Archaeological Research Laboratory: Using Scientific Tools to Probe the Archaeological Material

Sven Isaksson
Archaeological Research Laboratory

Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies
Stockholm University
Scientific Tools for Probing the Past

Archaeology and Chemistry
Why a little chemistry is useful to archaeologists:
The archaeological sources are material remains

chemistry is the study of matter and its change
Material remains are affected by the ravages of time

what is left and how it is preserved
Man has always made use of matter and changed it;

Man the Chemist
History
C. 1800, first chemical analyses
1896, first physical analyses
1945 New techniques in chemistry, physics and

biology
1949, 14C-dating
1970 Increased application in archaeology
1985 Break-through in organic analyses

Archaeological
Research
Laboratory
Established in 1976
Professorship in 1986, first as an adjoining position

but later as a regular chair, in laboratory
archaeology (swe: laborativ arkeologi)
Since 2005 part of the newly created Department of

Archaeology and Classical Studies
Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies
Archaeology Archaeological Classical Studies Numismatic Osteoarchaeological

Research Research Research
Laboratory Group Laboratory
Scientific tools are used to probe the
archaeological material for more data
Archaeology! Not Archaeology?

100%
73
Betulin trimethylsilyl ether
189
203
496
483
129
393
0
50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500 550 600 650 700
m/z
CH3
H2C
CH3
+
CH3 CH3 483 CH3
CH3
CH3
496
O CH3
O Si
H3C H3C
Si H3C CH3 CH3 H3C CH3
H3C CH3
189
Not science? Science!

The Fate of Finds
Excavation
Semi-stable equilibriums are broken,
collection, registration
Recording
Cleaning, visual characterization
Conservation
Halt decomposition, extract information
-excavation on microscopic level
Storage
Keep, preserve, display
Scientific analyses?
Excavations on molecular or atomic level
The nature of archaeological material
Contamination during excavation
100%
T26 Druvvax
100%
A
b IS
u
n
d
a
n T28
c
e
T24
1,3-D16 1,3-D18
C16:0 C18-ol T30
C16-ol 1,2-D16
C18:0 1,2-D18 1,2-D20 1,3-D20
C14:0
0
0 10.00 35.00
12.00 18.00 20.00 22.00 24.00 26.00 15.00 20.00 25.00 30.00 40.00
14.00 16.00
Retention time
127 Trioctanoat or Tricaprylin

100%
A
b
u
n
d
a
n
c
57
Hawaiian Tropic
e
201
327
(coconut oil, UV-
0
50 100 150 200
m/z
250
O
300 350 400 450 500
block).
H3C O
O
O
327
O
127
H3C O CH3
H
+
O
H3C O
201 O
Contamination during recording
Fettsyror
100%
Labkontamination
Mjukgrare frn
plastpse
Monoacylglyceroler
Diacylglyceroler
Triacylglyceroler
0
10.00 15.00 20.00 25.00 30.00 35.00 40.00
100%
C12:0 Steroler
Day Cream (palm-
Mjukgrare
C16:0
frn plast
tree oil etc)
Isopropyl- C18:1, C18:2
myristat
C18:0
0
10.00 15.00 20.00 25.00 30.00 35.00 40.00
Contamination during conservation
(a) 1
2 3
8 7
(b) 1
4 79 3
5
From Aveling 1998

Paraffin
Keeping in museums
Ancient horse DNA from Birka
Excavated aDNA
mtDNA HTG10 HTG8
Late 1800-tal + - -
Late 1900-tal + + +
From Gtherstrm 2001
Alkanoic acids in Norwegian organic residues

r=-0,554p=0,032 r=-0,057p=0,841
17,8 26
22
17,4
18
17,0
14
16,6
Medelkolkedjelngd(ACL)hosfetsyror
Andelenomttadefetsyror(%)
10
16,2
6
15,8
2
15,4 -2
0 40 80 120 160 200 0 40 80 120 160 200
T
ids
e danutgrv
n ing(r) T
ids
e danutgrv
n ing(r)
Is organic residues better off in the ground than in the museum?!

Analytical techniques
Prospecting
Dating
Characterization
Prospecting
Site locating
Prospecting
Site locating
Site investigating
Prospecting
Site locating
Site investigating
Detecting anomalies from natural background

Prospecting
Site locating
Site investigating
Detecting anomalies from natural background
Geochemical e.g. phosphate
Geophysical e.g. slingram, magnetometer

and ground penetrating radar
Modellering efter georadar-prospektering
Gamla Uppsala kyrka
Nutida kyrkan
Gamla Uppsala kyrka
Nutida kyrkan med tolkningen av
katedralens utstrckning
Gamla Uppsala kyrka
Underskningsytorna
Gamla Uppsala kyrka Reflexer p 0 -0,6 m
djup
Gamla Uppsala kyrka Reflexer p 0,2-0,8 m djup
Dating
To fix an event along a time axis
Dating
But what event?

Dating
But what event?
The event dated by an analytical

technique is not always the same as
the archaeological event
Dating
Dating
Method Material Range (yrs) Sample size
Chronological
Find combination artefacts 106 -
Dendrochronology wood 104 100 treerings
Magnetic
TRM burnt clay 104, or longer cm
DRM sediment
Radiation damage
Fission tracks glass, mineral 102107 mm
TL ceramic, br. stone 102105 mgg
OSL sediment 106 mgg
ESR enamel 103106 mgg
Radioactive decay
Conventional 14C organic 50 000 10 g
Accelerator 14C organic 70 000 mg
K/Ar mineral 105109 g
Physical phenomenon
Hydration obsidian, glass mm
Chemical reactions
Racemisation bone, hair 102106 g
Biological growth
Lichenometry lichens
Characterization
Provenance
Biological origin
Technology
Man
Living conditions and Climate

Provenance
Heterogeneity of the Earths
crust
Materials collected from a

certain deposit may have a
specific composition
Mineral (stone, clay), metal,

slag, glass
Provenance
Flint
Provenance of 70 % of flint axes identified by trace

elements alone
Together with archaeological data, e.g. context and
date, 95 % identified
Provenance
Garnets
Biological origin
CH3 CH3 CH3
H3C
CH3
CH3 CH3 CH3
Squalene
H3C
H3C H3C
CH3
CH3
CH3 CH3
CH3 CH3
HO CH3
HO CH3
Cholesterol Stigmasterol
Biological origin
Short-chain
Chemical analyses of: fatty acids
Fats/Oils
Waxes
Pitches
Tars Long-chain
ketones and
DAG
Long-chain
Leather fatty acids

and MAG
Textile Triacylglycerols (TAG)
Food
Sterols
IR-spectra of organic residues Gas chromatogram of lipid residues
Morphological analyses: Scanning Electron

Micrographs of cells
Seeds from barley and pea in
Leather prehistoric food
residue
Fur
Textile
Bone
Technology
Deposit or Inlay?
Technology
Deposit or Inlay?
Technology
Just because its green doesn't mean its bronze
(Stjerna 1997)
Technology
Symbols or Cymbals: the Frslunda shields
From a sulfide ore - late

Bronze Age
Hammered and annealed
not suitable as cymbals
Flattening of slag inclusions
hammered from a piece 15
cm in diameter
Man
Diet C- and N-isotopes,
trace elements
Breast-feeding N-isotopes
Sex determination Osteology, aDNA
Kinship aDNA
Migration aDNA, S- and O-
isotopes, trace elements

Living conditions and climate
Disease Osteology, aDNA
Climate O-isotopes
Vegetation, regional Pollen analysis
Vegetation, local Plant macro fossils,
organic geochemistry
Facilities
aDNA laboratory for extraction and Freezer-room for the storage of
PCR, post-PCR laboratory in very large samples, e.g. whole
separate building graves
Atomic Absorption Spectrophoto- Gas Chromatography and Mass
meter for trace metal element Spectrometry for organic residue
analyses
analyses of soil, bone and artefacts
GIS computer systems for spatial
Field-archaeology equipment, incl.
analyses
sampling probes, field Mass Spectrometry for isotope
spectrophotometer, metal detector, (C, N, S, O) analyses primarily of
GPS, total station, photo-tower for bone collagen
analogue or digital cameras Microscopes and sample
Fourier Transform Infrared preparation equipment for
Spectrometry for analyses of analyses of archaeo-botanical
organic residues and pigments materials, textiles, etc
Facilities
Microscopes and sample preparation Slingram, Ground-Penetrating
equipment for microstructure analyses Radar and Magnetometer for
of metals and ceramics archaeological prospecting
Microwave Accelerated Reaction Spectrophotometers for wet-
System for rapid sample preparation, chemical analyses (e.g. phosphates)
i.e. extracting, digesting, dissolving,
Variable Pressure Scanning
hydrolysing or drying organic or
Electron Microscope with Energy
inorganic materials
Optical 3D-scanner for both high- Dispersive X-ray Spectrometry for
resolution surface analyses of microstructure and elemental
artefacts and for large-scale 3D analyses
documentation X-Ray Diffraction for the analysis
Preparation and conservation of minerals, bones and pigments
laboratory primarily for metal artefacts
Research programs
Svealand in the Vendel and Viking Period (finished)
Forts and Fortifications in the Mlaren Region AD 400-

1100 (finished)
Us and Them Cultural identity in the Middle Neolithic
Bread for the dead, bread for the living Cereal-based

food in the Late Iron Age
By House and Hearth The chemistry of culture layers as

a document of the subsistence of prehistoric man
Tracing Ancient Vegetable Food Chemotaxonomy of

plant lipid residues
Gender and Diet in the Neolithic

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Sven Isaksson

Archaeological Research Laboratory

Scientific Tools for Probing the Past

Why a little chemistry is useful to archaeologists:

The archaeological sources are material remains

Material remains are affected by the ravages of time

Man has always made use of matter and changed it;

C. 1800, first chemical analyses

1896, first physical analyses

1945 New techniques in chemistry, physics and

1970 Increased application in archaeology

1985 Break-through in organic analyses

Professorship in 1986, first as an adjoining position

Since 2005 part of the newly created Department of

Archaeology Archaeological Classical Studies Numismatic Osteoarchaeological

Archaeology! Not Archaeology?

Not science? Science!

127 Trioctanoat or Tricaprylin

From Aveling 1998

Alkanoic acids in Norwegian organic residues

Is organic residues better off in the ground than in the museum?!

Detecting anomalies from natural background

Detecting anomalies from natural background

Geochemical e.g. phosphate

Geophysical e.g. slingram, magnetometer

But what event?

But what event?

The event dated by an analytical

Living conditions and Climate

Materials collected from a

Mineral (stone, clay), metal,

Provenance of 70 % of flint axes identified by trace

CH3 CH3 CH3

Chemical analyses of: fatty acids

Leather fatty acids

Textile Triacylglycerols (TAG)

IR-spectra of organic residues Gas chromatogram of lipid residues

Morphological analyses: Scanning Electron

From a sulfide ore - late

Sex determination Osteology, aDNA

Migration aDNA, S- and O-

isotopes, trace elements

Disease Osteology, aDNA

Vegetation, regional Pollen analysis

Vegetation, local Plant macro fossils,

Svealand in the Vendel and Viking Period (finished)

Forts and Fortifications in the Mlaren Region AD 400-

Us and Them Cultural identity in the Middle Neolithic

Bread for the dead, bread for the living Cereal-based

By House and Hearth The chemistry of culture layers as

Tracing Ancient Vegetable Food Chemotaxonomy of

Gender and Diet in the Neolithic

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