The capability of rare earth elements geochemistry to interpret complex archaeological stratigraphy

Gallello, Gianni; Ferro-Vázquez, Cruz; Chenery, Simon; Lang, Carol; Thornton-Barnett, Senna; Kabora, Tabitha; Hodson, Mark E.; Stump, Daryl

doi:10.1016/j.microc.2019.05.050

Cited by 9 publications

(19 citation statements)

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“…However, REE signatures have been recently employed by Gallello and colleagues (Gallello et al 2013;2019a, b) in archaeological strata to determine differences between natural and human-induced In the Serpis Valley region (Spain), a marl-based geological area, REE soil analyses have been demonstrated to provide significant details about anthropogenic layers, suggesting that the archaeological interpretation of some dark brown deposits is evidence of a Neolithic region-wide agricultural system (Gallello et al 2019b). REE results obtained in soils/sediments from the African subtropical region of Konso (Ethiopia) showed stratigraphical differences, already defined through field observations, and highlighted changes within the deposits developed by both natural and anthropogenic activities that were also affected by postdepositional processes (Gallello et al 2019a). The combination of soil components affected by anthropogenic activities leaves 'fingerprints' in the REE chemistry and makes it possible to use these elements to distinguish between natural, disturbed and anthropogenic deposits.…”

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confidence: 72%

“…Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) total digestion (Butler et al 2018;Sulas et al 2019) have been employed to decompose the matrix and bring chemical elements into solution prior to measurement by ICP-OES and ICP-MS. Some researchers employ total digestion to determine elemental markers of human activities (Sulas et al 2019), while others avoid more aggressive acid digestion that may cause an overwhelming geogenic signature masking the anthropic signature (Vyncke et al 2011;Gallello et al 2019a).…”

Section: Portable X-ray Fluorescence Analysis (Pxrf)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Depletion and enrichment of light REE (LREE: La to Nd), medium REE (MREE: Sm to Ho) and heavy REE (HREE: Er to Lu) were evaluated by the ratios: La n /Yb n (LREE/HREE), La n /Sm n (LREE/MREE) and Sm n /Yb n (MREE/HREE) (Gallello et al 2019a).…”

Section: Rare Earth Elements (Ree) Parametersmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Analysis of stratigraphical sequences at Cocina Cave (Spain) using rare earth elements geochemistry

Gallello

Ramacciotti

Puchol

et al. 2021

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This study investigates the stratigraphical sequence of Cocina Cave (Spain) employing and testing for the first time the capability of rare earth elements as markers of human activities in caves. Located in Dos Aguas (Valencian Community, Spain), Cocina Cave is characterized by the presence of several Holocene archaeological deposits from the final Mesolithic to the present day and is a pivotal site for understanding the socio-ecological dynamics of the last hunter-gatherer inhabitants of the Iberian Peninsula and the transition to pastoral and agricultural economies in the Western Mediterranean. However, the identification of strata from particular time-periods in the cave is often difficult due to the homogeneity of layers, the poor archaeological record in some strata and the presence of severe disturbance phenomena. The methodological approach of this study consisted of crossreferencing rare earth elements and other chemical markers with the archaeological stratigraphical interpretation, in an attempt to not only support the identification of the anthropic contribution to the formation of Cocina Cave strata, but also to characterize and confirm different natural and occupational episodes, particularly those associated with hunter-gatherer, early agriculturalist, and shepherd activities. Sediments were collected from different excavation areas and analysed for major elements, trace elements, rare earth elements (REE), soil organic matter (SOM) amounts and pH. Multivariate statistics were employed to group samples according to their elemental profile, and these were then compared to the archaeological temporal interpretation. The obtained results showed that REE amount and fractionation geochemical processes were regulated by carbonates, phosphates and pH. The use of REE as markers was particularly useful as their concentrations and their calculated ratios and anomaly distributions were demonstrated to be highly consistent with the archaeological stratigraphical interpretation.

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confidence: 72%

Section: Portable X-ray Fluorescence Analysis (Pxrf)mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Analysis of stratigraphical sequences at Cocina Cave (Spain) using rare earth elements geochemistry

Gallello

Ramacciotti

Puchol

et al. 2021

Boreas

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“…Sample preparation and digestion were carried out by pre‐crushing the ochre samples with a jaw crusher, and then grinding and homogenizing with an agate mortar. The selected digestion method (Gallello et al, 2019) consisted of adding 1.35 ml of HCl and 0.45 ml of HNO 3 (using 37% HCl and 69% HNO 3 high‐purity stock bottles) to 0.15 g of sample in glass tubes and placing them in a water bath at 100°C for 40 min. Subsequently, the digested solutions were carefully poured into 50 ml plastic tubes, bringing the volume to 25 ml with purified water.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterization and sources of Paleolithic–Mesolithic ochre from Coves de Santa Maira (Valencian Region, Spain)

et al. 2020

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The origin of iron‐oxide materials found at Paleolithic and Neolithic sites in the Spanish Mediterranean region is a pivotal issue that has not yet been explored. The aim of this study is to investigate the exploitation of local ochre sources during the different archaeological phases identified at the site of Coves de Santa Maira (Valencian Region, Eastern Spain). A sampling strategy and a methodological approach were developed. Lumps of ochre and raw materials were sampled from the archaeological site and its surroundings. The archaeological materials studied are from the occupational phases dated to between 15 and 6 ka cal BP, whereas the raw materials sampled from the surroundings of the cave are red fine‐grained and earthy‐grained sedimentary materials and Late Triassic (Keuper) clays. Morphological, mineralogical, and chemical analyses of the samples were carried out, and quantitative data on ochre fragments and processing tools recovered at the site were also included. Finally, Fe‐normalized and log10 transformed data and multivariate statistical analysis, using major, trace, and rare earth elements as variables, were applied to compare the mineralogical and chemical profiles of the archaeological materials with those from geological sources. The results obtained have provided interesting data about iron‐based mineral exploitation during Prehistory in the studied region.

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“…The anomalies were calculated following the equations recently employed by Gallello et al . (2019):

\begin{matrix} lefttrue \\ Ce anomaly = 3 {Ce}_{PAAS} / (2 {La}_{PAAS} + {Nd}_{PAAS}) . \\ Eu anomaly = {Eu}_{PAAS} / {((), {Sm}_{PAAS} \times {Gd}_{PAAS})}^{1 / 2} . \end{matrix}

where PAAS subscripts indicates post‐Archean Australian shale normalized values (Taylor and McLennan 1985).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ceramic productions and human interactions during the Early Bronze Age in northern Iberia

et al. 2020

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The Early Bronze Age ceramic collection found into the caves of La Llana and El Toral III in Asturias (Spain) presents common decoration such as that found in the centre of Cantabrian Spain from the same period, which resembles others found in the Ebro Valley and Atlantic Europe. Therefore, the main objective of this study it is to identify the raw material origin and understand the pottery production process during the Early Bronze Age in the Cantabrian region. A methodological approach based on the chemical and mineralogical analysis of vessels and experimentally fired clay samples collected all over the centre of this region was developed. Furthermore, the post‐depositional processes affecting the sherds’ composition was evaluated by employing the rare earth elements as markers. The results showed that the studied assemblage has important similarities with the raw materials of the surrounding area, which supports the hypothesis of a regional mobility.

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The capability of rare earth elements geochemistry to interpret complex archaeological stratigraphy

Cited by 9 publications

References 50 publications

Analysis of stratigraphical sequences at Cocina Cave (Spain) using rare earth elements geochemistry

Analysis of stratigraphical sequences at Cocina Cave (Spain) using rare earth elements geochemistry

Characterization and sources of Paleolithic–Mesolithic ochre from Coves de Santa Maira (Valencian Region, Spain)

Ceramic productions and human interactions during the Early Bronze Age in northern Iberia

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