Archaeological studies

The name of compounds whose molecules contain three or more elements, usually including oxygen, ends in the suffix ate. Thus the chemical name for limestone, whose chemical formula is CaC03, is calcium carbonate. That of green vitriol, also known as copperas, whose formula is FeS04, is iron sulfate. The names and formulas of some chemical compounds related to archaeological studies are listed in Table 7. 

The nature and the relative amounts of the impurities in many natural and in some synthetic materials, are often characteristic of the geographic area where the materials occur or were made. This is of particular interest in archaeological studies, since determining the nature and the relative amounts of impurities in many materials allows one to determine their provenance (Maniatis 2004 Guerra and Calligaro 2003). 

PHYSICAL METHODS OF ANALYSIS FREQUENTLY USED IN ARCHAEOLOGICAL STUDIES... 

TABLE 99 Imaging Techniques Frequently Used in Archaeological Studies... 

Frank, S. (1982). Glass and Archaeology. Studies in Archaeological Science, Academic Press, London. 

Archaeological studies have used the stable isotope analysis of collagen extracted from fossil bones to reconsfruct the diet of prehistoric human populations (e.g. Schwarcz et al. 1985). 

---