The ebb and flow of isotopes in archaeological science

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• Patrick Degryse (KU Leuven)
• Friday 18 October 2024, 13:15-14:00
• Seminar Room, McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, Downing Site.

If you have a question about this talk, please contact Qin-Qin Lü.

Many analytical approaches from the geosciences have been introduced to archaeology with great success. The past two decades have seen a marked increase in the number of isotopic analyses performed on inorganic archaeological materials. The isotope ratios of lead, copper, tin, silver, strontium-neodymium and to a lesser extent hafnium, boron and antimony have been used to investigate the provenance of raw materials and technology of production of especially metals and vitreous materials. Nevertheless, unpredictable human behavior often necessitates a careful interpretation of geochemical data. In such studies, not only a good knowledge of isotope geochemistry is required but more importantly an excellent translation of analytical data to an archaeological-anthropological reality is essential. This presentation will look into some of the pitfalls of interpreting isotope data in archaeological context, and asks the question whether we have reached the limits of inquiry.

In person and online.

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Patrick Degryse is full professor at the department of Earth and Environmental Sciences of KU Leuven (Belgium) and partim professor of Archaeometry at the faculty of Archaeology at Leiden University (the Netherlands). His main research efforts focus on the history and use of mineral resources in ancient technology, developing geochemical techniques for their characterisation and provenance determination. Outside the lab he is active in several field projects in the eastern Mediterranean and the Caribbean. He teaches to archaeologists, earth scientists and engineers, and is author of over 300 scientific papers. He was Visiting Fellow at All Souls College in Oxford, an A. von Humboldt Fellow and European Research Council Grantee.

This talk is part of the Pitt-Rivers Archaeological Science Seminar Series series.

This talk is included in these lists:

• AUB_Cambridge Seminars
• Pitt-Rivers Archaeological Science Seminar Series
• Seminar Room, McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, Downing Site

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