The State of Microarchaeology Today With Special Implications for Household Archaeology and Intra-Site Spatial Analysis

This is a review paper which summed up the state of the field of Microarchaeology as of 2002. While it is now slightly out of date, it provides a reasonable synopsis of the field as of the date it was written.

Isaac I. Ullah

Unpublished manuscript

2002

Isaac I. Ullah

Within room analysis of activity areas at Late Neolithic Tabaqat Al-Buma, Wadi Ziqlab, Al Kura, Jordan

This paper describes a new method of microrefuse analysis using a case-study from the Late Neolithic site of Tabaqat al-Buma in northern Jordan.

Isaac I. Ullah

In: Studies in the History and Archaeology of Jordan X. Dept. of Antiquities, eds.; Amman, Jordan. pp 87-95.

2009

Isaac I. Ullah

Snail shell

Examples of white and opaque snail shells, most likely from an aquatic habitat. Along with land snails, both are thin-walled with very light striations. Land snails have brownish shells or shells with brown spotting.

Catherine P. Foster

Catherine P. Foster

Gastropod shell

Gastropods have an elongated cone spirally twisted around an imaginary axis, the spiral following a clockwise course (see Abbott and Dance 1998). The diagnostic elements visible on the microlevel are the apex, spire (and spiral lines), and columella or inner lip.

Catherine P. Foster

Catherine P. Foster

Shell (general)

Land and seashells exhibit a broad range of characterizing features. They can be composed of one or multiple separate pieces, thick or thin walled, colorful or colorless, opaque or translucent, smooth or scaly. Most microshell from Kenan Tepe was whitish-gray (freshwater) or brown (land). They exhibit iridescent or opaque features and seemed to have several layers one on top of the other like an onion.

Catherine P. Foster

Catherine P. Foster

Slag (?)

Grayish-green in color; vitrified and bubbly in shape. Based
on
XRF
testing, this
microslag
(1 piece, multiple views) derived
from
some form of intentional
copper
or
copper-
based
mineral
processing. Unfortunately it is impossible to know what exactly. It could have derived from copper,
cuprite,
or
malachite
smelting,
as
a
colorant
in
pottery
decoration, or simply transferred
off a
hammer
stone
or
other
tool during production or use.

Catherine P. Foster

Catherine P. Foster

Plaster

Fragments of plaster, possibly gypsum. White, chalky appearance with some linear voids indicating possible tempering with organic material (chaff?).

Catherine P. Foster

Catherine P. Foster

Wood

If you perform wet sieving, you may encounter burnt wood or plant matter (charcoal). Charcoal is relatively rare in microsamples that have been processed with a flotation tank. However, if charcoal become "waterlogged" during flotation, it can appear in a sample. Any unburnt wood is most likely not ancient but modern contamination in your sample.

Charcoal is characterized by a woody appearance, often with faint grain lines. In some cases, shiny surfaces on the charred material are visible. Charcoal, like seeds, are very fragile and prone to breakage so use caution.

Catherine P. Foster

Catherine P. Foster

Bone? wood?

This piece has stumped both me and my faunal expert. The coloring looks like bone, but does not match any taxa she is aware of. Does anyone else have Swiss cheese-looking pieces like these?

Catherine P. Foster

Catherine P. Foster

Seeds

If you perform wet sieving, you may encounter burnt seeds or seed parts. Seeds are relatively rare in microsamples that have been processed with a flotation tank. However, if seeds become "waterlogged" during flotation, they can appear in a sample. Any unburnt seed/plant part is most likely not ancient but modern contamination in your sample. Look for the lightweight, black seed-shaped pieces.

Catherine P. Foster

Catherine P. Foster