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Archaeological Material (archaeological + material)
Selected AbstractsStratigraphic and geochronological context of human habitation along the Galana River, KenyaGEOARCHAEOLOGY: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 7 2007David K. Wright Geoarchaeological investigations along the Galana River, eastern Kenya, document a pattern of channel aggradation and then degradation from the Middle to Late Holocene. Archaeological occupations at six sites in fluvial terraces along a ,100 km stretch of the Galana River in Tsavo East National Park correspond with fluvial aggradation beginning ca. 6000 years ago. Artifact analyses indicate that the inhabitants of these sites utilized ceramics and stone tools similar to Pastoral Neolithic traditions detected at other penecontemporaneous archaeological sites in East Africa and possessed domesticated cattle from ca. 3700 years ago. The site occupations that occur during this period have dense artifact concentrations of predominantly locally procured items. The Galana River incised after ca. 900 years ago and there is a noticeable paucity of archaeological material, reflecting more peripatetic lifestyles. This shift in settlement pattern may reflect a decrease in reliance on riverine food sources during the Late Holocene, with diminished riparian environments associated with channel incision. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] "The probable industrial origin of archaeological daub at an Iron Age site in northeast Thailand" (Parr and Boyd, 2002): A comment on the inappropriate application of geophysical and geochemical techniques to an archaeological questionGEOARCHAEOLOGY: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 8 2003Maria Cotter Parr and Boyd (2002) used colorimetric analysis in combination with geophysical and geochemical techniques to estimate firing temperatures for archaeological daub from an Iron Age site in Thailand. They suggest that the daub was fired at high temperatures and, therefore, is indicative of kiln utilization and increased industrialization during that period in Thailand. They argue that the adoption of a multimethod analytical approach in which the combination of data derived from ICP-MS, X-ray diffraction, and magnetic susceptibility analyses of daub samples, coupled with microscopic and macroscopic examination of samples, enhances the accuracy of their interpretations. While they should be commended for attempting to substantiate their claims using many geophysical and geochemical techniques, their arguments are flawed by the misapplication of the techniques described and/or over-interpretation of the data generated by such techniques. Therefore, Parr and Boyd's (2002:285) point about methodology ("that the combined interpretation of independent measures provides a better estimate of the original firing temperatures of the archaeological material than has hitherto been possible") is made redundant by the lack of scientific rigor applied to the independent measures used for this study. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Tooth wear in two ancient populations of the Khazar Kaganat region in the UkraineINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OSTEOARCHAEOLOGY, Issue 1 2007W. H. Arnold Abstract Tooth wear is a common phenomenon in archaeological material. It has been related to the abrasiveness of diet and to the tribological attrition of teeth of individuals. Numerous investigations have been carried out in north and middle American samples as well as African anthropological material. Not much is known about tooth wear in European cultures. Eleven skulls from Chervona Gusarovka, and 14 skulls from the Upper Saltov sites of the Khazar Kaganat region (8th,10th centuries AD) in eastern Ukraine, with different diets were examined. A total of 208 teeth were studied for tooth wear, caries prevalence and periodontal status. Abrasion grades were determined according to a standardised classification and statistically evaluated. Periodontal status was measured using the distance between the enamel-cementum junction and alveolar crest and the gingival attachment level respectively. Tooth wear was significantly different (P,<,0.01) between the two populations. A low caries prevalence of 4.2% in the Chervona Gusarovka population and 1.7% in the Upper Saltov population was found. Significantly more alveolar crest bone resorption on the lingual side was found in the premolars and anterior teeth of the Chervona Gusarovka population. No significant differences were found regarding gingival attachment levels and gingival recession. It is concluded that the content and mode of food preparation influenced tooth wear, as reflected by the prevalence of dental caries and periodontal diseases in these ancient populations. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Recording dental caries in archaeological human remainsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OSTEOARCHAEOLOGY, Issue 4 2001Simon Hillson Abstract Dental caries is an important condition to record in archaeological collections, but the way in which recording is carried out has a large effect on the way in which the results can be interpreted. In living populations, dental caries is a disease that shows a strong relationship with age. Both the nature of carious lesions and their frequency change with successive age groups from childhood to elderly adulthood. There is also a progression in the particular teeth in the dentition which are most commonly affected and, in general, the molars and premolars are involved much more frequently than the canines and incisors. Lower teeth are usually affected more than upper, although the condition usually involves the right and left sides fairly equally. In the high tooth wear rate populations represented by many archaeological and museum collections, there is a complex relationship between the form of lesions and the state of wear, which adds yet another range of factors to the changing pattern of caries with increasing age. In the same populations, chipping, fracture and anomalous abrasion of teeth are also common, and these contribute similarly to the distribution and forms of carious lesion observed. Amongst the living, the pattern of ante-mortem tooth loss is important in understanding caries and, in archaeological material, there is also the complicating factor of post-mortem tooth loss. Finally, there is the question of diagnosis. There are diagnostic problems even in epidemiological studies of living patients and, for archaeological specimens, diagenetic change and the variable preservation of different parts of the dentition add further complications. For all these reasons, it is difficult to define any one general index of dental caries to represent the complete dentition of each individual, which would be universally suitable for studying a full range of collections from archaeological sites or museums. Variation in the nature of collections, their preservation, tooth wear, and ante-mortem and post-mortem tooth loss mean that when such a general index appears to differ between sites, there could be many other reasons for this, in addition to any genuine differences in caries incidence and pattern that might have been present. It is suggested here that the best approach is instead to make comparisons separately for each tooth type, age group, sex, lesion type and potential lesion site on the tooth. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Age estimation of archaeological remains using amino acid racemization in dental enamel: A comparison of morphological, biochemical, and known ages-at-deathAMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 2 2009R.C. Griffin Abstract The poor accuracy of most current methods for estimating age-at-death in adult human skeletal remains is among the key problems facing palaeodemography. In forensic science, this problem has been solved for unburnt remains by the development of a chemical method for age estimation, using amino acid racemization in collagen extracted from dentine. Previous application of racemization methods to archaeological material has proven problematic. This study presents the application to archaeological human remains of a new age estimation method utilizing amino acid racemization in a potentially closed system,the dental enamel. The amino acid composition and extent of racemization in enamel from two Medieval cemeteries (Newcastle Blackgate and Grantham, England) and from a documented age-at-death sample from a 19th century cemetery (Spitalfriedhof St Johann, Switzerland) were determined. Alterations in the amino acid composition were detected in all populations, indicating that diagenetic change had taken place. However, in the Medieval populations, these changes did not appear to have substantially affected the relationship between racemization and age-at-death, with a strong relationship being retained between aspartic acid racemization and the morphological age estimates. In contrast, there was a poor relationship between racemization and age in the post-medieval documented age-at-death population from Switzerland. This appears to be due to leaching of amino acids post-mortem, indicating that enamel is not functioning as a perfectly closed system. Isolation of amino acids from a fraction of enamel which is less susceptible to leaching may improve the success of amino acid racemization for archaeological age estimation. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Technical note: Removal of metal ion inhibition encountered during DNA extraction and amplification of copper-preserved archaeological bone using size exclusion chromatographyAMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 2 2009Carney D. Matheson Abstract A novel technique for the removal of metal ions inhibiting DNA extraction and PCR of archaeological bone extracts is presented using size exclusion chromatography. Two case studies, involving copper inhibition, demonstrate the effective removal of metal ion inhibition. Light microscopy, SEM, elemental analysis, and genetic analysis were used to demonstrate the effective removal of metal ions from samples that previously exhibited molecular inhibition. This research identifies that copper can cause inhibition of DNA polymerase during DNA amplification. The use of size exclusion chromatography as an additional purification step before DNA amplification from degraded bone samples successfully removes metal ions and other inhibitors, for the analysis of archaeological bone. The biochemistry of inhibition is explored through chemical and enzymatic extraction methodology on archaeological material. We demonstrate a simple purification technique that provides a high yield of purified DNA (>95%) that can be used to address most types of inhibition commonly associated with the analysis of degraded archaeological and forensic samples. We present a new opportunity for the molecular analysis of archaeological samples preserved in the presence of metal ions, such as copper, which have previously yielded no DNA results. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Karstic morphologies identified with geophysics around Saulges caves (Mayenne, France)ARCHAEOLOGICAL PROSPECTION, Issue 3 2010Rémi Valois Abstract Geophysical measurements were carried out around Saulges caves that sought to highlight the local karstic morphologies and the impact on preservation of archaeological material within the caves. Electrical resistivity tomographies (ERTs) and apparent conductivity mapping detected a soil cover on the plateaus that ends abruptly over fractured limestone or over a bowl-shaped structure filled with clay soil. Moreover, there is at least one zone of soil accumulation with a basin form with almost no soil cover around this structure. The ERT and seismic refraction tomography (SRT) detected an important anomaly in the valley. Many clues indicate that this anomaly is a karstic conduit filled with water or clay. Therefore, some karstic dissolution zones have been found and only geophysical methods are able to detect such features. Detection of preferential pathways could help to protect prehistoric art within the caves and new karstic morphologies help to better understand this karstic system. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The role of integrated geophysical survey methods in the assessment of archaeological landscapes: the case of PortusARCHAEOLOGICAL PROSPECTION, Issue 3 2009Simon Keay Abstract The regular application of geophysical, geochemical and topographical survey techniques to evaluate archaeological sites is well established as a method for locating, defining and mapping buried archaeological materials. However, it is not always feasible to apply a range of different methods over a particular site or landscape due to constraints in time or funding. This paper addresses the integrated application of a variety of survey techniques over different sites and landscapes in Italy and elsewhere, focusing on the recent results from the ongoing survey and excavations at Portus, the port of Imperial Rome. An integration of methods, including magnetometry, resistance survey, ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) has been used at the site to fulfil a number of different research objectives. Results of the magnetometer survey have successfully recorded the nature and extent of archaeological material over an area of 220,ha, allowing a plan of the port and related structures to be produced and variations in archaeological potential across the entire landscape to be assessed. The integration of several techniques in one area of the site between the Porto di Claudio and the Porto di Traiano has mapped the structural remains of this area of the port prior to and during investigation of the zone through excavation. Current work on the geophysical survey data, using different software programs for the processing of survey data and merging different datasets using geographical information system packages, has allowed the results of the work to be visualized and presented to archaeologists in a comprehensive and unambiguous fashion, facilitating the future management and preservation of the site. In addition ongoing research is using different statistical and visual methods of integration to refine the archaeological interpretation of the study area. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A MULTI-ANALYTICAL APPROACH FOR THE CHARACTERIZATION OF COMMODITIES IN A CERAMIC JAR FROM ANTINOE (EGYPT),ARCHAEOMETRY, Issue 3 2009E. RIBECHINI This paper describes a multi-analytical chemical study performed on the original, almost totally conserved, content of a small ceramic jar from the Antinoe archaeological site (fifth to seventh centuries ad, Roman Egypt) and now belonging to the archaeological collection of the Istituto Papirologico ,Girolamo Vitelli' (Florence, Italy). Scanning electron microscopy with an energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer (SEM,EDX), Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were all used to characterize the inorganic components of the archaeological material. The organic substances were analysed using FTIR, direct exposure mass spectrometry (DE,MS) and gas chromatography , mass spectrometry (GC,MS). The inorganic component essentially consisted of halite (NaCl). Among the NaCl crystals, lamellar elements were identified. They were chemically characterized by carbonato-apatite and showed a concentric morphology typical of the scales of small fish. The most prevalent organic constituents of the sample were monocarboxylic acids, ,,,-dicarboxylic acids, and cholesterol and its oxidation products. The organic material composition was consistent with the occurrence of lipids of animal origin. In addition, diterpenes related to pine pitch were also identified. The overall results suggest that the material recovered in the small ceramic jar found in Antinoe is a residue of fish-based pickles such as garum, muria, allex and liquamen, which were commonly used in Roman times. [source] PROVENANCE OF ANCIENT TEXTILES,A PILOT STUDY EVALUATING THE STRONTIUM ISOTOPE SYSTEM IN WOOL*ARCHAEOMETRY, Issue 2 2009K. M. FREI Strontium isotopes are used in archaeology to reconstruct human and animal migration routes. We present results of a pilot study applying strontium isotope analyses to modern sheep hair as a basis for its potential use as a provenance tracer for ancient woollen textiles. Our hydrofluoric acid-based, lipid soluble analytical protocol, also tested on a number of ancient textile fibres, allows for contamination-free, low blank strontium isotope analysis of minimal amounts of archaeological material. 87Sr/86Sr ratios of decontaminated sheep hair agree well with the compositions of biologically available (soluble) strontium fractions from the respective feeding ground soils, a translatable requirement for any potentially successful provenance tracing applied to wool textiles. [source] Mapping the archaeological soil archive of sand and gravel mineral reserves in BritainGEOARCHAEOLOGY: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 1 2009Ingrid Ward Primary sand and gravel deposits in Britain play an important role in preserving our cultural heritage and are also a valuable aggregate resource. While an understanding of the extrinsic properties of the soil archive (such as pH, redox, groundwater) can provide a firstorder assessment of the potential risk to any archaeologically sensitive deposits, we have very poor definition of spatial variations in the extrinsic properties of soil that influence archaeological preservation at a regional and national scale. Developments in digital geological mapping, remote sensing, and geochemical survey data undertaken by the British Geological Survey (BGS) have, however, significantly extended capabilities in this respect and can potentially be used to provide a primary assessment of the sensitivity of the present soil archive and the potential risk from changes to the soil process on cultural material in areas earmarked for aggregate extraction. Two of the major factors affecting archaeological preservation,soil acidification and groundwater,can be mapped or predicted at scales of better than 1:50,000 across increasingly large parts of the country using a combination of regional hydrogeological, geophysical, and geochemical data. Additional data from site investigations may further refine preservation potential as a function of changes in redox potential and acidity. These data, maps and models can be used to (1) better establish a baseline for archaeological preservation at a regional and national scale and (2) improve our understanding of how the physical and chemical properties of the near surface environment can be managed to sustainably preserve archaeological materials in areas impacted by sand and gravel extraction. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Geological processes and site structure: Assessing integrity at a Late Paleolithic open-air site in northern FranceGEOARCHAEOLOGY: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 6 2006James G. Enloe The difficulty of reading the archaeological record of caves and rock shelters is becoming increasingly obvious to Paleolithic researchers. Although some open-air sites are thought to avoid such taphonomic complications, interpreting their archaeological record is less straightforward than assumed. Postdepositional processes may obscure structure in configurations of features and artifacts. Recently developed techniques for the excavation and analysis of Paleolithic cave sites can be applied to open-air sites before spatial patterning is interpreted for inferences about prehistoric social organization. Analysis of the orientation of elongated artifacts on the occupation surface of the late Upper Paleolithic site of Verberie, France, is employed for evaluation of the integrity of site structure. Results indicate spatial structure largely undisturbed by geological processes. The lack of disturbance in the configuration of archaeological materials allows for a behavioral interpretation of those remains. The proposition that Verberie was a hunting campsite for initial carcass processing is supported. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] The role of armadillos in the movement of archaeological materials: An experimental approachGEOARCHAEOLOGY: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 4 2003Astolfo G. Mello Araujo Armadillos are medium-sized animals whose burrowing behavior can be significant in archaeological settings ranging from South America to the central United States. Although archaeologists are well aware that these animals can move archaeological materials across stratigraphic layers, few data are available about the magnitude of mixing, number of burrows per individual, dimension of burrows, and their impact on archaeological sites. This paper addresses the problem from an experimental perspective. Specifically, we monitored the action of the yellow armadillo (Euphractus sexcintus) in translocating cultural materials. Our results suggest that: (1) the vertical movement of artifacts has no preferential direction; (2) cultural horizons at least 20 cm apart can be mixed; (3) the animal's activity leaves some distinct traces that can be recognized during an excavation; and (4) there is no significant correlation between size, shape, or weight of artifacts and amount of displacement. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] The hidden record: Late Holocene landscapes and settlement archaeology in the Lower Ohio River ValleyGEOARCHAEOLOGY: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 2 2002C. Russell Stafford From extensive backhoe trenching and coring in the Great Miami,Ohio River confluence region, in conjunction with a large suite of radiocarbon ages, we have identified large tracts of late Holocene alluvium. Thick blankets of Historic alluvium (post-settlement) may also cover levees of the Ohio River. In conjunction with other studies in the Outer Bluegrass Region of the lower Ohio River valley, it is possible to document an association between floodplain Mollisols, Inceptisols, and Entisols and late Holocene-aged landforms. Levees appear to have stabilized between 1000 and 2000 yr B.P. Although buried soils are rare, archaeological materials were ubiquitous in late Holocene Landform Sediment Assemblages. Because a substantial volume of valley fill is late Holocene in age, Woodland sites of all types are frequently buried, and Fort Ancient sites may be buried by Historic alluvium. Therefore, if Woodland or later settlement studies in this region are based on surface evidence alone, they are likely to be biased. © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. [source] The ostrich in Egypt: past and presentJOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY, Issue 8 2001Nicolas Manlius Aim This article tracks the evolution of the distribution of ostrich populations, Struthio camelus L., 1758, in Egypt from the Late Pleistocene up to present times with a view to establishing a series of distribution maps for the historical period. An attempt is then made to describe and interpret these maps. Location The country considered is Egypt. Methods We compiled all the information about the presence of the ostrich in Egypt collected from the study of fossil remains, archaeological materials and from the narrative of travellers since the fourteenth century. From the accounts of these travellers, three maps showing the location of this birds in this country are established: from the end of the fourteenth century to the end of the seventeenth century; from the beginning of the eighteenth to the end of the nineteenth century; and lastly, for the twentieth century. Results The ostrich was abundant and broadly distributed in Egypt in the past. However, it has been constantly in decline. It disappeared from the north of the country and lived only in the southeast up to the end of the nineteenth century. The birds reappeared in the latter region at the beginning of the 1960s up to 1991 before disappearing from the country. Main conclusions The principal reasons for the decline of the ostrich in Egypt are the aridification caused by climatic changes and intensive hunting by humans. It is possible that this bird was not sighted in the country between the beginning of the twentieth century and the 1960s, not because it had disappeared, but most probably because it was sufficiently discrete to be noticed. But Retracer l'évolution de la distribution des populations d'autruches, Struthio camelus L., 1758, en Egypte depuis le Pléistocène final jusqu'à nos jours en vue d'établir une série de cartes de distribution pour l'époque historique. Décrire et interpréter ensuite ces cartes. Localisation Le pays considéré est l'Egypte. Méthodes Nous avons compilé toutes les informations portant sur la présence de l'autruche en Egypte, recueillies à partir de l'étude de fossiles des matériaux archéologiques, ou encore des écrits des voyageurs depuis le XIVe siècle. A partir des témoignages de ces voyageurs, trois cartes montrant la localisation de cet animal en Egypte seront établies: depuis la fin du XIVe siècle jusqu'à la fin du XVIIe siècle; depuis le début du XVIIIeà la fin du XIXe siècle; et enfin pour le XXe siècle. Résultats Dans le passé, les populations d'autruches étaient abondantes et largement répandues en Egypte. Cependant, elles n'ont pas cessé de régresser. Elles ont d'abord disparues du nord du pays pour ne plus survivre que dans le sud-est, et ce jusqu'à la fin du XIXe siècle. L'animal est reparut dans cette dernière région au début des années 1960 jusqu'en 1991, avant de disparaître du pays. Conclusions principales Les principales raisons pour lesquelles la population d'autruches a régressé en Egypte tiennent d'une aridification due à des changements climatiques ainsi qu'à une chasse outrancière par l'homme. Il est possible que cet oiseau n'aie pour ainsi dire plus été signalé dans le pays entre le début du XXe siècle et les années 1960, non parce qu'il en aurait disparu mais plutôt parce qu'il aurait su se faire suffisamment discret pour ne pas être repéré. [source] Maya blue,green pigments found in Calakmul, Mexico: a study by Raman and UV-visible spectroscopyJOURNAL OF RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY, Issue 8 2008Renata Garcia Moreno Abstract After more than two decades of fieldwork in the Maya archaeological site of Calakmul, Mexico, numerous remnants of blue and green pigments have been reported on wall paintings, as well as on funerary paraphernalia, such as masks, miniatures and vases. The importance of these pigments is linked to the sacred values that Maya people associate with blue and green colours since pre-Columbian times. These hues symbolise water, and are therefore associated with fertility and regeneration. This paper aims to perform a survey of the blue and green pigments used in the Early Classic and Late Classic periods in Calakmul (300,850 A.D.), in order to have a better understanding of their chemical composition and origin. Analyses were performed on microsamples using Raman and UV-visible spectroscopies to evaluate the possibilities that these techniques can offer in future in situ researches on Mesoamerican archaeological materials and objects. With these analyses, we have documented a large blue,green chromatic palette, which includes the earliest Blue Maya and Green Maya known to date, as well as malachite, pseudomalachite and an unknown-up-to-now blue-green mineral pigment, veszelyite, used specifically for ritual objects. The results indicate a careful selection of imported products and the mastering of a complex ancient Maya pictorial tradition. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The role of integrated geophysical survey methods in the assessment of archaeological landscapes: the case of PortusARCHAEOLOGICAL PROSPECTION, Issue 3 2009Simon Keay Abstract The regular application of geophysical, geochemical and topographical survey techniques to evaluate archaeological sites is well established as a method for locating, defining and mapping buried archaeological materials. However, it is not always feasible to apply a range of different methods over a particular site or landscape due to constraints in time or funding. This paper addresses the integrated application of a variety of survey techniques over different sites and landscapes in Italy and elsewhere, focusing on the recent results from the ongoing survey and excavations at Portus, the port of Imperial Rome. An integration of methods, including magnetometry, resistance survey, ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) has been used at the site to fulfil a number of different research objectives. Results of the magnetometer survey have successfully recorded the nature and extent of archaeological material over an area of 220,ha, allowing a plan of the port and related structures to be produced and variations in archaeological potential across the entire landscape to be assessed. The integration of several techniques in one area of the site between the Porto di Claudio and the Porto di Traiano has mapped the structural remains of this area of the port prior to and during investigation of the zone through excavation. Current work on the geophysical survey data, using different software programs for the processing of survey data and merging different datasets using geographical information system packages, has allowed the results of the work to be visualized and presented to archaeologists in a comprehensive and unambiguous fashion, facilitating the future management and preservation of the site. In addition ongoing research is using different statistical and visual methods of integration to refine the archaeological interpretation of the study area. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH AT THE INSTITUTE OF NUCLEAR TECHNIQUES, BUDAPEST UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AND ECONOMICS: SCHOLARLY ACHIEVEMENTS OF A PROSPEROUS LONG-TERM COLLABORATIONARCHAEOMETRY, Issue 2 2007M. BALLA The laboratory is part of a university institute with a nuclear reactor on the premises. NAA of archaeological materials started in the early 1980s, and has found continuous interest since then. Site-specific characteristics of the NAA procedure are the long irradiation and counting times, due to the relatively low neutron flux, the single comparator method of standardization and the use of reference materials for quality control. The main research interest focuses on provenance studies of potteries; 90% of the analysed samples are ceramic materials. Most of the projects concentrate on the investigation of pottery finds from Roman Pannonia, and from different archaeological sites in Israel. The Qumran pottery project is presented as a typical example. [source] GC-MS analysis of penta- and tetra-cyclic triterpenes from resins of Pistacia species.BIOMEDICAL CHROMATOGRAPHY, Issue 8 2005Part II. Abstract Pistacia species contain oleoresins with bioactive triterpenes. In this study triterpenes, including minor components, were identified and quantified in both neutral and acidic fractions of Pistacia terebinthus var. Chia resin, grown exclusively in Chios island (Greece), collected traditionally, as well as using stimulating agents (liquid collection). It was proved that these two resin samples were composed of several different minor triterpenes, while major constituents were similar but in different proportions. Compounds that differentiated two resin samples of P. lentiscus and P. terebinthus var. Chia, both traditionally collected, were detected, in order to identify the nature of resins present in archaeological materials. In the traditionally collected resin, 37 triterpenes were identified, 12 in the acidic and 25 in the neutral fraction. In the liquid collection resin 10 compounds were identified in the acidic and 23 in the neutral fraction, while 16 compounds were not contained in the traditionally collected resin. The main triterpenes in both resin samples collected traditionally and using stimulating agents were: isomasticadienonic acid (23.6 and 26.3% w[sol ]w of the triterpenic fraction, respectively), 28-norolean-17-en-3-one (16.3 and 17.5% w[sol ]w of the triterpenic fraction, respectively) and masticadienonic acid (5.8 and 6.0% w[sol ]w of the triterpenic fraction). In this study the qualitative and quantitative composition of triterpenes was compared in the Pistacia lentiscus and P. terebinthus var. Chia resin samples collected with the traditional and new liquid techniques, and also triterpenes in resins of P. terebinthus obtained by the traditional technique and using stimulating agents. The aim of the study was also to examine whether the collection technique influenced the triterpenes contained in P. terebinthus var. Chia resin samples. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | ||||||||||||||||