More than a Rusty Nail: Archaeometric Analysis of Wrought Iron Nails from Fallen Tree, St. Catherines Island, Georgia.

Summary

Computed Tomography (CT) scanning empowers researchers to analyze the physical properties of archaeological materials beyond their superficial qualities. Micro CT enables one to non-destructively observe and measure interior features of an artifact with high precision. It also allows one to segment conjoined materials by their relative densities. The processed images can be exported as 3-dimensional models and analyzed in an array of open-source software applications. In this case study we use CT scanning to analyze a collection of wrought iron nails from the Fallen Tree site (9Li8), a 16th-17th century Indian pueblo situated just south of Spanish Mission Santa Catalina de Guale on St. Catherines Island, Georgia (USA). CT scans of rusty iron nails were virtually filtered to remove obscuring oxidized concretions. Although a lack of standardization in their production makes fine dating wrought iron nails difficult, our case study demonstrates how information derived from CT scans can contribute contextual details that may otherwise be obscured by preservation factors.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage