Archaeomtric Analysis of Ceramics from Iron Age Thrace, Bulgaria

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2019: General Sessions" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

In American archaeology the use of archaeometric testing such as neutron activation analysis and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry have become increasingly utilized since the 1960s. These techniques, adopted from parallel disciplines including geology, continue to be relatively underrepresented approaches out of Western European and American archaeology. This presentation shows the results of two popular forms of ceramic testing - X-ray florescence spectrometry and thin section petrography - conducted in Bulgaria on ceramic materials from the Bulgarian Iron Age (1,200-200 B.C.E.). Through this process new relationships were forged between Bulgarian archaeologists and geological scientists aimed at testing different methodologies, using equipments previously underutilized, and incorporating computer programs for statistical analysis and special analysis through geographic information systems. These efforts address the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, the development of a user-friendly international database, as well as a combined approach in archaeology that includes traditional practices with new methods and theory.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

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Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 24626