Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/11806
Title: | Taphonomy or Paint Recipe: In situ portable x-ray fluorescence analysis of two anthropomorphic motifs from the Woronora Plateau, New South Wales | Contributor(s): | Huntley, Jillian A (author) | Publication Date: | 2012 | Handle Link: | https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/11806 | Abstract: | Portable spectrographic techniques have desirable attributes for archaeological investigations because they can be applied in the field non-invasively and non-destructively. With the increasing ubiquity of portable spectrographic techniques in Australia it is timely that the complexities of field-based analyses are discussed. A review of portable x-ray fluorescence (PXRF), including the limitations of the technique, and discussion of the complex physical interactions encapsulated by the resulting elemental data, provide a firm basis for interpreting the analysis of a rock art panel on the Woronora Plateau, New South Wales. PXRF data supports the results of previous (laboratory-based) pigment characterisations, that a locally sourced, composite clay-based paint was used to produce rock art. Results highlight the requirement for specific knowledge and expertise, not only in relation to the technique, but also the rock art under investigation and, critically, its taphonomic context. Ultimately this case study demonstrates that portable spectrometry should be considered an addition to the existing repertoire of archaeometric techniques applicable to the study of rock art, rather than as a replacement for laboratory analyses. | Publication Type: | Journal Article | Source of Publication: | Australian Archaeology (75), p. 78-94 | Publisher: | Australian Archaeological Association Inc | Place of Publication: | Australia | ISSN: | 2470-0363 0312-2417 |
Fields of Research (FoR) 2008: | 210101 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Archaeology 040202 Inorganic Geochemistry |
Fields of Research (FoR) 2020: | 450101 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander archaeology 450102 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artefacts 370302 Inorganic geochemistry |
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2008: | 970103 Expanding Knowledge in the Chemical Sciences 970121 Expanding Knowledge in History and Archaeology 950302 Conserving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage |
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2020: | 280105 Expanding knowledge in the chemical sciences 280113 Expanding knowledge in history, heritage and archaeology 280114 Expanding knowledge in Indigenous studies |
Peer Reviewed: | Yes | HERDC Category Description: | C1 Refereed Article in a Scholarly Journal |
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Appears in Collections: | Journal Article |
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