Chemistry Assignment #4

1. Write down questions that you have on the subject of chemistry and archaeology. (For example:  How do they date artifacts?  How do they know what chemicals make up an artifact?  How do they restore artifacts?)
2. Look at the archaeology news stories I have linked to at the bottom of this assignment and choose a few to read that interest you.  Can you find a link to chemistry in the article(s)?  Do you have any further questions from reading the article, especially with regard to the chemistry content?  Formulate these questions and write them down.  (For example: How do they do the analysis that shows that ancient Peruvians drank alcohol in the article “Mummy hair reveals drinking habits”?
3. Use a search engine, or go to the links at the bottom of this page, to investigate your questions. 
4. After researching these questions you may have yet more questions.  Write these down and try to find answers to them as well.
5. Extra?:  For a local perspective on all this I would strongly recommend that you try reading the articles I have made available on the Chem 11 web page on archaeology in Cochabamba, Bolivia and the “New World” before Columbus.  If we are going to do field trips this is the background that will motivate us.  The articles have been waiting to be read for more than a month now and I have received very little feedback to let me know that there is any interest out there.

 

The following stories come from the National Geographic news web page:

Textile Fragments Provide Details of Ancient Lives
August 23, 2004 — Charred and brittle bits of fabric are providing new insights into the lives of prehistoric people, thanks to advances in chemical analysis of textiles.

"Donner Party" Hearth Yields Bones; DNA Analysis Planned
July 22, 2004 — Archaeologists say DNA analysis of artifacts and bones from a 158-year-old cooking hearth could provide the first scientific evidence that the 19th-century Donner party pioneeers resorted to cannibalism while snowbound in California's Sierra Nevada.

First Wine? Archaeologist Traces Drink to Stone Age
July 21, 2004 — An expert in ancient wine, biomolecular archaeologist Patrick McGovern has shown the history of wine extends to the Neolithic period and the first glimmerings of civilization.

Ancient Skeleton Collection Yields Cancer Clues
July 13, 2004 — A new study of over 3,000 human skeletons in a Croatian archaeological collection suggests that cancer is more common today than at any point in humankind's history, the report's authors say.

 

 

The following news stories come from the Archaeologica news web page:

From Egypt to Peru, archaeologists are unearthing breweries from long ago

Syrian archaeological team uncover two firestone axes dating back 40,000 years

Researchers find signs of grain milling, baking 23,000 years ago

After 550 years, mystery death of French king's lover may be solved

Reward offered to solve riddle of ancient cliff tombs NO CHEM CONTENT THAT I KNOW OF HERE, BUT PERHAPS A CHANCE TO EARN SOME MONEY.

Mummy Hair Reveals Drinking Habits

Volcanic rocks from China reveal the date of the Permian extinction, plus another possible cause for it

Part of smokehouse found this summer in British Columbia, has been dated to 5,700 years ago

Green patch was clue to ancient dagger

 

Links

1.      An online archaeology text with lots of stuff on chemical techniques AND a glossary.

2.      You can go here to find out what “archaeometry” is.

3.      Here you will find links to archaeometry if you scroll down a couple of pages.

4.      General links to archaeology with some cool multimedia stuff can be found here.

5.      An online text about ancient cultures

Some higher level stuff:

6.      A guide to techniques that looks like alphabet soup, but will give you some idea of how the pros talk about this stuff and maybe some good ideas for keywords for your own searching.  

7.      Course curricula from the introductory to the graduate level.