Preface to Second Edition
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Published:16 Dec 2016
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Special Collection: RSC eTextbook CollectionProduct Type: Textbooks
Archaeological Chemistry, The Royal Society of Chemistry, 3rd edn, 2016, vol. 3, pp. P013-P014.
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Much has happened in the world of archaeological chemistry since we sat down to write the Preface to the First Edition of this volume in December 1995. New centres of research have emerged, whilst some established centres, sadly, have closed down as senior figures retire or equipment is phased out. Analytical and interpretative techniques have developed immeasurably – compare the description of optical emission spectroscopy with that of laser-ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Although we might miss (in a masochistic sort of way!) the care and attention necessary to ensure that the graphite electrode was just the right distance above the cup, and that the photographic plate was developed for just the right length of time, there is no doubting the improvements made in analytical sensitivity, reproducibility and sample throughput.
We referred in the first edition to the ‘golden age of archaeometry’, being that period in the 1960s and 1970s, when, for some archaeologists at least, the chemical analysis of inorganic materials was an essential component of the investigation of prehistoric contact and exchange. Curiously, even though such analysis has become generally easier, better, cheaper and more available, there has been a perceptible decline of interest in such studies. This is perhaps a consequence of the debate about the use of lead isotope data in the Aegean during the 1990s. Archaeologists have been left unsure about how to use these data, given the various competing interpretations presented from, apparently, the same data. They may also be slightly bemused by the whole spectacle, and certainly not prepared to invest any more time in the venture until greater consensus is achieved. Given the fact that, with new instrumentation, such measurements are easier and faster to make than ever before, this is clearly regrettable, and we certainly encourage a new generation of archaeological chemists to return to this and other related issues. We hope this volume will provide the stimulus for some to do so.
It is, however, possible to perceive the growth of a new ‘golden age’ of archaeometry – this time, however, it is focussed more on the biochemistry of archaeological materials. The growth of biomolecular archaeology on all fronts has been dramatic in the 12 years since the First Edition was published. Foremost has been the development of the isotopic study of human bone, for the reconstruction of diet, status and mobility in the past. More recently, building on developments in mass spectrometry, a whole new range of organic molecules, including small proteins, has been detected in archaeological con- texts. These organic molecules have been used to answer questions of major archaeological significance, such as the nature of animal husbandry in the early history of domestication and agriculture.
We have, therefore, added two new chapters on these subjects to this Second Edition. We have also updated all the other chapters to reflect developments over the past ten years, and added many new references. The volume, inevitably, remains a partial reflection of the still-expanding field of archaeological chemistry, and also, equally inevitably, a reflection of personal preferences and interests. We therefore apologise in advance for any omissions, over-simplifications or errors which may occur in this Second Edition.
Mark Pollard and Carl Heron
Oxford and Bradford