Analytical Geoarchaeology, ARCA: Archaeological Consultancy, University of Winchester

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Analytical Geoarchaeology

Although geoarchaeological interpretation is largely based on field observation and/or detailed description of samples in the laboratory, sometimes confirmation/rejection of hypotheses made on such bases can only result from laboratory analysis. ARCA makes use of newly built geoarchaeology laboratories at the University of Winchester which house a variety of analytical equipment.

Techniques
The following analyses are currently possible as a response to recommendations made during site visits and/or as a result of geoarchaeological boreholing:

Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS) (using, in ARCA's case, equipment manufactured by Phillips) is employed to determine the elemental composition of a sample. In some sedimentological and pedological circumstances, the presence of certain elements may reflect the past activities of people during the accumulation of a particular stratigraphic unit. Such geochemical data can also be used to source sediments.
Magnetic susceptibility measurements can be undertaken to assess the impact of burning and pedogenesis on a sediment unit, as well as to source sediment strata. Core samples collected in Russian/Livingstone corers and from Eijkelkamp core samplers are routinely scanned through a Bartington MS2C core logging sensor. However, more detailed magnetic susceptibility measurements can be made using Bartington's MS2B dual frequency sensor.
Organic carbon content is determined by combusting a sample in a muffle furnace. Loss of mass following high-temperature burning reflects removal of organic components of a sediment/soil. Such loss-on-ignition measurements are never used in isolation, but are rather employed in conjunction with other sedimentological analyses to determine the mode of sediment genesis and to assess human impact and post-depositional disturbance.
Particle/grain size analysis is a means of determining sediment genesis and assessing the impact of post-depositional processes. In certain circumstances it may also be possible to determine the source of a sediment unit from particle size data. ARCA carries out particle size analysis using the traditional manual approaches of dry sieving (for sands) and a hydrometer on the sample suspended in solution techniques (for silts and clays).
Phosphate analysis is carried out using a Palintest Photometer. Such equipment can be used to measure total phosphate content of a sample. In some pedological and sedimentological circumstances high phosphate concentrations relative to a norm may be indicative of former human activity. Therefore, phosphate analysis can in these situations be used as a method of site or stratigraphic prospection.

Reporting
Laboratory analytical data always require interpretation in order to make their archaeological meaning clear. Therefore all such information generated by ARCA is accompanied by an illustrated explanatory report.

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