Archaeology and archaeometallurgy: some unresolved areas in the interpretation of analytical data
This paper uses examples from Mediterranean and in particular Italian prehistory to explore the interface between prehistoric archaeology and metals analysis by examining three areas: the usefulness of data from past analyses (‘what is it made of?’), lead isotope analysis and the problem of unpublis...
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| Format: | Article |
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Taylor & Francis
2016
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| Online Access: | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/33988/ |
| _version_ | 1848794749802119168 |
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| author | Pearce, Mark |
| author_facet | Pearce, Mark |
| author_sort | Pearce, Mark |
| building | Nottingham Research Data Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | This paper uses examples from Mediterranean and in particular Italian prehistory to explore the interface between prehistoric archaeology and metals analysis by examining three areas: the usefulness of data from past analyses (‘what is it made of?’), lead isotope analysis and the problem of unpublished data (‘where is it from?’), and the interpretation of analytical data (‘what does it mean?’). Issues discussed include big data, the integration of datasets from different analytical programmes (especially where analytical results are in disagreement), and open access and the withholding of data through incomplete publication, which means that conclusions cannot be verified. It offers some suggestions as to how communication between archaeologists and archaeometallurgists can be improved. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T19:21:09Z |
| format | Article |
| id | nottingham-33988 |
| institution | University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T19:21:09Z |
| publishDate | 2016 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | nottingham-339882020-05-04T17:47:40Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/33988/ Archaeology and archaeometallurgy: some unresolved areas in the interpretation of analytical data Pearce, Mark This paper uses examples from Mediterranean and in particular Italian prehistory to explore the interface between prehistoric archaeology and metals analysis by examining three areas: the usefulness of data from past analyses (‘what is it made of?’), lead isotope analysis and the problem of unpublished data (‘where is it from?’), and the interpretation of analytical data (‘what does it mean?’). Issues discussed include big data, the integration of datasets from different analytical programmes (especially where analytical results are in disagreement), and open access and the withholding of data through incomplete publication, which means that conclusions cannot be verified. It offers some suggestions as to how communication between archaeologists and archaeometallurgists can be improved. Taylor & Francis 2016-04-06 Article PeerReviewed Pearce, Mark (2016) Archaeology and archaeometallurgy: some unresolved areas in the interpretation of analytical data. STAR: Science & Technology of Archaeological Research, 2 (1). pp. 46-53. ISSN 2054-8923 Big data Open access Composition Provenance Interpretation Lead isotopes Italy http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/20548923.2016.1160593 doi:10.1080/20548923.2016.1160593 doi:10.1080/20548923.2016.1160593 |
| spellingShingle | Big data Open access Composition Provenance Interpretation Lead isotopes Italy Pearce, Mark Archaeology and archaeometallurgy: some unresolved areas in the interpretation of analytical data |
| title | Archaeology and archaeometallurgy: some unresolved areas in the interpretation of analytical data |
| title_full | Archaeology and archaeometallurgy: some unresolved areas in the interpretation of analytical data |
| title_fullStr | Archaeology and archaeometallurgy: some unresolved areas in the interpretation of analytical data |
| title_full_unstemmed | Archaeology and archaeometallurgy: some unresolved areas in the interpretation of analytical data |
| title_short | Archaeology and archaeometallurgy: some unresolved areas in the interpretation of analytical data |
| title_sort | archaeology and archaeometallurgy: some unresolved areas in the interpretation of analytical data |
| topic | Big data Open access Composition Provenance Interpretation Lead isotopes Italy |
| url | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/33988/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/33988/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/33988/ |