The awkward adolescence of archaeological science

Contemplating the history and future of radiocarbon dating in the American Southeast

“…The future success of Bayesian chronological modeling in southeastern archaeology depends largely upon the creation of studies with the highest-quality control at the peer-review level (Killick 2015).…”

Characterization of pre-Columbian artefacts in situ through handheld portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometry: the case of ceramics from the Mochica site of San José de Moro (Peru)

“…Several researchers have raised strong concerns against the wholesale acceptance of HHpXRF data as "the be-all and end-all" answer to a broad range of archaeological questions instead of targeting it to more appropriate cases where quantitative data should only be published when analytical uncertainty can be addressed through measures of precision and accuracy [18,19]. Killick believes HHpXRF used directly on inhomogeneous materials such as ceramics produces inaccurate and imprecise data, and should not be accepted for publication [20]. As Keywords: Mochica, Cajamarca, Ceramic, HHpXRF, San José de Moro, Peru a consequence, the HHpXRF based studies of ceramics presented at meetings and/or published are considered to poor science.…”

The contributions of animal bones from archaeological sites: the past and future of zooarchaeology

“…In addition, practitioners from under-represented countries face inequality in access to resources. In this volume, Killick (2015) provides a perspective on these issues and how they relate to archaeological science. For zooarchaeology, the implications are profound for issues ranging from the lack of: heritage management, adequately trained students and colleagues to take advantage of any faunal collections that may exist, access to suitable comparative material, facilities to conduct analyses that require laboratory equipment, the ability to export materials to places that may have these facilities, and opportunities to interaction with international colleagues through travel to conferences and seminars.…”