Archaeomineralogy1.1 Prologue What is archaeomineralogy? The term has been used at least once before (Mitchell 1985), but this volume is the first publication to lay down the scientific basis and systematics for this subdiscipline. Students sometimes call an introductory archaeology course "stones and bones." Archaeomineralogy covers the stones component of this phrase. Of course, archaeology consists of a great deal more than just stones and bones. Contemporary archaeology is based on stratigraphy, geomorphology, chronometry, behavioral inferences, and a host of additional disciplines in addition to those devoted to stones and bones. To hazard a definition: archaeomineralogy is the study of the minerals and rocks used by ancient societies over space and time, as implements, orna ments, building materials, and raw materials for ceramics and other processed products. Archaeomineralogy also attempts to date, source, or otherwise char acterize an artifact or feature, or to interpret past depositional alteration of archaeological contexts. Unlike geoarchaeology, archaeomineralogy is not, and is not likely to become, a recognized subdiscipline. Practitioners of archaeomineralogy are mostly geoarchaeologists who specialize in geology and have a strong background in mineralogy or petrology (the study of the origin ofrocks). |
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
12 Organization of the Book | 2 |
13 The Ancient Authors | 3 |
131 Classical Authors and Mineralogy | 5 |
1312 Dioscorides ca 4090 ACE | 6 |
1314 Vitruvius ca 7025 BCE | 7 |
1315 Diodorus of Sicily fl ca 5830 BCE | 8 |
1322 Albertus Magnus ca 12061280 | 9 |
78 Tin Sn Minerals | 166 |
79 Lead Pb Minerals | 172 |
710 Zinc Zn Minerals | 174 |
711 Other Ore Minerals and Metals | 175 |
712 Oxidation of Metallic Ores | 177 |
Ceramic Raw Materials | 179 |
82 Clays | 180 |
83 Pottery | 185 |
133 Arab Writers | 10 |
1332 Avicenna 9801037 | 11 |
Properties of Minerals | 13 |
23 Mineral Identification Methods | 17 |
232 Petrographic Analyses | 19 |
233 Physical Methods of Identification | 20 |
24 Color of Minerals | 22 |
Exploitation of Mineral and Rock Raw Materials | 41 |
32 Rock Classification and Properties | 42 |
322 Sedimentary Rocks | 48 |
33 Deposits | 52 |
332 Placer Deposits | 53 |
333 Residual Deposits | 54 |
34 Metamorphic Rocks | 55 |
35 Outcrops Mining and Quarrying | 58 |
Lithic Materials | 63 |
42 Microcrystalline Quartz | 70 |
43 Other Siliceous Rocks | 76 |
431 Quartzite | 77 |
432 Opal | 78 |
435 Siliceous ShaleSlateSchist | 79 |
45 Other Rock Types | 83 |
Gemstones Seal Stones and Ceremonial Stones | 87 |
7 Density 253 | 90 |
522 Cryptocrystalline Varieties | 92 |
53 NonQuartz Silicates and Minerals | 96 |
532 FineGrained | 101 |
533 Glassy | 105 |
54 Carbonate and Sulfate Minerals | 106 |
55 Oxide Minerals | 108 |
56 Organic Gems | 111 |
57 Other Gem Minerals | 113 |
571 Sulfide Minerals | 114 |
Soft Stones and Other Carvable Materials | 117 |
63 Steatite and Soapstone | 120 |
631 Asbestos | 123 |
65 Marble | 127 |
66 Catlinite | 131 |
68 Sedimentary Rocks | 132 |
69 Volcanic Rocks | 135 |
610 Miscellaneous Rocks | 136 |
Metals and Related Minerals and Ores | 139 |
72 Gold Au | 142 |
73 Silver Ag | 147 |
74 Native Copper Cu | 150 |
75 Other Copper Minerals | 153 |
751 The Copper Ore Minerals | 160 |
76 Iron Fe | 161 |
77 Iron Minerals | 164 |
84 Tempers | 186 |
85 Glazes | 187 |
86 Porcelain | 189 |
87 Glass | 190 |
88 Faience | 192 |
89 FiredBrick Tile and Terracotta | 193 |
810 Refractory Ceramics | 195 |
Pigments and Colorants | 197 |
92 Historical Background | 199 |
93 Iron Oxide Compounds | 203 |
94 Manganese Compounds | 208 |
96 Lead Compounds | 210 |
97 Carbon Compounds | 212 |
99 Carbonates | 213 |
911 Gold and Silver | 216 |
912 Tin Compounds | 217 |
Abrasives Salt Shells and Miscellaneous Geological Raw Materials | 219 |
103 Salt Halite | 220 |
104 Natron | 224 |
105 Alum | 225 |
106 Shells Coral and Fossil Bone | 228 |
107 Other Geological Raw Materials | 234 |
1072 Petroleum Products Asphalt Bitumen and Pitch | 235 |
1073 Sulfur S | 237 |
1074 Mercury Hg | 238 |
1075 Saltpeter Niter | 239 |
1076 Epsomite MgSO47H2O Epsom Salt | 240 |
1079 Fullers Earth | 241 |
Building Monumental and Statuary Materials | 243 |
1121 GraniteDiorite | 246 |
1122 Porphyry | 248 |
1124 LimestoneSandstone | 250 |
1125 Marble | 251 |
1126 SlateSchistQuartzite | 252 |
1127 Gypsum | 255 |
1132 Gypsum | 258 |
1134 Hydraulic Reactions | 259 |
1135 Natural Pozzolana | 260 |
1136 Artificial Pozzolana | 261 |
1137 Modern Portland Cement | 262 |
114 Masonry | 263 |
116 Weathering and Decomposition | 267 |
275 | |
Glossary | 303 |
Appendix | 309 |
315 | |
321 | |
325 | |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
alabaster alloys alum andesite antiquity archaeological archaeomineralogy artifacts Ashurst atoms azurite basalt beads blue Bronze Age calcite calcium carbonate carved cassiterite cement century ACE ceramic chalcedony chemical chert China cinnabar color compounds contain crystal density deposits Dynasty early Eastern Desert Egypt electron Europe exploited feldspar fine-grained fracture galena gems gemstone geological glass glazes goethite gold granite Greece Greek green gypsum hardness hematite igneous rocks India iron oxide kaolinite lead light lime limestone lithic luster malachite manganese manufacture marble Mediterranean Mesoamerica metal metamorphic millennium BCE mineralogy mining mortar native copper natural Neolithic North America obsidian occurs ochre Paint pigment Paleolithic particles period pigment placer Pliny pottery pozzolana Predynastic prehistoric production pyrite quarries quartz quartzite raw materials region Roman salt sand sandstone sedimentary rocks shell silica silver smelting steatite stone sulfide sulfur surface temperature variety volcanic wavelengths widely yellow