Isotope analyses, lead

Gale, N. and Z. Stos-Gale (2000), Lead isotope analysis applied to provenance studies, in Ciliberto, E. and G. Spoto (eds.), Modern Analytical Methods in Art and Archaeology, Chemical Analysis Series, Vol. 155, Wiley, New York, pp. 503-584. 

Shortland, A. (2006). Application of lead isotope analysis to a wide range of late bronze age Egyptian materials, Archaeometry 48, 657-669. 

Although the technique of lead isotope analysis for archaeological provenancing has been in use for more than 40 years, it is only in the past 15 years or so that some of the fundamental assumptions have been seriously reconsidered. The major areas that have been questioned can be classified under three headings ... 

Al-Saad, Z. (2000). Technology and provenance of a collection of Islamic copper-based objects as found by chemical and lead isotope analysis. 

Budd, P., Pollard, A.M., Scaife, B. and Thomas, R.G. (1995d). Lead isotope analysis and oxhide ingots a final comment. Journal of Mediterranean Archaeology 8 70-75. 

Ponting, M., Evans, J.A and Pashley, V. (2003). Fingerprinting of Roman mints using laser-ablation MC-ICP-MS lead isotope analysis. Archaeometry 45 591-597. 

Rohl, B. and Needham, S. (1998). The Circulation of Metal in the British Bronze Age The Application of Lead Isotope Analysis. Occasional Paper 102, British Museum, London. 

Scaife, B. (1993). Lead Isotope Analysis and Archaeological Provenancing. Unpublished B.Sc. dissertation, Department of Archaeological Sciences, University of Bradford. 

Scaife, B., Budd, P., McDonnell, J.G., Pollard, A.M. and Thomas, R.G. (1996). A new statistical technique for interpreting lead isotope analysis data. In Archaeometry 94. Proceedings of the 29th International Symposium on Archaeometry, ed. Demirci, ., Ozer, A.M. and Summers, G.D., Tubitak, Ankara, pp. 301-307. 

Kuleff, I., Djingova, R., Alexandrova, A., Yakova, V., and Amov, B. (1995). INAA, AAS and lead isotope analysis of ancient lead anchors from the Black Sea. Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry 196 65-76. 

Carlson RW, Hauri EH (2001) Extending the ° Pd- ° Ag chronometer to low Pd/Ag meteorites with multicollector plasma-ionization mass spectrometry. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 65 1839-1848 Clayton, RN, Onuma N, Mayeda TK (1976) Distribution of the presolar component in Allende and other carbonaceous chondrites. Earth Planet Sci Lett 30 10-18 Compston W, Oversby VM (1969) Lead isotopic analysis using a double spike. J Geophys Res 74 4338-4348 Criss RE (1999) Principles of Stable Isotope Distribution. University Press, Oxford... 

Gale NH (1970) A solution in closed form for lead isotopic analysis using a double spike. Chem Geol 6 305-310... 

De Muynck, David, Christophe Cloquet, Elisabeth Smits, Frederik A. de Wolff, Ghylaine Quitte, Luc Moens, and Frank Vanhaecke. Lead Isotopic Analysis of Infant Bone Tissue Dating from the Roman Era Via Multicollector ICP-Mass Spectrometry. Analytical and Bioana-lytical Chemistry 390 (2008) 477-486. The researchers used isotope analysis to show that high concentrations of lead in the bones of Roman infants probably did not come from the soil or other objects in the graves. 

Todt, W., Cliff, R.A., Hanser, A. and Hofmann, A.W., 1996. Evaluation of a Pb- Pb double spike for high-precision lead isotope analysis. In A.R. Basu, Hart, S. R. (Editor), Earth processes reading the isotopic code. Geophysical Monograph Am. Geophys. Union, pp. 429-437. 

Compston, W. and Oversby, V.M., 1969. Lead isotope analysis using a double spike. J. Geophys. Res., 74 4338-4348. 

Lead isotopic analysis (J, 2, 3, 4, 5) is a relatively new member of this expanding group of complementary methods. Like the others, it has its own peculiarities, advantages, and disadvantages which have been described. Lead isotope studies help to identify possible geographical origins of the ores from which ancient leads were smelted. Even where specific mines cannot be identified, the objects can still be classified as to which could or could not have had a common origin. The method requires only small sample sizes, and the results are independent of the histories of the objects studied. 

Lead Isotope Analysis of Roman Carthage Curse... 

A.D. were found in old mines, and sizable slag deposits suggest at least some level of lead exploitation during Roman times (2). By the careful selection of Roman lead artifacts likely to have been manufactured in Carthage, and the use of lead isotope analysis, it may be possible to confirm the use of Tunisian lead ores during the Roman period. In this preliminary study, analysis of 22 curse tablets by electron microprobe analysis (EMPA) and six tablets by thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) suggest that these artifacts might be used to better understand Roman lead use and trade. 

Curse tablets from Roman Carthage, lead isotope analysis, 311-335... 

Glass beads from central California, lead isotope analysis by LA-TOF-ICP-MS, 305-307/... 

---