Publications by Robert Tykot
Riassunto Si presentano in questa sede i risultati delle analisi non distruttive, effettuate impi... more Riassunto Si presentano in questa sede i risultati delle analisi non distruttive, effettuate impiegando uno spettrometro portatile in Fluorescenza di raggi X, su circa 180 manufatti preistorici in ossidiana provenienti da 15 siti archeologici nell'Orista-nese e nel Cagliaritano in Sardegna, conservati a Roma presso il Museo Prei-storico-Etnografico " Luigi Pigorini ". Congiuntamente alla determinazione fisico-visuale di questi strumenti si esamina l'uso dell'ossidiana nei diversi periodi di tempo e si propongono interpretazioni per modelli cronologici e geografici che possano essere riferiti alla qualità, alla quantità, all'accessibilità e ai fattori socio-economici implicati nell'acquisizione, nella produzione e nell'uso dell'os-sidiana preistorica in Sardegna.
Abstract Results are presented here for the analysis, using a non-destructive portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometer, of nearly 180 prehistoric obsidian artifacts from 15 archaeological sites in the Oristano and Cagliari areas of Sardinia, stored in the Museo Preistorico-Etnografico " Luigi Pigorini " in Rome. Combined with physical/visual assessment of these stone tools, obsidian usage for different time periods is examined, and interpretations proposed for chronological and geographic patterns that may be related to the quality, quantity, access, and socioeconomic factors involved in the acquisition, production, trade, and use of obsidian in prehistoric Sardinia.
This paper details the results of a comparison of stable isotopic data from bone samples acquired... more This paper details the results of a comparison of stable isotopic data from bone samples acquired from 31 individuals from two Late Neolithic-Copper Age (3500-2000 BC) burial sites in the Estremadura region of Portugal. The chosen sites of Feteira II and Paimogo I are geographically close and temporally overlapping but represent distinctive types of burial structures, one being a natural cave and the other a tholos. Because stable isotope analyses can quantify individual dietary intake, it can be useful in distinguishing patterns of food consumption within and between populations. The goal of this research was to ascertain if there are dietary differences that would indicate that socially-differentiated populations were interred in these burial spaces. The results of this study indicate diets based primarily on C 3 plants and terrestrial animals for both sampled populations. Although several individuals do exhibit dietary signatures that suggest they were consuming some fish, marine resources do not appear to be major dietary staples in either group despite close proximity to the sea. Some variation in food and water consumption is apparent between individuals at the two burial sites with individuals at Feteira II exhibiting more variability in isotopic indicators of dietary carbohydrates and drinking water sources while individuals from Paimogo I exhibit more variability in protein source and intake. However, no statistically significance differences in isotopic values were found that would point to clear dietary distinctions between the compared burial populations. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License (by-nc 3.0). ©Copyright A.
Presented here are the first results of an ongoing research project on stable isotopic analysis o... more Presented here are the first results of an ongoing research project on stable isotopic analysis of human bone samples from six sites located at Jujuy province, NW Argentina.
Ceramic artefacts from Failaka Island (Kuwait) as well as raw materials from the surrounding area... more Ceramic artefacts from Failaka Island (Kuwait) as well as raw materials from the surrounding areas of the archaeological sites were analyzed by means of petrographic thin sections, non-destructive portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF), and high precision powder X-ray diffractometry in an attempt to fingerprint production centres, raw material sources, as well as trade and exchange routes in the Bronze Age.
Stable oxygen isotopes (d 18 O) from human bone apatite from central western Argentina (30º-37ºS ... more Stable oxygen isotopes (d 18 O) from human bone apatite from central western Argentina (30º-37ºS latitude) were analysed to understand changes in human residential mobility during the Late Holocene. This region contains evidence for the use of domesticated plants over the last 2000 years (Zea mays, Cucurbita sp. and Phaseolus sp., among others), and previous models of prehistoric occupation have suggested a distinct change in mobility and population movement associated with their incorporation. The importance of these domesticates also seems to have varied geographically, being greater in the northern part of the region and declining as one moves south toward the limit with Patagonia. Expectations about patterns of residential mobility have varied accordingly.
Archaeometry, 2006
Ulúa marble vases from the Ulúa Valley of northwestern Honduras are a hallmark luxury good from L... more Ulúa marble vases from the Ulúa Valley of northwestern Honduras are a hallmark luxury good from Late Classic ( AD 600 -900) Mesoamerica. Archaeological and stylistic data point to centralized production at one site, Travesía. This paper analyses stable isotope and petrographic data from the vases and three potential procurement areas. The results indicate that the vases were produced from one primary source with one, potentially two, secondary sources. Procurement patterns most probably corresponded to contemporary communication routes. The results clearly indicate that a multi-method approach is necessary for sourcing marble from Honduras.
In this paper we test the hypothesis that an intensification of maize production preceded the dev... more In this paper we test the hypothesis that an intensification of maize production preceded the development of a regional Moche political economy in the Moche Valley of north coastal Peru during the Early Intermediate period (400 B.C.-A.D. 600). To do so we analyze stable isotopic signatures of 48 bone apatite and 17 tooth enamel samples from human remains recovered from the site of Cerro Oreja, a large urban and ceremonial center in the Moche Valley. These remains date to the Guañape, Salinar, or Gallinazo phases and provide a diachronic picture of subsistence before the appearance of the Southern Moche state. The most notable patterns identified in the study include a lack of significant change in δ13Capatite values from the Guañape to Salinar phases, followed by a significant enrichment in δ13Capatite values from the Salinar to Gallinazo phases. Several lines of evidence, including archaeological context, dental data, and comparative carbon stable isotope data from experimental animal studies and studies of archaeological human remains support the interpretation that the observed 13C enrichment in stable isotope values in the Gallinazo phase primarily reflects maize intensification. The stable isotope data from Cerro Oreja thus suggest that a shift in subsistence toward a highly productive and storable crop may have served as an important precursor to state development during the Early Intermediate period in the Moche Valley.
Archaeological Chemistry: Analytical Techniques and Archaeological Interpretation, 2007
Use of inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICPMS) coupled to a laser-ablation sample in... more Use of inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICPMS) coupled to a laser-ablation sample introduction system (LA-ICP-MS) as a minimally destructive method for chemical characterization of archaeological materials has gained favor during the past few years. Although still a relatively new analytical tectmique in archaeology, LA-ICP-MS has been demonstrated to be a productive avenue of research for chemical characterization of obsidian, chert, pottery, painted and glazed surfaces, and human bone and teeth. Archaeological applications of LA-ICP-MS and comparisons with other analytical methods are described.
ABSTRACT This volume reprints 20 chapters from the editorsâ comprehensive Histories of Maize (2... more ABSTRACT This volume reprints 20 chapters from the editorsâ comprehensive Histories of Maize (2006) that are relevant to Mesoamerican specialists and students. New findings and interpretations from the past three years have been included. Histories of Maize is the most comprehensive reference source on the botanical, genetic, archaeological, and anthropological aspects of ancient maize published. Included in this abridged volume are new introductory and concluding chapters and updated material on isotopic research. State of the art research on maize chronology, molecular biology, and stable carbon isotope research on ancient human diets have provided additional lines of evidence on the changing role of maize through time and space and its spread throughout the Americas. The multidisciplinary evidence from the social and biological sciences presented in this volume have generated a much more complex picture of the economic, political, and religious significance of maize.
In the Neolithic and Copper Age collective burials of the Portuguese Estremadura, the majority o... more In the Neolithic and Copper Age collective burials of the Portuguese Estremadura, the majority of material culture and skeletal remains are highly commingled, making it difficult for archaeologists to evaluate social status by linking individuals with specific grave goods. In these circumstances, bio-anthropological data about individual life histories offer an additional avenue of investigation into social complexity among prehistoric communities practising collective burial. In this study, stable isotope data were gathered from 81 individuals from seven collective burial sites and one settlement, the fortified site of Zambujal, in order to determine if significant dietary differences exist within or between burials that may point to patterns of social differentiation, both at individual sites and across the region. While in general all of the sampled individuals consumed fairly homogeneous diets based on terrestrial animal proteins and C3 plants, this study found that statistically significant differences in δ13Cap and δ15N values exist between several sites, which may indicate socially differentiated consumption of meat and plants. Additionally, statistically significant differences were found in δ15N values between adults and juveniles, which may either be attributable to protein-restrictive child-feeding practices or physiological processes related to skeletal growth and development.
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Publications by Robert Tykot
Abstract Results are presented here for the analysis, using a non-destructive portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometer, of nearly 180 prehistoric obsidian artifacts from 15 archaeological sites in the Oristano and Cagliari areas of Sardinia, stored in the Museo Preistorico-Etnografico " Luigi Pigorini " in Rome. Combined with physical/visual assessment of these stone tools, obsidian usage for different time periods is examined, and interpretations proposed for chronological and geographic patterns that may be related to the quality, quantity, access, and socioeconomic factors involved in the acquisition, production, trade, and use of obsidian in prehistoric Sardinia.
Abstract Results are presented here for the analysis, using a non-destructive portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometer, of nearly 180 prehistoric obsidian artifacts from 15 archaeological sites in the Oristano and Cagliari areas of Sardinia, stored in the Museo Preistorico-Etnografico " Luigi Pigorini " in Rome. Combined with physical/visual assessment of these stone tools, obsidian usage for different time periods is examined, and interpretations proposed for chronological and geographic patterns that may be related to the quality, quantity, access, and socioeconomic factors involved in the acquisition, production, trade, and use of obsidian in prehistoric Sardinia.
Several hundred samples were collected from Greek and Roman statues and reliefs in museums and private collections in Europe and the United States that appeared to have been carved in marble from Cape Vathy on Thasos. X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to test for the presence of dolomite, with the finding that 75% of the "Thasian" appearing sculptures were in fact dolomitic. Stable isotope analyses of the dolomitic sculptures have reconfirmed their Thasian attribution; these analytical data serve to further refine the isotopic field for Thasian marble and may potentially allow the identification of discrete quarry areas exploited at different times in the past. Isotopic analyses of the calcite marble sculptures add to the more than 100 analyses that we have reported at ASMOSIA III and IV. As the number of sculptures with quarry attributions grows, contributions are made to our understanding of chronological, geographic, and art historical patterns in marble use.