Laboratory Methods: An Introduction

This text reviews the theory, concepts, and basic methods involved in archaeological analysis with the aim of familiarizing both students and professionals with its underlying principles. Topics covered include the nature and presentation of data; database and research design; sampling and quantification; analyzing lithics, pottery, faunal, and botanical remains; interpreting dates; and archaeological illustration. A glossary of key terms completes the book.

This second edition of the classic textbook, The Archaeologist’s Laboratory, is a substantially revised work that offers updated information on the archaeological work that follows fieldwork, such as the processing and analysis of artifacts and other evidence. An overarching theme of this edition is the quality and validity of archaeological arguments and the data we use to support them. The book introduces many of the laboratory activities that archaeologists carry out and the ways we can present research results, including graphs and artifact illustrations. Part I introduces general topics concerning measurement error, data quality, research design, typology, probability and databases. It also includes data presentation, basic artifact conservation, and laboratory safety. Part II offers brief surveys of the analysis of lithics and ground stone, pottery, metal artifacts, bone and shell artifacts, animal and plant remains, and sediments, as well as dating by stratigraphy, seriation and chronometric methods. It concludes with a chapter on archaeological illustration and publication. A new feature of the book is illustration of concepts through case studies from around the world and from the Palaeolithic to historical archaeology.The text is appropriate for senior undergraduate students and will also serve as a useful reference for graduate students and professional archaeologists.

Useful and instructive papers advocating the value of practical considerations in the field, addressing common problems from the real world of archaeology and proposing real solutions that have proven successful through trial and error. Includes papers on the chemical reduction of clay matrices, methods of establishing precise provenience in archaeological excavations, surface collecting with the aid of transits, simplified mapping techniques, the use of X rays in artifact analysis, archaeological surveying from muleback, choosing and maintaining an archaeological field vehicle, and the use of small boats in archaeological investigations.

Magnetometry for Archaeologists covers the most widely used method for archaeological surveying. Arnold Aspinall, Chris Gaffney, and Armin Schmidt recount the history of magnetometers from their inception through today's state-of-the-art detectors, explain the physics behind the different types of sensors, and describe the most fruitful ways in which the technology can be employed. They also consider the theoretical and practical uses of magnetometry for many archaeological periods and regions. The reader learns what magnetometry measures, how knowledge gained from it influences the ways in which surveys are undertaken, and the potential problems associated with the use, display, and interpretation of buried remains. Book jacket.