30th May 2009, 09:12 PM
The paper is a good read. The technique is relatively simple compared to other ceramic dating techniques like Thermoluminescence (TL), and potentially cheaper as it doesn't require 'much' specialised equipment or radioactive sources.
However, there are probably hidden costs to some applications of the technique. The key requirement is to reconstruct the temperature history as the rate of recombination is dependent on temperature. Relatively easy for post-medieval, historical samples especially in the UK as there is decent records. If only a general tenperature is required and not a highly detailed study thats probably fine. Palaeoenvironmental proxy reconstructions might be good enough for very old ceramic contexts, pollen and other techniques might do it in NW Europe, but getting high-quality pollen in the Med, Africa and other semi-arid and arid environments is a lot more patchy. Oxygen Stable isotopes from carbonates might be more precise here, but we're getting into the glorious world of inter-disciplinary research projects and increased costs.
It would be interesting to check further sub-samples, and samples through thick ceramics to check for variations in the matrix. The mechanism of rehydroxylation is technically supposed to be unaffected by saturated capillary water. It is the constant rate of recombination of water molecules with the clay matrix that is measured. Clearly testing the technique on older samples from securely dated contexts is a must. Some very early ceramics are presumably going to be precious commodities so taking 3-5 g sub-samples may not be possible for all cases.
Hopefully I can have a go at this over the next year or so...simple methodology, some effective science with some very nice potential for reassessing our pottery typologies and all the associated chronological links. Good work, Wilson et al.
However, there are probably hidden costs to some applications of the technique. The key requirement is to reconstruct the temperature history as the rate of recombination is dependent on temperature. Relatively easy for post-medieval, historical samples especially in the UK as there is decent records. If only a general tenperature is required and not a highly detailed study thats probably fine. Palaeoenvironmental proxy reconstructions might be good enough for very old ceramic contexts, pollen and other techniques might do it in NW Europe, but getting high-quality pollen in the Med, Africa and other semi-arid and arid environments is a lot more patchy. Oxygen Stable isotopes from carbonates might be more precise here, but we're getting into the glorious world of inter-disciplinary research projects and increased costs.
It would be interesting to check further sub-samples, and samples through thick ceramics to check for variations in the matrix. The mechanism of rehydroxylation is technically supposed to be unaffected by saturated capillary water. It is the constant rate of recombination of water molecules with the clay matrix that is measured. Clearly testing the technique on older samples from securely dated contexts is a must. Some very early ceramics are presumably going to be precious commodities so taking 3-5 g sub-samples may not be possible for all cases.
Hopefully I can have a go at this over the next year or so...simple methodology, some effective science with some very nice potential for reassessing our pottery typologies and all the associated chronological links. Good work, Wilson et al.