.-Current Issues in Radiocarbon Dating.-Less Destructive Sampling Techniques.-Judging the Quality of Radiocarbon Dates.-Conclusions.-Chapter 9 Other Radioactive Decay Based Dating Techniques.-Uranium Series Dating.-Using Uranium as a Clock.-Measuring Radioactivity.-Sample Selection.-Biogenetic materials and Uranium Uptake.-Sample Preparation.- Sample Contamination.-Potassium-Argon and Argon-Argon Dating.- The Production of Radiogenic Argon.- Procedures for Obtaining a K-Ar Date.- Procedures for Obtaining an Ar-Ar Date.-Fission Track Dating.-Sample Requirements.-Procedure.-Age Calculation.-Age Range and Potential Errors.-Chapter 10 Trapped Charge Dating.-Theoretical Considerations.-Measuring the Population of Trapped Charges.-Thermoluminescence Dating.-Optically Stimulated Luminescence Dating.-Electron Spin Resonance Dating.-Determining the Paleodose Dose.-Additive (Dose) Method.-Regeneration Technique.-Partial Bleach(ing) Technique.-Regeneration Method.-Single Aliquot Regeneration (SAR).-The Plateau Test.-Sources of the Annual Dose.-External Contribution.-Internal Contribution.-Uranium Uptake.-Dating Limitations and Sources of Error.-Potential Benefits of Trapped Charge Dating.-Chapter 11 Other Dating Techniques.-Amino Acid Racemization.-Archaeomagnetism.-Obsidian Hydration.-Cation Ratio.-Chapter 12 Provenance Studies.-Chapter 13 Stable Isotope Analysis.-Stable Carbon Isotope Ratio Analysis.-Sample Selection.-Factors Affecting δ13C values.-Summary.-Stable Nitrogen Isotope ratio Analysis.-Sample Selection.-Factors affecting δ15N Values.-Using Linear Mixing Models to Reconstruct Paleodiets.-Stable Strontium Isotope Analyses.-Strontium to Calcium Ratios.-Sample Selection and Processing.-Using Strontium Isotope Ratios to Trace Migrations.-Stable Lead Isotope Analysis.-The Occurrence of Lead in Metal.-The Study of Lead in Body Tissue.- Oxygen Isotope Analysis.-Oxygen Isotope Fractionation.-Sample Selection and Processing.-Chapter 14 Lipid Residues.-Chapter 15 Blood and Protein Analysis.-Protein and Blood.-Screening Techniques.-Microscopy.-Colorimetric Methods of Protein Determination.-Urinalysis Test Strips.-Techniques Used for Species Specific Identifications.-Hemoglobin (Hb) Crystallization.-Using the Immune Response to Identify Proteins.-Detecting the Antibody-Antigen Complex.-The Immune Response in Archaeological Residues.-Survival of Proteins.-Survival of Blood Proteins.-The Question of Reliability.-Cross Reactions and Antibody Selection.-Blind Test Results.-Blood Residues Vs. Faunal Assemblages.-Recent Studies.-Conclusions.-Chapter 16 Ancient DNA and the Polymerase Chain Reaction.-The Preservation of Ancient DNA.-The Polymerase Chain Reaction.-Analysis after Amplificat

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1461433010
• ISBN13: 9781461433019
• Release Date: March 2012
• Publisher: Springer
• Length: 603 Pages
• Weight: 1.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.1" x 9.2"