Дисертації з теми "Archaeological artefect"

The present work explores the long term corrosion phenomena of lead and tin in saline and other conditions. Thermodynamic results are presented for the minerals abhurite, blixite, mendipite, paralaurionite, stannite and the compounds Pb706Cl2.2H20 and Sn30(OH)2S04 at 298.2K and P = 105 Pa. At this temperature laurionite is stable, rather than its dimorph, paralaurionite, and mendipite is in fact metastable, being thermodynamically stable above 29 0 C. Kinetic influences are significant with respect to the sequence of formation of solid phases in the PbO - H20 - HCl system, and these have been elucidated for some important reactions. Penfieldite and fiedlerite appear to be metastable at all temperatures at 105 Pa. These results have been used to develop a model for the formation of lead(II) oxy- and hydroxy- chloride phases that are known as minerals and as corrosion products of lead-containing artefacts. The effect of C02 on the system is also discussed. A new synthesis of sn30(OH)2S04 is described, and its stability constant in aqueous solution has been determined by direct ~easurement of the activities of Sn2+ and s04 2- using ion selective electrodes. The true formula·of abhurite is Sn2l06(OH)14Cl16' which corresponds to a synthetic phase of known crystal structure. The results have been used to assess the relative stabilities of these compounds in the natural environment and their modes of occurrence in relation to other secondary Sn(II) and Sn(IV) species. Finally, some divalent metal hexahydroxystannates have been made, and their role in the corrosion of tin and its alloys assessed. The electrochemical oxidation of stannite has been studied and some correlation has been made between the supergene minerals formed and solution chemistry.

The research presented aimed to investigate potential of subcritical fluid technology to effect Cl- release and transform compounds of copper alloy artefacts of cultural significance. The work intended to determine the most effective pH, temperature, and time combination subcritical treatment variables to: 1. transform or solvate insoluble or sparingly soluble copper compounds containing Cl - CuCl and Cu2(OH)3Cl (atacamite and clinoatacamite); 2. examine impact on typical patina compounds Cu2O and ‎Cu2CO3(OH)2 and to establish optimal conditions for their retention throughout treatment. Additionally, the research expected to offer guidance on the values of the operational parameters to use when applying subcritical treatment to archaeological copper alloy objects. The series of experiments yielded preliminary results on solvation, extraction, chemical transformation, and physical modification of the predominant corrosion products found on copper alloy artefacts. Experiments were completed using analogue pressed pellets of corrosion products, naturally corroded copper coupons and archaeological artefacts, with specific focus on corrosion profiles, metallography and microstructure. The results of extraction show significant amounts of Cl- are removed and thus the reactivity of objects is reduced. While this study conclusively demonstrated subcritical treatment is capable of both removal and transformation of Cl-bearing compounds commonly present in copper alloy objects, it cannot be recommended for treating archaeological objects based on these results alone. Aesthetic and physical changes are unpredictable and may be unacceptable. Accepting these changes cannot directly be balanced against the proven effectiveness of subcritical treatment for removing Cl, nor its rapid treatment time.

Additive manufacturing (AM) has shown itself to be beneficial in many application areas, including product design and manufacture, medical models and prosthetics, architectural modelling and artistic endeavours. For some of these applications, coupling AM with reverse engineering (RE) enables the utilisation of data from existing 3D shapes. This thesis describes the application of AM and RE within sculpture manufacture, in order to optimise the process chains for sculpture reproduction and relic conservation and restoration. This area poses particular problems since the original artefacts can often be fragile and inaccessible, and the finishing required on the AM replicas is both complex and varied. Several case studies within both literature and practical projects are presented, which cover essential knowledge of producing large scale sculptures from an original models as well as a wide range of artefact shapes and downstream finishing techniques. The combination of digital technologies and traditional art requires interdisciplinary knowledge across engineering and fine art. Also, definitions and requirements (e.g. 'accuracy'), can be applied as both engineering and artistic terms when specifications and trade-offs are being considered. The thesis discusses the feasibility for using these technologies across domains, and explores the potential for developing new market opportunities for AM. It presents and analyses a number of case study projects undertaken by the author with a view to developing cost and time models for various processes used. These models have then been used to develop a series of "process maps", which enable users of AM in this area to decide upon the optimum process route to follow, under various circumstances. The maps were validated and user feedback obtained through the execution of two further sculpture manufacturing projects. The thesis finishes with conclusions about the feasibility of the approach, its constraints, the pros and cons of adopting AM in this area and recommendations for future research.

This thesis concerns corrosion inhibiting compounds which slow the deterioration of archaeological copper artefacts. Benzotriazole (BTA) and 2-Amino- 5-mercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazole (AMT) have been applied as corrosion inhibitors in archaeological conservation. A search was conducted for similar compounds that could be applied in the conservation of copper and copper alloys. According to a list of requirements specific to archaeological conservation, six new inhibitors were tested. 2-Aminopyrimidine (AP), 5,6-Dimethylbenzimidazole (DB), 2-Mercaptobenzimidazole (MBI), 2-Mercaptobenzoxazole (MBO), 2-Mercaptobenzothiazole (MBT), 2-Mercaptopyrimidine (MP), were tested for potential archaeological conservation applications. The literature 1ists only one corrosion test for copper chloride corrosion in archaeological conservation, with intact surface corrosion products. Industrial corrosion tests were checked in American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM), British Standards Institution (BSI), Deutsche Industry Norm (DIN), International Standards Organisation (ISO). Chlorides are known to be a major factor in ongoing deterioration of copper artefacts in the museum environment. The mechanisms and types of chloride corrosion are discussed, including past and recent literature on the subject. No corrosion test was found entirely suitable for the evaluation of corrosion inhibitors against corroded metallic surfaces in conservation, so an appropriate corrosion test had to be developed. Copper coupons were immersed into cupric chloride solutions to produce cuprous chloride corrosion, the structure of which is similar to corrosion found directly against remaining metal of artefacts. These coupons were subsequently treated with corrosion inhibitor solutions, and exposed to elevated relative humidity to assess corrosion inhibition, by monitoring the weight changes during the experiments. The inhibitor solutions were analysed regarding the depletion of copper in copper corrosion products, using Atomic Absorption Photospectroscopy (AAS). The colour changes of copper corrosion products treated with inhibitor solutions were determined using a chroma meter. According to these findings AMT, and MBT were selected for more extensive performance tests against BTA on archaeological metal artefacts.

The aim of this study is to present the architectural and organizational characteristics of Burgaz houses by taking into consideration a number of internal and external factors such as economical, social and environmental that influenced the house plan and its utilization in 4th century BC. To discuss the place of Burgaz house within the ancient Greek domestic context, the architectural, structural, and functional characteristics of houses are investigated and compared to contemporary examples, such as Olynthus and Haleis from Mainland Greece, as well as Kolophon and Klazomenai from Western Anatolia.

Benzotriazole (BTA) is a corrosion inhibitor extensively used for the stabilisation of active corrosion of archaeological copper and copper alloys. However, BTA often fails to effectively retard corrosion when applied on heavily corroded artefacts. Although there are numerous studies about its mode of action on clean copper, there is no comprehensive understanding about the way it is bonded to corroded copper. This thesis aimed to understand and compare BTA and its mode of action on clean and corroded copper by examining possible factors that could affect efficiency including concentration, solvent, period of immersion and pH. BTA efficiency could be improved by making use not only of these results but also of the synergism that is observed between BTA and other inhibitive compounds. The combination of inhibitors and the use of the synergistic effect between compounds is common in industry but has never been tested before for use in conservation. The synergistic effect could be beneficial for use on corroded copper alloys suffering with active corrosion. The six compounds selected were 5-Amino-2-Mercapto-l, 3, 4- Thiadiazole (AMT), Benzylamine (BZA), Ethanolamine (ET), l-Phenyl-5-Mercapto- Tetrazole (PMT), Potassium Ethyl Xanthate (KEX) and Potassium Iodide (KJ). These were tested on their own and in combination with BTA. Accelerated corrosion tests were carried out on artificially corroded copper coupons. Analysis using SEM-EDS, XPS, and FT-IR allowed a better understanding of the way different factors affect the formation of the copper-BTA complex formed and subsequently the BTA efficiency. The addition of other compounds into the BTA solutions significantly affected the complex formed and the film properties. Copper(I)-inhibitor complexes were proven to be more protective than copper(II) complexes. The results also showed that there is a synergistic effect between BTA and AMT which results in improved inhibitive efficiency of both inhibitors. The composition of the film formed was mainly dependent on the concentration of the solution, however, it was found to be effective in very low concentrations as well as aqueous solutions. Finally, field trials of some of the more effective solutions of compounds were performed on archaeological objects from Turkey and Greece and these results confirmed those of the laboratory experiments. All of the experiments and fields trials were designed and analysed statistically.

Thesis (PhD)--Macquarie University, Division of Environmental & Life Sciences, Graduate School of the Environment, 2002.
Includes bibliographical references: p. 228-232.
Geomorphology, archaeology and geoarchaeology: introduction and background -- Surface stone artefact scatters: why can we see them? -- Geomorphic controls on spatial patterning of the surface stone artefact record -- A temporal framework for interpreting surface artefact scatters in Western NSW -- Synthesis: stone artefact scatters in a dynamic landscape.
Surface scatters of stone artefacts are the most ubiquitous feature of the Australian Aboriginal archaeological record, yet the most underutilized by archaeologists in developing models of Aboriginal prehistory. Among the many reasons for this are the lack of understanding of geomorphic processes that have exposed them, and the lack of a suitable chronological framework for investigating Aboriginal 'use of place'. This thesis addresses both of these issues. -- In arid western NSW, erosion and deposition accelerated as a result of the introduction of sheep grazing in the mid 1800s has resulted in exposure of artefact scatters in some areas, burial in others, and complete removal in those parts of the landscape subject to concentrated flood flows. The result is a patchwork of artefact scatters exhibiting various degrees of preservation, exposure and visibility. My research at Stud Creek, in Sturt National Park in far western NSW, develops artefact and landscape survey protocols to accommodate this dynamic geomorphic setting. A sampling strategy stratified on the basis of landscape morphodynamics is presented that allows archaeologists to target areas of maximum artefact exposure and minimum post-discard disturbance. Differential artefact visibility at the time of the survey is accommodated by incorporating measures of surface cover which quantify the effects of various ephemeral environmental processes, such as deposition of sediments, vegetation growth, and bioturbation, on artefact count. -- While surface stone artefact scatters lack the stratigraphy usually considered necessary for establishing the timing of Aboriginal occupation, a combination of radiocarbon determinations on associated heat-retainer ovens, and stratigraphic analysis and dating of the valley fills which underlie the scatters, allows a two-stage chronology for huntergatherer activity to be developed. In the Stud Creek study area, dating of the valley fill by OSL established a maximum age of 2,040±100 y for surface artefact scatters. The heatretainer ovens ranged in age from 1630±30 y BP to 220±55 y BP. Bayesian statistical analysis of the sample of 28 radiocarbon determinations supported the notion, already established from analysis of the artefacts, that the Stud Creek valley was occupied intermittently for short durations over a relatively long period of time, rather than intensively occupied at any one time. Furthermore, a gap in oven building between about 800 and 1100 years ago was evident. Environmental explanations for this gap are explored, but the paiaeoenvironmental record for this part of the Australian arid zone is too sparse and too coarse to provide explanations of human behaviour on time scales of just a few hundred years. -- Having established a model for Stud Creek of episodic landscape change throughout the late Pleistocene and Holocene, right up to European contact, its veracity was evaluated in a pilot study at another location within the region. The length of the archaeological record preserved in three geomorphically distinct locations at Fowlers Gap, 250 km south of Stud Creek, is a function of geomorphic dynamics, with a record of a few hundred years from sites located on channel margins and low terraces, and the longest record thus far of around 5,000 years from high terrace surfaces more remote from active channel incision. But even here, the record is not continuous, and like Stud Creek, the gaps are interpreted to indicate that Aboriginal people moved into and out of these places intermittently throughout the mid to late Holocene. -- I conclude that episodic nonequilibrium characterizes the geomorphic history of these arid landscapes, with impacts on the preservation of the archaeological record. Dating of both archaeological and landform features shows that the landscape, and the archaeological record it preserves, are both spatially and temporally disjointed. Models of Aboriginal hunter-gatherer behaviour and settlement patterns must take account of these discontinuities in an archaeological record that is controlled by geomorphic activity. -- I propose a new geoarchaeological framework for landscape-based studies of surface artefact scatters that incorporates geomorphic analysis and dating of landscapes, as well as tool typology, into the interpretation of spatial and temporal patterns of Aboriginal huntergatherer 'use of place'.
Mode of access: World Wide Web.
vii, 232 p. ill., maps

This paper will discuss whether you can detect a possible alteration in views of archaeological artefacts during the 1900’s until 2014 by local history societies and what their views are today. It will also discuss other aspects that can have contributed to potential changed views on the artefacts. The other aspects that will be investigated are heritage conservation, politics, museums/policies and disposal of archaeological artefacts. This paper will also discuss the Swedish definition of the concept “archaeological artefacts”, and if newspapers have contributed to a different view of archaeological artefacts. The conclusions of this paper are that local history societies have different views of archaeological artefacts, but not all of them have a changed view and some of them have similar views to other history societies. One more thing detected might be a drift between the public and the archaeologists which may have been affected by politics? These aspects have contributed to a different view but in different ways and not always at the same time. Newspaper have been a contributor to changed views because they spread information that is not always correct or fair and therefore misguide the general population – for example the definition of an archaeological artefact. Disposal of archaeological artefacts does not happen as often in Swedish museums as newspaper articles make it seem and the local history societies do not approve of disposal but concede that if it must happen, albeit with good documentation. A final conclusion is that things change when time passes, and so do views and opinions, but not always as much as one may think.

For nearly 24 years, the archaeology of northern Cyprus has not been investigated as thoroughly as that in the southern part of the island. All foreign projects, which are responsible for the substantial majority of the archaeological work in Cyprus, are active in the south. This has created a major imbalance in our knowledge of the prehistory of the island. The new discoveries in the south have advanced our knowledge of the prehistoric period in Cyprus in many ways, but at the same time the lack of archaeological work in the north makes these potentially biased, and theoretical approaches cannot be confirmed without knowledge of the whole island. This thesis is an attempt to narrow this gap by applying a survey method that has not been applied on such a large scale in Cyprus before, with new interpretative aims and methods. The period of interest is from the Aceramic Neolithic to the end of the Chalcolithic, approximately 7,500 - 2,800 BC. The survey was carried out in Kyrenia district, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, over two field seasons. A total of twenty-eight sites was selected according to their surface richness from Stanley Price's gazetteer of sites published in 1979. Out of these sites twenty-two had surface finds, three had no surface finds and three were not found. In addition to these sites two previously unknown sites were discovered and surveyed. The method of survey was two-fold. The first was intensive total surface collection using a five metre grid, with results fed into a mapping programme to create scatter maps showing artefact distribution. The second was extensive area survey, which involved systematic field walking accompanied by surface collection.

The main aim of this study is to define the cooking activity spaces in Burgaz at 4th Century B.C. by carrying out statistical analysis of artefacts come from floor levels. In this study the distribution of artefacts and the associations of these distributions with architectural remains are examined rather than architectural features. In order to defining cooking activity spaces, the spatial distribution of cooking wares and utilities were taken into consideration. The distributions of cooking wares were tried to associate with ashy areas that can be related to cooking activities. In this study, the spatial analysis of archaeological artefacts assemblages that found in four well preserved houses from NE Sector revealed during the excavations of Burgaz (1993-2003) was carried out and the space usage, especially cooking spaces, were identified in these houses.

The thesis explores the complex area between preservation of museum collections, and the need to allow access to the collections and the artefacts for researchers. The focus is on archaeological collections, and inorganic materials in particular. The aim is to illustrate the problems, as well as the opportunities, of archaeological scientific analysis when combined with museological sciences such as materiality and material culture studies, theories of object biographies, the concept of objects as actors, and the issue of silent objects. Exploring the exchange between the museological and the natural sciences to promote enhanced usage of collection artefacts, and to explore whether there are real barriers or if they are perceived due to a lack of mutual understanding. Methodologically it is a text based analysis of the research situation internationally and nationally in Sweden, with a case study comprised of observation of a research team that at the same time were making archaeometallurgical analyses of bronze age objects, and interviews with a small group connected to the areas of interest for this thesis. The sources have consisted of the material generated by the case study, as well as the text material used to provide the necessary background. By using text analysis, Actor-network theory, observation, and interviews, the discussions can revolve around the theoretical perspectives of materiality, object biography and silent objects, with the premise that sample analyses could bring back some context to an artefact. The findings indicate that the museum sector and other disciplines would greatly benefit from closer collaborations with each other and work more interdisciplinary. Museum collections harbour artefacts that could enrich the collective disciplines with their informative values, and with a mass of sampled and analysed context-less artefacts, new and fascinating patterns could emerge, leading to new discoveries. The findings also show that, in archaeology, this is already in motion, and the hope is that this develops on a larger scale in the museum sector as well.
Den här uppsatsen undersöker det snåriga område mellan museers plikt att bevara samlingarna samt behovet att tillåta åtkomst för forskare till samlingarna och föremålen. Fokus ligger på arkeologiska samlingar, och oorganiskt material i synnerhet. Syftet är att belysa problemen, samt de möjligheter som arkeologisk vetenskaplig analys har att ge i kombination med museivetenskapliga begrepp såsom materialitet och materiell kultur, teorier om objektbiografi, objekt som aktörer och ”tysta” föremål. Uppsatsen utforskar utbyten mellan musei- och naturvetenskap som främjar ökad användning av föremål i samlingar, och undersöker om det finns verkliga hinder i utbytet eller om de endast är upplevda på grund av en bristande ömsesidig förståelse. Metodologiskt är det en textbaserad analys av forskningsläget internationellt och nationellt i Sverige, med en fallstudie bestående av observation av en forskargrupp som samtidigt gjorde arkeometallurgiska analyser av bronsåldersföremål, och intervjuer med en liten grupp personer med koppling till intresseområdena för denna uppsats. Källorna består av det material som genererats av fallstudien, samt den litteratur som gett den nödvändiga bakgrunden. Genom att använda textanalys, Actor-network theory, observation och intervjuer, kretsar diskussionerna runt teoretiska perspektiv som materialitet och materiell kultur, objektbiografi och ”tysta” föremål utifrån förutsättningen att analys kan återföra lite av en artefakts kontext. Resultaten visar på att museisektorn och andra discipliner i hög grad skulle tjäna på ett närmare samarbete och att arbeta mer tvärvetenskapligt. Museisamlingar inhyser föremål som skulle kunna berika de samlade disciplinerna med sina informativa värden, och med en mängd provtagningar och analyser av kontextlösa föremål kan nya och fascinerande mönster framträda, vilket i sin tur kan leda till nya upptäckter. Resultaten visar också att detta redan är satt i rörelse inom åtminstone arkeologin, men förhoppningen är att detta även kan ske i större skala inom museisektorn.

This paper deals with the chemical identification of artefacts correlated with the process of ancient Egyptian mummification dating to the Graeco-Roman period. The samples were harvested from two artefacts belonging to the Museum of Mediterranean and Near Eastern Antiquities in Stockholm. The original description of the said samples defined them, as natron filled linen bags and bee product (honey?). To identify the true nature of the samples, advanced methods such as Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR), gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and powder X-ray Diffractometry were used. The results were correlated with previous made analyses regarding embalming materials to discover similarities. Furthermore, the research revealed that the previous sample identifications were false, while providing hypotheses based on the new results.

This thesis rewievs present day research on the settlement of Östra Aros in central Sweden. The thesis deals with the period from late Iron age to about 1270 AD, when the Swedish archdiocese moved to the already existing early-medieval settlement of Östra Aros, thus becoming the medieval town of Uppsala. The basis of the thesis is the study of a variety of source materials, such as artefact studies, runestones, topography and the prehistoric and early medieval hinterland. The thesis centers on archaeological excavation data and dating of settlement structures, particularly focusing on the settlements establishment. Through a critical review of primarily the written record and the archaeological data, the settlements characteristics and functions are discussed, emphasising when and if the settlement could be described as a town, central- or trading place.

Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Geospatial Technologies.
Culture, being created by any and every of us, is the expression form of the society. We easily manipulate this term in everyday life, but defining the culture brings a lot of discussions in between scientists. The most common approach of understanding culture is from anthropologists (Harris & Johnson, 2006; Tylor, 1871) who associate culture with the common developed complex pattern of the society life expressed through knowledge, believes, art, morality, laws, traditions and other features. Approaching extinct cultures all this can be found and interpreted just from archaeological artefacts. Despite many culture definitions, the spatio-temporal aspect of culture is brought mostly by archaeologists. All in all the culture and cultural area understandings remain very fuzzy, though culture area is always formalized as a crispy one. Due to such fuzziness, author would guess, there was no hurry for cultural area or boundary digitalization as it happened with other cultural data in Europe within last decades. The cultural boundary question stayed 'taboo' in semantic web also, that is recently developing for cultural data in order to help to represent the meaning in a restricted sense. It is therefore in this thesis the culture boundary representation in semantic web is analyzed.

The ability to understand and identify the functions of stone artefacts recovered from archaeological assemblages has been a long term goal of lithic technologists and archaeologists world wide. As one of the primary means by which prehistoric huntergatherers negotiated the environment around them, understanding stone artefact functions is central to understanding and reconstructing the prehistoric subsistence and settlement patterns that depended upon them and, therefore, to meeting the objectives of archaeology as a field. Two broad approaches to inferring stone artefact function currently dominate the literature. The first examines macro- and microscopic use-wear preserved on archaeological specimens, seeking to identify specific artefact functions through analogies with experimental replication of hypothesized prehistoric tasks. The second approach explores stone artefact function within a broader, behavioural context, hypothesizing that tools functioned as a means of increasing efficiency in subsistence strategies by reducing the costs associated with resource procurement, through the organisation of technology. Both approaches have gained widespread acceptance within the discipline and form the basis of countless interpretations of archaeological sites world wide. Yet, to date, neither approach has been systematically evaluated and tested. Such an evaluation forms the basis of the research presented here. Evaluation of the principles underlying each approach reveals their dependence upon a number of untested assumptions about stone artefact function. In particular, the relationship between artefact morphology and function is revealed to be based largely upon assumed, rather than demonstrated, knowledge of stone tool use. Failure to explore the key area of performance in investigations of artefact function and to identify the morphological attributes responsible for stone artefact performance, has contributed to technologists' current inability to explain the relationship between form and function in stone artefacts. The controlled experimental program carried out in this thesis was designed to address these issues, both by systematically testing the interpretive ability of the current frameworks for identifying stone artefact function and also by exploring the relationship between artefact form and function through an understanding of stone artefact performance. The results contradict many previous assumptions, revealing a number of misconceptions in current views on the identification and interpretation of stone artefact function. The inability to identify unique signatures for particular artefact functions in the patterns of usescarring produced through artefact use, demonstrated in this thesis, indicates that a consistent relationship between use and the scarnng-wear produced does not exist. Instead, the features of scars produced through use are shown to be the product of multiple complex interactions between previously untested variables and relate to both use and the morphological features of the working edge. This observation is a direct contradiction of the principles upon which wear analyses are based and, necessarily, calls into question the interpretive value of this technique. Likewise, the illustration that form and function are not uniquely connected challenges current assumptions that equate morphological difference with difference in functional utility. Instead, it is demonstrated that stone artefact manufacture and performance are responsive to a wide range of interactions between use and morphological variables, which allows them to respond to different circumstances by compromising forms, balancing trade-offs and performing a wide range of functions. The emerging view of the relationship between artefact form and function is that of a dynamic and interactive system in which adjustments in one aspect of morphology affect a number of other aspects, each with important consequences for the subsequent use and later interpretation of stone artefact function. The ability for this research to produce results which contradict current approaches to the interpretation of stone artefact function indicates that many of the processes and mechanisms acting upon prehistoric stone artefact manufacture and use have been misunderstood. These misconceptions highlight inadequacies in previous investigations of stone artefact function, emphasise the value of adopting more rigorous theoretical and methodological approaches to the analysis and interpretation of stone artefacts and highlight the need for archaeologists to embrace a more dynamic view of the relationship between stone artefact manufacture and use.

Previous archaeological research in southern Tanzania has focused on Plio-Pleistocene sites documenting early hominid evolution, or alternatively, the late Holocene Later Stone Age and Iron Age sites documenting the transition from foraging to food production. However, recent surveys and test excavations conducted by Dr. Pamela Willoughby in Iringa have revealed the regions potential for also contributing to the study of the Middle Stone Age, the time period and technological system that coincides with the appearance of anatomically modern humans. Analysis of lithics recovered from two 1m2 test pits during 2006 test excavations at Magubike rockshelter demonstrate the site contains sequences yielding Middle Stone Age, Later Stone Age, and Iron Age materials. Michael Mehlmans lithic typology is used to place the lithics within a relative cultural historical context. Further analysis documents patterns and intensity of lithic reduction, raw material utilization, and other aspects of lithic production at Magubike throughout time.

Tematem dysertacji jest dialektyczna przemiana artefaktu archeologicznego w eksponat. Główne problemy badawcze lokują się na styku historii i teorii archeologii, historii sztuki oraz studiów muzealnych i dotyczą ontologii artefaktu oraz eksponatu, relacji muzeum i obowiązujących paradygmatów wobec nowych podejść i teorii w archeologii. Praca ilustruje, jak zostając eksponatem, artefakt staje się jednocześnie odbiciem dominujących w dyscyplinie paradygmatów i manifestuje obowiązujące w danym czasie i miejscu cele i metody tworzenia wiedzy, a także pożądane społecznie interpretacje oraz sposoby przedstawiania i uobecniania przeszłości. Praca metodologicznie opiera się na perspektywach zwrotu ontologicznego i nowego materializmu. Dysertacja prezentuje wyniki badań prowadzonych przy pomocy metody autoetnograficznej, metod teorii ugruntowanej, metody indywidualnych przypadków i analizy krytycznej. Struktura pracy opiera się na trzech pojęciach: artefaktu, eksponatu i strategii muzealnych. W pierwszym rozdziale omówione są obowiązujące definicje i etymologia pojęcia „artefakt”. Następny rozdział „Oblicza artefaktu” stanowi prezentację badań autoetnograficznych, opiera się na powtarzalnej strukturze, w której notatki z terenu są zestawione z teoriami archeologicznymi i nowymi tendencjami w humanistyce. W ramach tego rozdziału wyróżnionych jest osiem podrozdziałów kolejno zatytułowanych: „Fragment”, „Zagadka”, „Skrytość”, „Biologia”, „Kolor”, „Dynamika”, „Kontekst”, „Ekstrakcja”. Część pracy dedykowaną artefaktowi kończy próba redefinicji tego terminu ilustrowana modelem „Artefakt: interwencje i zatory”. Kolejna część pracy nosi tytuł „Kultura eksponatu” i stanowi analizę czterech europejskich, stałych wystaw archeologicznych zorganizowanych lub zrekonstruowanych w ciągu ostatnich dwudziestu lat w John Soane’s Museum w Londynie, Neues Museum w Berlinie, Museo Ara Pacis w Rzymie i New Acropolis Museum w Atenach. Analizom przyświeca uznanie, że muzeum stanowi odbicie obowiązujących w nauce paradygmatów, stąd też ważnym tłem dla prowadzonych rozważań są zagadnienia z obszaru teorii archeologii, historii archeologii i wizualizacji wiedzy. Wybrane studia przypadków mają zatem ilustrować następowanie po sobie kolejnych paradygmatów archeologicznych, w ramach których profilowane są wystawy. Muzeum architekta Johna Soane’a ukazuje zatem, w jaki sposób myślano o ekspozycji w dobie przed-naukowej archeologii. Narracja w Neues Museum w Berlinie oferuje wgląd w początki akademickiej archeologii, kształtowanie się jej metod i aparatu badawczego. Z kolei Museo Ara Pacis w Rzymie ilustruje współczesną archeologię, horyzont badawczy rozpinający się od badań nad archeologią i sztuką po usytuowane na dyscyplinarnym styku badania archeobotaniczne. Podobnie New Acropolis Museum prezentuje aktualny obraz dyscypliny, zainteresowanej rekonstruowaniem artefaktów i przestrzeni przy użyciu progresywnych technologii. Zaprezentowane analizy muzeów mają gruntować stawiane tezy dotyczące mediowania i negocjowania teorii poprzez prowadzoną w tle swoistą archeologię muzeum archeologicznego. Ostania część pracy, zatytułowana „Artefakt jako eksponat” służy przedstawieniu trzech strategii dla muzeum archeologicznego. W „Archeologii protetycznej” zaprezentowana jest aktualnie popularna strategia wprowadzania do muzeów technologii multimedialnych. Rozdział „Preposteryjna sztuka archeologii” dotyczy schedy relacji sztuki i archeologii — zarysowana jest w nim potencjalna alternatywa w mediacjach sztuki archeologią i archeologii sztuką. Trzecia strategia opisywana w rozdziale „Symetryczna archeologia naturo-kultury” ilustruje wewnętrzne napięcia w archeologii (archeologia humanistyczna, archeometria) i proponuje projekt muzeum archeologicznego jako muzeum życia. Pracę kończy spekulatywny projekt krytycznego muzeum archeologicznego opartego na wykorzystaniu aktualnych teorii w archeologii, próbach budowania wielkich narracji i zaangażowaniu wyobraźni archeologicznej.
My dissertation examines the dialectical relation between academic knowledge and archaeological museums. It is organized around three basic concepts: the artifact, the exhibit, and the archaeological museum. The project is situated at the crossroads of museum studies, the history and theory of archaeology, and the history of art and aesthetics. To analyze the disruptive relation between a museum and academic knowledge, new theories and established paradigms, I take up Hedley Swain’s claim that research on archaeological museums should depart from precise definitions of archaeology and its object of inquiry and methods. I therefore try to define an archaeological artifact. I ground my theoretical proposal in auto-ethnographic studies, theories of new materialism, agential realism, and speculative realism. By complementing deep auto-reflection with recent theories claiming that matter is unstable, vital and dynamic, I am able to propose a definition of an artifact that crosses post-Cartesian binaries such as nature-culture, human-nonhuman, and matter-idea. I focus on the agency of an artifact and its inner potential to change independently of human activities. I understand an artifact as an archaeological object of inquiry characterized by its instability, inconsistency, longevity (longue durée), and ability to change and transform. The second concept structuring the dissertation is the “exhibit.” Here, I stress the word’s etymological ties to processes of translation, clarification, and illustration. I treat the exhibit as an embodiment of theoretical tensions troubling the heart of the academic discipline. I analyze four permanent archaeological exhibitions throughout Europe. The first case study concerns Sir John Soane’s Museum in London, where artifacts become artful material and inspirational fodder for artists. The second case study is the Neues Museum in Berlin, a universal museum that tells the story of artifacts as archaeological objects of inquiry. The third analysis is devoted to the Museum of the Ara Pacis in Rome. The last case study – the New Acropolis Museum in Athens – illustrates the idea of archaeological reconstruction in the context of conservation studies. I then contend with the theoretical implications of artifacts as museum exhibits. I present three strategies for the archaeological museum. The first strategy, prosthetic archaeology, is grounded in archaeology’s recent gravitation towards new technologies, Big Data, and the digital turn. I reflect on the phenomenon I call “digital escapism,” or the increasingly common turn to multimedia in archaeological museums. I propose that museums should not escape from tangible objects into immersive environments, simulations, and visualizations, but should instead focus on the possibilities yielded by the digital turn to provide deeper insight into matters of the past. My second proposal for the archaeological museum is a strategy I call the “preposterous art of archaeology.” In this case, I refer to an instance of artistic mediation observed in the Museo Ara Pacis and reflect on the creative potential of contemporary art for re-reading archaeological remains. The third idea for the archaeological museum is based on the theory of symmetrical archaeology. I outline a project for an archaeological museum that would respond to universally relevant questions on contemporaneity and the future (in terms of politics, economy, and culture). I conclude my dissertation with the idea of the critical archaeological museum, which I understand as an institution actively engaged in presenting the current state of knowledge, new paradigms and theories, allowing visitors to immerse in a vision of the past that is negotiated and mediated by the archaeological imagination.

Archaeological heritage repatriation remains a critical topic in international media and raises complex questions surrounding national identity and notions of rightful ownership. Repatriation is defined as the return of an artefact to its country of origin after having been kept under the stewardship of a foreign museum. Over the last decade, Turkey played a central role due to its high number of requests for museums to return artefacts found in the Turkish soil. The case of the request for a Hittite sphinx from the Pergamon Museum in Berlin caused particular distress among European museums, largely because the strategy of the Turkish government to recover the artefact was based on threatening measures, rather than a predisposition for cooperation. This dissertation extends prior work written about the Hittite sphinx case, by shedding light on one particular aspect: the dream for a future Turkey rather than past conflict with Europe. I argue that Turkish archaeological heritage repatriation policy is a crucial tool for the construction of a future nation, and that the Hittite sphinx case is particularly useful for understanding the Turkish dream of acquiring autonomy in the international arena.
A repatriação de património arqueológico representa um tema crítico nos media internacionais e levanta questões complexas sobre identidades nacionais e a noção de legítima propriedade. Repatriação define-se como a devolução de um artefacto ao seu país de origem após ter estado sob o cuidado de um museu estrangeiro. Ao longo da última década, a Turquia ocupou o núcleo da discussão devido ao seu elevado número de pedidos de restituição de artefactos de origem turca, actualmente expostos em museus de todo o mundo. O caso da devolução de uma esfinge Hitita pelo Museu Pergamon em Berlim causou particular agitação entre os museus europeus, uma vez que a estratégia por parte do governo turco foi largamente baseada em medidas ameaçadoras, não numa predisposição para cooperação. Este estudo dá continuidade a investigação anterior sobre o caso da esfinge Hitita, focando um aspecto particular: o sonho de uma futura Turquia, não de um passado conflituoso com a Europa. Esta dissertação argumenta que as políticas turcas de repatriação de património arqueológico são uma ferramenta crucial para a construção de uma futura nação, e que o caso da esfinge Hitita é particularmente útil para entender o sonho turco de adquirir autonomia na arena internacional

This thesis documents the results of an Aboriginal community-based archaeological research project in the Esperance region, southern Western Australia. It is based on analysis of rock art, stone arrangements and flaked stone artefacts. The aim is to understand the role of the study sites – Belinup and Marbaleerup – within patterns of movement that underpinned society and economy in this region during the late-Holocene. The research explores concepts of identity (Jones 1997; Meskell and Preucel 2004) relating to the local Esperance Nyungar people, and the broader Noongar and Western Desert cultural blocs. It has been suggested that negotiations over territory, law and identity during the recent past were directly related to the expansion of the Western Desert cultural bloc (Gibbs and Veth 2002), which situates the study area at a dynamic frontier of cultural change. Exploration of these questions leads to a discussion about the historical construction of Esperance Nyungar identity. The study sites are hypothesised to have functioned in the past as aggregation locales (Conkey 1980). Investigation of this hypothesis is illuminative; firstly, for understanding more about the study sites; and secondly about the application of the aggregation concept, and its limitations for archaeology. The results inform a discussion of how mobility (Binford 1980; Kelly 1992) and aggregation can be usefully applied together to investigate the intersections of social and economic elements in hunter-gatherer settlement. As a conceptual tool for archaeology, identity is challenging because it cannot be directly interpreted from material culture in a simple way. Despite the challenges, identity is an important tool for understanding past societies. Identity is investigated here by mapping the occurrence of symbols across landscapes and considering how these may, or may not, relate to notions of identity and connections to place. The approach begins with what is known (contemporary identity and connection), and works backwards through time and outwards through space towards the unknown. Identity is a powerful way to link the archaeological past with the contemporary descendent community. The process of undertaking a community-based research partnership is discussed, with critical reflection on the challenges and successes. An argument is presented for how and why community input and ownership is critical to the success of archaeological research into Aboriginal pasts in Australia and abroad. The results demonstrate the inherent dynamism in Aboriginal society in southern Western Australia and highlight a historical legacy to the processes of cultural change underpinning Esperance Nyungar identity today. Those processes predate the colonial interruption, and continue into the post-Native Title era. This leads to a discussion and critique of the Native Title system, which often neglects to acknowledge the nuanced realities of Aboriginal societies and the inherent mutability of identity and connections across time and space. It is argued that the internal social dynamics of Aboriginal society are an important part of identity, as people continually negotiate who they are and how they relate to people and places. This constant process of identity-making is a fundamental part of Aboriginal culture and society now and into the distant past.

Nombe rockshelter was excavated by M-J. Mountain between 1971 and 1980. Human activity is first documented at the site at about 25,000 bp and continues through to the present. Four extinct Pleistocene herbivores, Protemnodon nombe,Protemnodon tumbuna,Dendrolagus noibano and a diprotodontid,occur in late Pleistocene strata together with human artefacts. Large quantities of animal bone were recovered and the analysis of these supplies the major data for the research. Three main issues are addressed: 1. The nature of the relationship between the early humans and their environment through the period that covers the late glacial maximum at about 18,000 bp. 2. The relationship between humans and the extinct species, including the thylacine, Thylacinus cynocephalus, which was a major predator at the site, contributing bone to the deposits during the Pleistocene. 3.The use of faunal evidence as an indicator of economic and subsistence activities as well as local environmental changes. The data show that the human activity during the late Pleistocene at Nombe was sporadic over the period from about 25,000 bp to about 15,000 bp. Hunters were probably targeting the large herbivores living in high altitude forest and other species adapted to high altitude cold environments. Humans and large herbivores coexisted for about 10,000 years before the animals disappeared from the record. This coexistence does not suggest a rapid demise through human overkill. Palynological evidence suggests that people were deliberately firing small patches of highland forest as early as 30,000 bp. Such clearing could have been used to promote forest-edge plants especially Pandanus, which has rich oily nuts. These small clearings could also have been used as an aid to hunting. By the end of the Pleistocene, human hunting had switched to emphasise medium and smaller forest animals, especially fruitbats, macropodids, phalangers and possums. Bat hunting was especially important at Nombe, which is in a limestone area with many caves. In the early Holocene the temperatures rose and sub-alpine grasslands were greatly reduced as forest spread to higher altitudes. The archaeological evidence shows that more sites were occupied by 10,000 bp than before and the faunal data at Nombe indicate a steep rise in the grassland wallaby, Thylogale brunii. This species adapts easily to forest disturbance and may indicate that forest clearance was increasing in the locality. The early Holocene was the period of intense human settlement of the site. The faunal analysis employed in this study is designed to test the broad questions about human:...environment relationships rather than to supply detailed information about the size and sex representation in the species present. Species are often dealt with as a group and no individual bone measurements have been taken. The computer database has been designed to produce a flexible data set that can easily be adapted to taxonomic change. The success of the approach suggests that faunal evidence can be a sensitive indicator of environmental change and can be used to examine human predation strategies and changes in economic subsistence.