Thomas Delbey - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Thomas Delbey

Geoarchaeology

The identification of controlled fires in ancient agricultural systems is important for understan... more The identification of controlled fires in ancient agricultural systems is important for understanding how past societies managed the landscape. Although the use of fire in agriculture is documented in recent historical records, and combustion markers can persist in soils over a long time scale, this is a complex issue because combustion traits in general are ubiquitous. Archaeopedological surveys undertaken in an ancient forest in Burgundy (France) have led to the recovery of several red indurated nodules scattered in the soils. Gallo-Roman housing structures and parcels were recognized using light detection and ranging mapping, stimulating questions about the understanding of the nature of these nodules. Elemental and structural analyses by X-ray fluorescence and X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed the local origin of these features by comparing their composition with on-site sediments, and thermoluminescence dating placed the samples in the Medieval period. The results cast light on the nature of the nodules and how they can be related to controlled fires used in agricultural practices. Even though questions remain about which processes lead to the formation of the nodules, the firing temperature estimated via XRD analysis seems to be in agreement with that used in the "paring-and-burning" technique. The present study provides new information about medieval agriculture practices from the 10th to the 12th centuries CE and shows how past societies managed the opening and maintenance of agricultural fields using natural resources and "archaeological" remains from the antique period.

Heritage Science

Lead-glazed potsherds from archaeological excavations at six Renaissance (1536–1660 CE) sites in ... more Lead-glazed potsherds from archaeological excavations at six Renaissance (1536–1660 CE) sites in southern Denmark and northern Germany have been subjected to etching experiments using 4 wt% acetic acid. The extracts of 45 sherds were analysed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry. At one site, the ducal hunting castle of Grøngaard, Pb levels in acid extracts from glazed dishes were so high (up to 29,000 µg Pb cm−2 day−1) that acute toxic effects likely occurred if the dishes were used for serving food containing vinegar. More moderate acid-etching Pb levels were found in dishes from other sites, but they still exceed the WHO critical level if used daily. Acetic acid etching experiments performed on pipkins (three-legged cooking pots with a handle) yielded somewhat lower Pb extract values, averaging ca. 25 µg Pb cm−2 day−1. Taking into account the widespread use of pipkins for cooking, they might easily have led to a higher weekly Pb intake than the use of the moderate-leve...

Heritage Science

An excavation in 1856 by Charles T. Newton and a re-excavation in 1990–93 by a joint Danish-Turki... more An excavation in 1856 by Charles T. Newton and a re-excavation in 1990–93 by a joint Danish-Turkish team revealed several mosaic floors in a late-antique domus from the fifth century CE, now called the House of Charidemos. Nineteen tesserae from the floor have been analysed by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, Raman micro-spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray analysis, and X-ray diffraction. Seven tesserae were made of opaque glass, eleven from various rock/lithic materials, while one of them was a ceramic fragment. This case-study reports the first analyses undertaken of tesserae from late-antique Halikarnassos. The results show the use of recycled Sb–Mn decoloured glass and two types of red glass. A comparison with tesserae from other sites in Anatolia from the same period shows similarities in the base glass composition, but also some particularities of the colouring and opacifying agents used for the mosaic of the Hous...

Additional file 1. The elemental concentrations in µg g−1, except Ca which is reported in weight ... more Additional file 1. The elemental concentrations in µg g−1, except Ca which is reported in weight %, and Hg reported in ng g−1. One standard deviation represents 66% probability.

Heritage Science, 2021

Two types of materials were sampled as part of an investigation of the relics of the Holy Catholi... more Two types of materials were sampled as part of an investigation of the relics of the Holy Catholic Church of the Apostles St Philip and St James in the Basilica dei Santi Apostoli in Rome: bone- and mummy-materials and architectural samples. The analyses encompassed radiocarbon dating, thermoluminescence dating, gas and liquid chromatographic separation with mass spectrometric detection, X-Ray fluorescence, X-Ray diffraction, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, Raman spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The results show that the samples were subjected to a number of conservational and exhibition-related treatments. The alleged femoral bone of St James was dated between AD 214 and 340 (2σ confidence), which shows that this cannot be the bone of St James. An encrustation found in a canal in the reliquary in the high altar construction showed the presence of heavily oxidized rapeseed oil, which was radiocarbon dated between AD 267 and 539 (2σ confidence)...

Heritage Science, 2022

The present study reports a series of interdisciplinary archaeometrical analyses of objects found... more The present study reports a series of interdisciplinary archaeometrical analyses of objects found in the Christmas Cave, which was discovered by John Allegro and his team in 1960 on the West Bank of the Dead Sea and assumed to be inhabited only in the Chalcolithic era and by Jewish refugees of the second century CE, at the end of the Bar Kokhba Revolt. Like many other Judaean desert caves, there was an abundance of organic material, especially textiles, surviving in the dry environment. In the absence of clear stratigraphy and even a proper publication of the finds, the present study shows how archaeometry can provide important insights. We analysed food crusts on ceramics by gas chromatography with mass spectrometric detection (GC–MS), made petrographic descriptions to estimated provenance of the ceramics, produced new radiocarbon dates from organic material and thermoluminescence (TL) dates from the pottery. It appears from the data that the Christmas Cave has been briefly inhabit...

Additional file 2 Results of the chemical analysis of the soil samples procured in proximity to t... more Additional file 2 Results of the chemical analysis of the soil samples procured in proximity to the three different skeletons. Concentrations are given in µg g−1. The uncertainty quoted is ± 1 standard deviation. Analyses of cortical (CO) and trabecular (TR) tissue of the skeletons are also listed. Vertical profiles are coloured green, horizontal soil profiles are coloured orange.

Additional file 1. Results of the chemical analysis of the bone samples. Concentrations are given... more Additional file 1. Results of the chemical analysis of the bone samples. Concentrations are given in µg g−1 except for Ca which is given in wt%. The uncertainty quoted is ± 1 standard deviation. When below LOQ, the result is designated

Additional file 1. The concentrations of Sr, Ba, Cu, and Pb for each of the scored structures, la... more Additional file 1. The concentrations of Sr, Ba, Cu, and Pb for each of the scored structures, laminar bone, 1st, 2nd, or 3rd generation osteons, as well as their coordinates in the cross-sections analyzed.

Revue du Nord, 2021

L’analyse archeometrique de la production ceramique de Tourinnes-Saint-Lambert demontre que l’arg... more L’analyse archeometrique de la production ceramique de Tourinnes-Saint-Lambert demontre que l’argile tertiaire locale (argile claire associee a la transition Paleocene/Eocene) affleurant sous les loess a ete utilisee pour la fabrication d’un repertoire de formes majoritairement identique a celui des ateliers de Tirlemont mais comportant aussi l’une ou l’autre originalite locale. Certaines argiles ont ete degraissees au sable fin local lui aussi. Les parois de fours sont construites a partir du loess local, tandis que certaines pieces en terre cuite separant les pots dans le four (« moutons ») sont faites a partir d’une argile differente et plus refractaire. Les ceramiques manufacturees a Tourinnes utilisent des terres differentes de celles des ateliers de Tirlemont.

A partir de la seconde moitie du IVe siecle, les productions de sigillee de l’Argonne, region nat... more A partir de la seconde moitie du IVe siecle, les productions de sigillee de l’Argonne, region naturelle situee entre Châlons-en-Champagne et Verdun, sont diffusees dans le Diocese des Gaules et plus largement dans l’ouest de l’Europe. Ce type de ceramique, caracterisee par la presence d’un decor en bandeau imprime a l’aide d’une molette, a longtemps ete considere comme produit uniquement dans les ateliers argonnais. Cependant, les etudes de ces dernieres decennies sur le sujet ont permis d'avancer l'hypothese de l'existence de plusieurs productions locales imitant les formes et les decors de ces sigillees. Grâce aux methodes d’analyses archeometriques utilisees (analyses chimiques par fluorescence X, observations petrographiques, analyses mineralogiques par diffraction des rayons X), l’existence de plusieurs groupes de production est validee. L’adequation entre le classement statistique des donnees geochimiques et les hypotheses archeologiques principalement basees sur l...

Heritage Science, 2021

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2021

Heritage Science, 2020

Variation in the trace element chemistry of cortical bone microstructure is delineated for interr... more Variation in the trace element chemistry of cortical bone microstructure is delineated for interred and non-interred human femora. This was done to investigate the range of element concentrations that might occur within single bones, specifically the original laminar bone and later osteons, and its potential for investigating chemical life histories. To do so, femora were chosen from individuals who experienced quite different ways of life over the past two millennia. The distributions of Sr, Ba, Cu, and Pb, mostly in partial (early) and complete (late) osteons, in cross-sections of proximal femora were characterized through Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry. Absolute calibrations of these data were obtained using solution Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry on adjacent dissolved bulk samples. Chemical life histories were approximated by classifying bone microstructure into four categories: laminar bone and 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation osteons. Thi...

Heritage Science, 2020

Individuals buried in two 17th-18th Century private chapels, each attached to a Franciscan Friary... more Individuals buried in two 17th-18th Century private chapels, each attached to a Franciscan Friary-one in Italy the other in Denmark-have been studied and sampled for trace element analysis. This selection of individuals allows a comparison of the trace element inventory of members of noble families against friars and townspeople, as well as a comparison between two very similar situations in Denmark and Italy. The relevance of this study is to see if and how differences in social status, and therefore likely differences in dietary habits, are reflected in the trace element chemistry of the bones. Samples of cortical and trabecular tissues have been procured from a long bone, preferentially the femur. The samples have been thoroughly decontaminated. 87 samples from 69 individuals have been analysed for Ca, Mn, Fe, Cu, Sr, Ba, and Pb by ICP-MS and Hg by CV-AAS. Sex and age at death have been established by anthropological analysis for all members of the two noble families. We find systematic differences between the noble family members and the friars (or townspeople) in both Italy and Denmark. The noble families are in both cases low in Sr and Ba compared to the friars and townspeople, which is interpreted as a dietary signal resulting from higher meat consumption than in the comparative groups. Lead concentrations are found to be higher in the noble family members than in the comparative groups, and the Pb concentration seems to increase with age in the Italian noble family, where both young and middle-aged individuals were investigated. Mercury concentrations are higher in some of the Italian noble family members compared to friars and townspeople; whereas in Denmark it seems that Hg was equally available to the noble family members and the friars alike. This is the first comprehensive and comparative study of post-medieval noble families in Denmark and Italy. The results show that there are distinct similarities in the trace element distribution patterns in the noble family members irrespective of country, which is tentatively suggested to be due to their higher social status.

Heritage Science, 2020

For medieval and post-medieval Denmark and northern Germany, trace elements can potentially contr... more For medieval and post-medieval Denmark and northern Germany, trace elements can potentially contribute to our understanding of diet, migration, social status, exposure to urban settings, and disease treatment. Copper, of particular interest as a marker of access to everyday metal items, can be used to clarify socioeconomic distinctions between and within communities. Postmortem alteration of bone (diagenesis), however, must be ruled out before the elements can be used to characterize life in the past. Femoral cortical bone samples of ca. 40 mg were thoroughly decontaminated, and the concentrations of Al, Ca, Mn, Fe, Cu, As, Sr, Ba, and Pb were measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The concentrations of these elements were quantified in bone samples from 553 skeletons from 9 rural and urban cemeteries, and 34 soil samples obtained near three burials. Copper, the primary element of interest in this work, is generally absent from the femoral cortical bone of rura...

Heritage Science, 2019

Efforts to read medieval manuscript waste recycled as bookbinding material in the sixteenth and s... more Efforts to read medieval manuscript waste recycled as bookbinding material in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries have resulted in the chemical analysis of four books housed at the University Library of Southern Denmark and the Smithsonian Libraries in Washington DC. Four green coloured book bindings have been investigated by optical microscopy, micro X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, mass spectroscopy, and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The results show that the green pigments used to obscure the manuscript waste in all four cases contain orpiment (As2S3) and indigo (C16H11N2O2). Although the books were printed in diverse places in Europe—Basel, Bologna, and Lübeck—the styles of their bindings indicate that they were likely bound in the same region in the same period. It is further likely that they acquired their arsenic-rich paint as part of the bookbinding process. Issues concerning the toxicity, health issues for library...

Heritage Science, 2019

Fragments of painted limestone reliefs from the Palace of Apries in Upper Egypt excavated by Flin... more Fragments of painted limestone reliefs from the Palace of Apries in Upper Egypt excavated by Flinders Petrie in 1908-1910 have been investigated using visible-induced luminescence imaging, micro X-ray fluorescence, laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, micro X-ray powder diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry. The pigments have been mapped, and the use and previous reports of use of pigments are discussed. Mainly lead-antimonate yellow, lead-tin yellow, orpiment, atacamite, gypsum/anhydrite, and Egyptian blue have been detected. It is the first time that lead-antimonate yellow and lead-tin yellow have been identified in ancient Egyptian painting. In fact, this is the earliest examples known of both of these yellow pigments in the world.

Geoarchaeology

The identification of controlled fires in ancient agricultural systems is important for understan... more The identification of controlled fires in ancient agricultural systems is important for understanding how past societies managed the landscape. Although the use of fire in agriculture is documented in recent historical records, and combustion markers can persist in soils over a long time scale, this is a complex issue because combustion traits in general are ubiquitous. Archaeopedological surveys undertaken in an ancient forest in Burgundy (France) have led to the recovery of several red indurated nodules scattered in the soils. Gallo-Roman housing structures and parcels were recognized using light detection and ranging mapping, stimulating questions about the understanding of the nature of these nodules. Elemental and structural analyses by X-ray fluorescence and X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed the local origin of these features by comparing their composition with on-site sediments, and thermoluminescence dating placed the samples in the Medieval period. The results cast light on the nature of the nodules and how they can be related to controlled fires used in agricultural practices. Even though questions remain about which processes lead to the formation of the nodules, the firing temperature estimated via XRD analysis seems to be in agreement with that used in the "paring-and-burning" technique. The present study provides new information about medieval agriculture practices from the 10th to the 12th centuries CE and shows how past societies managed the opening and maintenance of agricultural fields using natural resources and "archaeological" remains from the antique period.

Heritage Science

Lead-glazed potsherds from archaeological excavations at six Renaissance (1536–1660 CE) sites in ... more Lead-glazed potsherds from archaeological excavations at six Renaissance (1536–1660 CE) sites in southern Denmark and northern Germany have been subjected to etching experiments using 4 wt% acetic acid. The extracts of 45 sherds were analysed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry. At one site, the ducal hunting castle of Grøngaard, Pb levels in acid extracts from glazed dishes were so high (up to 29,000 µg Pb cm−2 day−1) that acute toxic effects likely occurred if the dishes were used for serving food containing vinegar. More moderate acid-etching Pb levels were found in dishes from other sites, but they still exceed the WHO critical level if used daily. Acetic acid etching experiments performed on pipkins (three-legged cooking pots with a handle) yielded somewhat lower Pb extract values, averaging ca. 25 µg Pb cm−2 day−1. Taking into account the widespread use of pipkins for cooking, they might easily have led to a higher weekly Pb intake than the use of the moderate-leve...

Heritage Science

An excavation in 1856 by Charles T. Newton and a re-excavation in 1990–93 by a joint Danish-Turki... more An excavation in 1856 by Charles T. Newton and a re-excavation in 1990–93 by a joint Danish-Turkish team revealed several mosaic floors in a late-antique domus from the fifth century CE, now called the House of Charidemos. Nineteen tesserae from the floor have been analysed by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, Raman micro-spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray analysis, and X-ray diffraction. Seven tesserae were made of opaque glass, eleven from various rock/lithic materials, while one of them was a ceramic fragment. This case-study reports the first analyses undertaken of tesserae from late-antique Halikarnassos. The results show the use of recycled Sb–Mn decoloured glass and two types of red glass. A comparison with tesserae from other sites in Anatolia from the same period shows similarities in the base glass composition, but also some particularities of the colouring and opacifying agents used for the mosaic of the Hous...

Additional file 1. The elemental concentrations in µg g−1, except Ca which is reported in weight ... more Additional file 1. The elemental concentrations in µg g−1, except Ca which is reported in weight %, and Hg reported in ng g−1. One standard deviation represents 66% probability.

Heritage Science, 2021

Two types of materials were sampled as part of an investigation of the relics of the Holy Catholi... more Two types of materials were sampled as part of an investigation of the relics of the Holy Catholic Church of the Apostles St Philip and St James in the Basilica dei Santi Apostoli in Rome: bone- and mummy-materials and architectural samples. The analyses encompassed radiocarbon dating, thermoluminescence dating, gas and liquid chromatographic separation with mass spectrometric detection, X-Ray fluorescence, X-Ray diffraction, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, Raman spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The results show that the samples were subjected to a number of conservational and exhibition-related treatments. The alleged femoral bone of St James was dated between AD 214 and 340 (2σ confidence), which shows that this cannot be the bone of St James. An encrustation found in a canal in the reliquary in the high altar construction showed the presence of heavily oxidized rapeseed oil, which was radiocarbon dated between AD 267 and 539 (2σ confidence)...

Heritage Science, 2022

The present study reports a series of interdisciplinary archaeometrical analyses of objects found... more The present study reports a series of interdisciplinary archaeometrical analyses of objects found in the Christmas Cave, which was discovered by John Allegro and his team in 1960 on the West Bank of the Dead Sea and assumed to be inhabited only in the Chalcolithic era and by Jewish refugees of the second century CE, at the end of the Bar Kokhba Revolt. Like many other Judaean desert caves, there was an abundance of organic material, especially textiles, surviving in the dry environment. In the absence of clear stratigraphy and even a proper publication of the finds, the present study shows how archaeometry can provide important insights. We analysed food crusts on ceramics by gas chromatography with mass spectrometric detection (GC–MS), made petrographic descriptions to estimated provenance of the ceramics, produced new radiocarbon dates from organic material and thermoluminescence (TL) dates from the pottery. It appears from the data that the Christmas Cave has been briefly inhabit...

Additional file 2 Results of the chemical analysis of the soil samples procured in proximity to t... more Additional file 2 Results of the chemical analysis of the soil samples procured in proximity to the three different skeletons. Concentrations are given in µg g−1. The uncertainty quoted is ± 1 standard deviation. Analyses of cortical (CO) and trabecular (TR) tissue of the skeletons are also listed. Vertical profiles are coloured green, horizontal soil profiles are coloured orange.

Additional file 1. Results of the chemical analysis of the bone samples. Concentrations are given... more Additional file 1. Results of the chemical analysis of the bone samples. Concentrations are given in µg g−1 except for Ca which is given in wt%. The uncertainty quoted is ± 1 standard deviation. When below LOQ, the result is designated

Additional file 1. The concentrations of Sr, Ba, Cu, and Pb for each of the scored structures, la... more Additional file 1. The concentrations of Sr, Ba, Cu, and Pb for each of the scored structures, laminar bone, 1st, 2nd, or 3rd generation osteons, as well as their coordinates in the cross-sections analyzed.

Revue du Nord, 2021

L’analyse archeometrique de la production ceramique de Tourinnes-Saint-Lambert demontre que l’arg... more L’analyse archeometrique de la production ceramique de Tourinnes-Saint-Lambert demontre que l’argile tertiaire locale (argile claire associee a la transition Paleocene/Eocene) affleurant sous les loess a ete utilisee pour la fabrication d’un repertoire de formes majoritairement identique a celui des ateliers de Tirlemont mais comportant aussi l’une ou l’autre originalite locale. Certaines argiles ont ete degraissees au sable fin local lui aussi. Les parois de fours sont construites a partir du loess local, tandis que certaines pieces en terre cuite separant les pots dans le four (« moutons ») sont faites a partir d’une argile differente et plus refractaire. Les ceramiques manufacturees a Tourinnes utilisent des terres differentes de celles des ateliers de Tirlemont.

A partir de la seconde moitie du IVe siecle, les productions de sigillee de l’Argonne, region nat... more A partir de la seconde moitie du IVe siecle, les productions de sigillee de l’Argonne, region naturelle situee entre Châlons-en-Champagne et Verdun, sont diffusees dans le Diocese des Gaules et plus largement dans l’ouest de l’Europe. Ce type de ceramique, caracterisee par la presence d’un decor en bandeau imprime a l’aide d’une molette, a longtemps ete considere comme produit uniquement dans les ateliers argonnais. Cependant, les etudes de ces dernieres decennies sur le sujet ont permis d'avancer l'hypothese de l'existence de plusieurs productions locales imitant les formes et les decors de ces sigillees. Grâce aux methodes d’analyses archeometriques utilisees (analyses chimiques par fluorescence X, observations petrographiques, analyses mineralogiques par diffraction des rayons X), l’existence de plusieurs groupes de production est validee. L’adequation entre le classement statistique des donnees geochimiques et les hypotheses archeologiques principalement basees sur l...

Heritage Science, 2021

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2021

Heritage Science, 2020

Variation in the trace element chemistry of cortical bone microstructure is delineated for interr... more Variation in the trace element chemistry of cortical bone microstructure is delineated for interred and non-interred human femora. This was done to investigate the range of element concentrations that might occur within single bones, specifically the original laminar bone and later osteons, and its potential for investigating chemical life histories. To do so, femora were chosen from individuals who experienced quite different ways of life over the past two millennia. The distributions of Sr, Ba, Cu, and Pb, mostly in partial (early) and complete (late) osteons, in cross-sections of proximal femora were characterized through Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry. Absolute calibrations of these data were obtained using solution Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry on adjacent dissolved bulk samples. Chemical life histories were approximated by classifying bone microstructure into four categories: laminar bone and 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation osteons. Thi...

Heritage Science, 2020

Individuals buried in two 17th-18th Century private chapels, each attached to a Franciscan Friary... more Individuals buried in two 17th-18th Century private chapels, each attached to a Franciscan Friary-one in Italy the other in Denmark-have been studied and sampled for trace element analysis. This selection of individuals allows a comparison of the trace element inventory of members of noble families against friars and townspeople, as well as a comparison between two very similar situations in Denmark and Italy. The relevance of this study is to see if and how differences in social status, and therefore likely differences in dietary habits, are reflected in the trace element chemistry of the bones. Samples of cortical and trabecular tissues have been procured from a long bone, preferentially the femur. The samples have been thoroughly decontaminated. 87 samples from 69 individuals have been analysed for Ca, Mn, Fe, Cu, Sr, Ba, and Pb by ICP-MS and Hg by CV-AAS. Sex and age at death have been established by anthropological analysis for all members of the two noble families. We find systematic differences between the noble family members and the friars (or townspeople) in both Italy and Denmark. The noble families are in both cases low in Sr and Ba compared to the friars and townspeople, which is interpreted as a dietary signal resulting from higher meat consumption than in the comparative groups. Lead concentrations are found to be higher in the noble family members than in the comparative groups, and the Pb concentration seems to increase with age in the Italian noble family, where both young and middle-aged individuals were investigated. Mercury concentrations are higher in some of the Italian noble family members compared to friars and townspeople; whereas in Denmark it seems that Hg was equally available to the noble family members and the friars alike. This is the first comprehensive and comparative study of post-medieval noble families in Denmark and Italy. The results show that there are distinct similarities in the trace element distribution patterns in the noble family members irrespective of country, which is tentatively suggested to be due to their higher social status.

Heritage Science, 2020

For medieval and post-medieval Denmark and northern Germany, trace elements can potentially contr... more For medieval and post-medieval Denmark and northern Germany, trace elements can potentially contribute to our understanding of diet, migration, social status, exposure to urban settings, and disease treatment. Copper, of particular interest as a marker of access to everyday metal items, can be used to clarify socioeconomic distinctions between and within communities. Postmortem alteration of bone (diagenesis), however, must be ruled out before the elements can be used to characterize life in the past. Femoral cortical bone samples of ca. 40 mg were thoroughly decontaminated, and the concentrations of Al, Ca, Mn, Fe, Cu, As, Sr, Ba, and Pb were measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The concentrations of these elements were quantified in bone samples from 553 skeletons from 9 rural and urban cemeteries, and 34 soil samples obtained near three burials. Copper, the primary element of interest in this work, is generally absent from the femoral cortical bone of rura...

Heritage Science, 2019

Efforts to read medieval manuscript waste recycled as bookbinding material in the sixteenth and s... more Efforts to read medieval manuscript waste recycled as bookbinding material in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries have resulted in the chemical analysis of four books housed at the University Library of Southern Denmark and the Smithsonian Libraries in Washington DC. Four green coloured book bindings have been investigated by optical microscopy, micro X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, mass spectroscopy, and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The results show that the green pigments used to obscure the manuscript waste in all four cases contain orpiment (As2S3) and indigo (C16H11N2O2). Although the books were printed in diverse places in Europe—Basel, Bologna, and Lübeck—the styles of their bindings indicate that they were likely bound in the same region in the same period. It is further likely that they acquired their arsenic-rich paint as part of the bookbinding process. Issues concerning the toxicity, health issues for library...

Heritage Science, 2019

Fragments of painted limestone reliefs from the Palace of Apries in Upper Egypt excavated by Flin... more Fragments of painted limestone reliefs from the Palace of Apries in Upper Egypt excavated by Flinders Petrie in 1908-1910 have been investigated using visible-induced luminescence imaging, micro X-ray fluorescence, laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, micro X-ray powder diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry. The pigments have been mapped, and the use and previous reports of use of pigments are discussed. Mainly lead-antimonate yellow, lead-tin yellow, orpiment, atacamite, gypsum/anhydrite, and Egyptian blue have been detected. It is the first time that lead-antimonate yellow and lead-tin yellow have been identified in ancient Egyptian painting. In fact, this is the earliest examples known of both of these yellow pigments in the world.