Non-destructive provenancing of bluestone axe-heads in Britain

Williams-Thorpe, Olwen; Potts, Philip J.; Jones, M. C.

doi:10.1017/s0003598x00113018

Cited by 10 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 20 publications

(29 reference statements)

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“…Because of the ease, simplicity and flexibility of use, PXRF has found a number of applications where these advantages can be exploited, including the analysis of contaminated land 1 and contaminated industrial sites, 2,3 Pb in paint 4 and archaeological applications, 5 including the provenancing of lithic artefacts. 6,7 In the last application, material frequently cannot be removed from samples for conventional laboratory analysis. Using in situ PXRF, measurements can be made at the museum (especially when samples are too valuable to be taken to an analytical laboratory because of security issues) or at an archaeological site (when samples are too large and bulky to transport to the laboratory).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This axe Group is linked to spotted dolerites of the Preseli Mountains, South Wales, and the aim is to reassess the IPC categorisation using geochemical data obtained by PXRF. 7 Preseli spotted dolerite is also linked to the bluestone monoliths at the Stonehenge world heritage site, Wiltshire, UK. An extension to this project is to investigate whether it is possible to distinguish geochemically any of the discrete dolerite outcrops on the Preseli Mountains to identify the specific outcrop from which an individual stone axe and, indeed, the bluestone monoliths originated.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of weathering on in situ portable X‐ray fluorescence analyses of geological outcrops: dolerite and rhyolite outcrops from the Preseli Mountains, South Wales

et al. 2005

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Laboratory experiments were undertaken to investigate the effect of weathering on dolerite and rhyolite samples from the Preseli Mountains, South Wales, an area of archaeological significance for the provenancing of archaeological artefacts. Portable XRF (PXRF) analysis was used to construct a depth profile of elemental concentrations through the weathering layer of suitable rock samples. These measurements were made by sequentially grinding away successive layers, each time measuring the newly exposed surface by PXRF. The elements studied included K, Ca, Ti, Mn, Fe, Ba, Nb, Pb, Sr, Y and Zr. In dolerite samples, Ca, Fe and Y were generally depleted in heavily weathered surface layers, whereas K and Pb were enhanced, the latter element significantly so, probably as a result of anthropogenic activities (emissions from leaded automobile fuel). Element behaviour in rhyolites was less consistent. A correction factor was derived for each element based on the ratio of the weathered surface concentration to the corresponding steady-state (fresh rock) concentration beneath the altered layer. This correction factor was evaluated as a possible means of compensating for elemental discrepancies when measuring weathered surfaces. Improved data were obtained for a significant number of elements, but further work is required to evaluate this procedure fully.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of weathering on in situ portable X‐ray fluorescence analyses of geological outcrops: dolerite and rhyolite outcrops from the Preseli Mountains, South Wales

et al. 2005

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“…It is also notable that the distribution of bluestone axes and shaft-hole implements across southern Britain is highly suggestive of exchange networks centred on Stonehenge rather than the Preseli Hills (cf. Williams- Thorpe, Potts, and Jones 2004;Williams-Thorpe et al 2006). Such implements perhaps carried special power and meanings, as Richard Atkinson (1979, 176) wistfully remarked: 'like Excalibur, they possessed symbolic and magical qualities.'…”

Section: Bluestone Architecture and Meaningsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Houses of the Holy: Architecture and Meaning in the Structure of Stonehenge, Wiltshire, UK

Darvill

2016

Time and Mind

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Stonehenge in central southern England is internationally known. Recent re-evaluations of its date and construction sequence provides an opportunity to review the meaning and purpose of key structural components. Here it is argued that the central stone structures did not have a single purpose but rather embody a series of symbolic representations. During the early third millennium this included a square-in-circle motif representing a sacred house or 'big house' edged by the five Sarsen Trilithons. During the late third millennium BC, as house styles changed, some of the stones were re-arranged to form a central oval setting that perpetuated the idea of a sacred dwelling. The Sarsen Circle may have embodied a time-reckoning system based on the lunar month. From about 2500 BC, more than 80 bluestones were brought to the site from sources in the Preseli Hills of west Wales about 220km distant. Initially arranged as a Double Circle they were variously rearranged at least four times over the following centuries. The diverse lithology of the bluestones reflects the landscape from which the stones derived so that the monument embodied a microcosm of the distant land. Associations with water and healing suggest one reason why Stonehenge became such a powerful place in prehistoric times. ARTICLE HISTORY

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“…Archaeological ‘bluestone’ studies have traditionally focused on the stones used for the Stonehenge monoliths, but more recently attention has turned to the polished axe‐heads and other implements manufactured from bluestone (Williams‐Thorpe et al 1999; Jones and Williams‐Thorpe 2001; Williams‐Thorpe et al 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preseli Dolerite Bluestones: Axe‐heads, Stonehenge Monoliths, and Outcrop Sources

Williams-Thorpe¹,

Jones

Potts³

et al. 2006

Oxford J Archaeology

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Chemical compositions and magnetic susceptibility data were compared for 12 dolerite bluestone implements including axes, axe-hammers and battle-axes, 11 Stonehenge monoliths (chemical data only), and potential source outcrops in Preseli, South Wales. Most of the studied artefacts are of spotted dolerite, a small number being unspotted dolerite. Bivariate graphs, discriminant analysis and t-tests were used singly and in combination to show, respectively, that the implements found at sites in England are mainly similar to Stonehenge monoliths, while the implements found in Wales have a variety of compositions and are much less similar to Stonehenge monoliths. The dichotomy between English and Welsh dolerite bluestone implements could be explained by exploitation of different Preseli outcrops or erratic assemblages derived from them. A small number of spotted dolerite implements have previously been shown to have chemical compositions atypical of and marginal to Preseli, suggesting the possibility of a source of spotted dolerite outside Preseli. Previously published analytical data in combination with the new implement/outcrop comparisons presented in this paper support derivation of the majority of analysed Stonehenge monoliths at one particular outcrop within the group of four identified by Thorpe et al. 15 years ago. Analysis of all the extant bluestone monoliths at Stonehenge (now possible using non-destructive methods) would allow progress in identifying monolith outcrop sources, and in understanding the links with the bluestone axe trade. introduction and backgroundArchaeological 'bluestone' studies have traditionally focused on the stones used for the Stonehenge monoliths, but more recently attention has turned to the polished axe-heads and other implements manufactured from bluestone (Williams-Thorpe et al. 1999;Jones and Williams-Thorpe 2001;Williams-Thorpe et al. 2004).In this paper, we bring together information on the sources of dolerite bluestone implements, and of the Stonehenge monoliths, in order to comment on the relationship between these two groups of artefacts. In particular, we examine the question of whether the monoliths and the implements originated at the same sources within Preseli, and what this tells us about the links between the procurement of bluestone for Stonehenge, and the bluestone employed in England and Wales for implements. 29Recent non-destructive geochemical and magnetic studies of spotted dolerite implements (including axes, axe-hammers, battle-axes and maces) showed that fewer than a dozen can be reliably assigned to the Preseli source area (Williams- Thorpe et al. 2004). That work resulted in a revised, and much reduced, distribution of these implements (which are also referred to as 'Group XIII', following the terminology of the British Implement Petrology Committee (IPC); Clough and Cummins (1988)).Within the dataset for the implements confirmed as Preseli by Williams-Thorpe et al. (op. cit.), there appeared to be small variations in chemical and magnetic characteristic...

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Non-destructive provenancing of bluestone axe-heads in Britain

Abstract: The authors present a new procedure for discovering where stone artefacts come from without having to cut a slice through them. The method is tested on axes of spotted dolerite bluestone from Preseli in Wales, source of monoliths at Stonehenge.

Cited by 10 publications

References 20 publications

Effects of weathering on in situ portable X‐ray fluorescence analyses of geological outcrops: dolerite and rhyolite outcrops from the Preseli Mountains, South Wales

Effects of weathering on in situ portable X‐ray fluorescence analyses of geological outcrops: dolerite and rhyolite outcrops from the Preseli Mountains, South Wales

Houses of the Holy: Architecture and Meaning in the Structure of Stonehenge, Wiltshire, UK

Preseli Dolerite Bluestones: Axe‐heads, Stonehenge Monoliths, and Outcrop Sources

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