Glossary

Archaeomagnetic dating A dating method that relies on measuring the magnetic orientation of an object when heated by fire and comparison to the known movement of the Earth’s magnetic field.

Bayesian statistics Bayesian statistics is a statistical method by which observations are used to infer the probability that a hypothesis may be true.

Correspondence analysis Correspondence analysis is a statistical analysis technique which measures the correspondence between the rows and columns of a table and allows one to explore the structure of the variables in the table.

Discriminant function analysis Discriminant function analysis involves the prediction of dependent variables by one or more independent variables.

Egyptian blue A blue-colored pigment used by the Egyptians for thousands of years. The pigment was produced by grinding sand, copper, natron and heating the mixture in a furnace.

Emission spectroscopy A spectroscopic technique which relies on discrete emissions of electromagnetic spectra radiated from each element.

Factor analysis Factor analysis is a statistical technique used to explain the variability of a set of measured random variables in terms of a smaller number of unobserved random variables called factors.

Fission track dating A radiometric dating method based on analysis of the damage trails left by fission fragments in certain uranium bearing minerals and glasses. geographic information systems (GIS) A geographic

Information system is used to collect, store, analyze, and manage data and associated attributes which have been spatially referenced to the earth. A GIS relies on a computer system capable of managing the data, displaying it geographically, and facilitating interactive queries.

Ground-penetrating radar Ground penetrating radar is a type of geophysical survey relying on radar signals to locate artifacts and structures below the surface of the ground.

Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry An

Analytical technique based on combining an inductively coupled plasma as a method for producing ions (ionization of the sample) with a mass spectrometer as a method of identifying the ions (isotopes) through their masses. Samples for ICP-MS are usually analyzed following digestion into liquid form. A procedure using

A laser to study solids is known as laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). lead-isotope analysis Analytical methods are used which measure the distribution of stable lead isotopes in a sample matrix and may link an artifact to a specific isotope. magnetic survey A magnetic survey is a type of geophysical survey relying on the contrast in magnetic properties between certain types of artifacts and their surroundings. materials characterization The application of physical and chemical analytical techniques to obtain information about the distribution and amounts of elements and minerals in the archaeological specimens.

Neutron activation analysis An analytical technique relying on bombardment of the sample by neutrons which causes the sample to become radioactive. Radioactivity is emitted in the form of gamma-rays which can be measured to determine the identity and amounts of elements present in the analytical sample. Each element has its own discrete suite of gamma rays. particle induced X-ray emission An analytical technique based on the emission of characteristic X-rays from a material that has been excited by bombardment with energetic charged particles (usually protons). Each element has it own discrete set of X-rays.

Petrographic analysis The detailed analysis of minerals by optical mineralogy in thin section. potassium-argon (or K-Ar dating) A radiometric dating method based on the decay of the radioactive isotope 40K which decays into 40Ar with a half-life of 1.26 x 109 years. Because the argon is a gas, it will escape from a molten rock. However, when the rock solidifies, the decayed 40Ar will be trapped in the crystal lattice. Mass spectrometry is used to measure the accumulated 40Ar and atomic absorption spectroscopy is used to measure the amount of 40K. The ratio between the 40Ar and the 40K isotopes is related to the time elapsed since the rock was cool enough to trap the argon.

Principal components analysis Principal components analysis (PCA) is a technique for simplifying a dataset, by reducing multidimensional datasets to lower dimensions for analysis. By making a linear transformation of the original data, PCA leads to a new coordinate system which explains the majority of the variance in a dataset using a small number of variables.

Prospection The application of a wide range of scientific techniques to study the near-surface environment for the presence of artifacts and structures. provenance (also called sourcing) Determining the origin of an artifact or other archaeological specimen through chemical or physical analysis of its constituents. quantatitive analysis Measurement of the quantities of substances, elements, minerals, etc. in the object subjected to analysis. Quantities are usually expressed in concentrations with units by weight given in percent, parts per million, parts per billion, etc.

Radiometric methods Dating methods that rely on the knowledge of decay rates of naturally occurring isotopes are radiometric.

Resistivity survey A resistivity survey is a type of geophysical survey relying on the contrast in electrical properties between certain types of artifacts and their surroundings.

Samian ware A kind of bright red Roman pottery also known as terra sigillata generally found in the eastern Mediterranean. stable isotope analysis The analysis of stable isotopes of oxygen and their relative abundances are used to obtain information regarding diet and migration of humans and other organisms.

Thermoluminescence dating A dating method that relies on measuring the accumulated radiation dose in a material as a means of determining the time elapsed since the material was last heated.

Underwater sonar Underwater sonar is a type of geophysical survey relying on the detection of sonar signals to locate artifacts and structures underwater.

Uranium series dating A radiometric dating method that relies on the decays of isotopes from uranium and its daughter isotopes.

X-ray fluorescence An analytical technique based on the emission of characteristic ‘secondary’ (or fluorescent) X-rays from a material that has been excited by bombardment with higher energy X-rays or gamma rays. Each element has it own discrete set of X-rays.