X-ray computed tomography reveals special casting techniques used with unusual bronze objects unearthed from the Sanxingdui site
June 2022
Scholars in a wide range of disciplines are interested in the casting techniques used to create the extraordinary bronze objects unearthed from the two pits of the Sanxingdui site. Although researchers...
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Copper at ancient Kerma: A diachronic investigation of alloys and raw materials
June 2022
•First overview of Kerma copper alloys.•Trace element and lead isotope data for forty-eight artefacts.•Flexible alloying strategies from Middle Kerma period onwards.•Possibly shared provisioning networks...
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Stasis or stimulus? Exotic materials and social display in Southeast Asia: Response to Pfaffenberger
June 2022
This paper assesses the relationship between metallurgy and social change in prehistoric Thailand. One model proposes that for about 15 centuries after circa 2000 BCE, peaceful village communities,...
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Numerical simulation and comparative study for the zinc smelting furnaces at the Tongmuling site in Qing Dynasty, Hunan Province, China
June 2022
Brass, which appears golden in color, used to be a valuable alloy in ancient times. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the Chinese used special furnaces to smelt zinc for minting and exporting to overseas...
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The Decoration and Firing of Ancient Greek Pottery: A Review of Recent Investigations
December 2021
The wealth and diversity of decoration on Greek pottery continues to attract science-based attention. The availability of increasingly powerful analytical techniques has allowed the nature of the decoration...
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Invention of cast iron smelting in early China: Archaeological survey and numerical simulation
June 2021
The earliest cast iron in China dates to the 8th century BC and pre-dates the earliest European evidence by about two millennia. The invention of cast iron smelting is closely related to the pre-existing...
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A journey of over 200 years: early studies on wootz ingots and new evidence from Konasamudram, India
June 2021
Recent new evidence emerged from the crucible steel production site of Konasamudram, Telangana, India. A hoard of 60 crucible steel ingots from this site offers a unique opportunity to study details...
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Chinese mirrors from the burials of the nomads of Eastern Europe of the second half of the 1st millennium BC-first centuries AD: Typology, chronology, distribution and technology of manufacture
June 2021
The article is devoted to the Chinese mirrors found in the burials of the nomads of Asian Sarmatia. The typology and chronology of mirrors is presented, the earliest of which dates back to the period...
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An AAS study of Chinese imperial yellow porcelain bodies and their place in the history of Jingdezhen's porcelain development
June 2021
The bodies of 12 examples of imperial yellow Chinese porcelain dating from the early sixteenth century to the early twentieth century have been studied by atomic absorption spectroscopy. The yellow...
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Plating and Surface Treatments on Ancient Metalwork
December 2020
This paper presents an overview of techniques employed in antiquity—in different regions and at different times—for decorating metals by plating or applying surface treatments. Quite often the intention...
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Archaeomaterials, Innovation, and Technological Change
December 2020
The field of archaeomaterials research has enormous potential to shed light on past innovation processes. However, this potential has been only partially recognized outside its immediate practitioners,...
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Soil, Hands, and Heads: An Ethnoarchaeological Study on Local Preconditions of Pottery Production in the Wei River Valley (Northern China)
December 2020
This study combines an analysis of archaeological remains, geographic background, and ethnoarchaeological research to gain insights into preconditions and processes of pottery making in northern China...
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Introduction: A Mission to Be Fulfilled
December 2020
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Glassmaking of the Qing Dynasty: A Review, New Data, and New Insights
December 2020
Full major and minor chemical compositions, including F, B, As, and Cl, have been produced quantitatively using EPMA for glass samples originating from the Qing Dynasty glass collection of the Bristol...
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A Welcome Message from the Managing Editor
December 2020
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