Book Review: Field Sampling for Laboratory Analysis in Archaeology

Mahmoud Mardini, Associate Editor for Bioarchaeology

Field Sampling for Laboratory Analysis in Archaeology aims at promoting better archaeological practices when sampling finds for laboratory analysis (Figure 1). The guide is part of STARC’s strategy to develop the archaeological sciences in the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East. The creation of this resource was funded by the European Commission under the H2020 framework – H2020 Twinning PROMISED project. The guide has been edited by Associate Professor Evi Margaritis (The Cyprus Institute), Dr Artemios Oikonomou (National Centre For Scientific Research Demokritos), Associate Professor Efthymia Nikita (The Cyprus Institute), and Professor Thilo Rehren (The Cyprus Institute). 

This guide offers an overview of sampling practices and protocols, covering a range of materials including archaeobotany, starches, phytoliths, zooarchaeology, human osteoarchaeology, geoarchaeology, ceramics, ancient glass, lithics, archaeometallurgy, stable isotope analysis, ancient DNA, proteomics, micromorphology, and conservation science.

The chapters are written by experts in their respective fields, providing guidelines on the sampling techniques and protocols used for laboratory analysis. The challenges and opportunities associated with each type of analysis are also addressed by the authors, who provide practical advice on how to overcome relevant difficulties.

To researchers or practitioners interested in the application of natural and environmental science methods, this reference guide will help implement better research protocols in the archaeological sciences. Please refer to the following link for a copy of the open-access handbook:

https://www.academia.edu/103088284/Field_Sampling_for_Laboratory_Analysis

The guide is divided into 23 chapters, each of which focuses on a specific aspect of field sampling for laboratory analysis, as follows:

Chapter 1. Archaeobotanical remains: sampling and processing in the field – Maltas, T., Tsirtsi, K. & Margaritis, E.

Chapter 2. Anthracology: from the field to the laboratory – Ntinou, M. & Mavromati, A.

Chapter 3. A field guide for collecting archaeological samples for starch grain analysis – García-Granero, J. J.

Chapter 4. Phytoliths: field and laboratory methods – Tsartsidou, G. 

Chapter 5. Zooarchaeology – Hadjikoumis, A. & Spyrou, A.

Chapter 6. Sampling, collecting and sorting microfaunal remains from archaeological excavations – Papayianni, K.

Chapter 7. Preservation and sampling of fish, shell and other invertebrate remains – Theodoropoulou, T.

Chapter 8. Sampling archaeological remains for isotopic analyses – Vaiglova, P.

Chapter 9. Sampling for ancient biomolecular data: DNA, proteins and lipids from specific archaeological sample types – Macleod R., Evans M., Sistiaga A., Jensen T., Biers T., Barnes I., & Collins M.

Chapter 10. Minimizing data loss when excavating human skeletal remains – Nikita, E., Caruso, A., Karligkioti, A., Mardini, M., & Vergidou, C.

Chapter 11. Non-skeletal human remains in graves: a primer for dental calculus and parasites field sampling – Radini, A.

Chapter 12. Micromorphology of archaeological soils and sediments: field and laboratory methods – Gkouma, M. & Karkanas, P.

Chapter 13. Sampling and in situ chemical analysis of stone raw materials for provenance – Moutsiou, T. & Charalambous, A.

Chapter 14. Ground stone tools. An integrated approach of use-wear and residue analysis – Lucarini, G. & Mutri, G.

Chapter 15. Non-invasive procedures in pigment analysis – Gasanova, S. & Oikonomou, A.

Chapter 16. Portable XRF as a guiding tool for sampling in archaeometallurgy – Georgakopoulou, M. & Martinón- Torres, M.

Chapter 17. Urban micro-metallurgy: from the field to the lab – Rehren, Th. & Liu, S. 

Chapter 18. Sampling for ceramic analysis – Dikomitou Eliadou, M. & Kiriatzi E. 

Chapter 19. Handling glass: from the field to the lab – Oikonomou, A. & Rehren, Th. 

Chapter 20. Sampling guidelines in luminescence dating – Polymeris, G. S. 

Chapter 21. Conservation of architectural materials – Chlouveraki, S.

Chapter 22. Squeezing out hard materials – Mertzani, M.

Chapter 23. Sampling inorganic materials for chemical (elemental and isotopic) analysis – Degryse, P. & Rademakers, F.

Note: Stay tuned for the Greek and Arabic version soon!