Thermoluminescence (TL) is the name given to an effect observed when certain minerals give off light created by natural radiation. Some of these minerals are contained in clay, and the effect occurs upon firing of the clay. The time elapsed between such firings can therefore be measured and serves as a reliable dating method. It is well established in the fields of archaeology (where it is used extensively for authenticity testing) and geology. Until recently this method has not been used in the discipline of architectural history. Here we propose specific adaptations of this method to this discipline and demonstrate the inherent limits in its accuracy. We examined a number of Venetian villas dating from the 15th to the 17th centuries, with three goals in mind: 1. To establish this method in architectural history by cross-checking it against well dated buildings. 2. To try and date buildings of unknown age. 3. To try and distinguish individual building phases of one and the same building. The results obtained confirmed all hopes placed in the method. In this paper we discuss in detail, some of these results exemplifying all three goals cited above; and we give a brief explanation of the scientific background and the sampling procedure.

The dating of Palladio's Villa Rotonda by thermoluminescence (TL) has made it possible to establish a more reliable chronology for this building: Vincenzo Scamozzi's completion can be more accurately defined, and the early 18th-century interventions by Francesco Muttoni are proved to be far greater than hitherto assumed. The TL results, furthermore, give criteria by which to assess the relative value of various other documentary sources for the Rotonda, and so indirectly allow an image to appear of what the Rotonda was at its original completion and how it was used.

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44 spécimens de céramique du Pérou et 145 spécimens de verre déterrés près de Manching (Bavière) ont été analysés à l'aide de l'analyse d'activation neutronique et 527 spécimens de bronze égyptiens à l'aide de l'analyse d'absorption atomique. Le but de ce programme était de découvrir quelques groupes au moyen des teneurs élémentaires, qui sont intéressants par rapport à l'archéologie. Les données accumulées étaient mises en valeur à l'aide de "Zentralein- richtung Rechenzentrum der Technischen Universitat Berlin". Le programme statistique était CUSTAN 1 C publié par D. Wishart (l'Ecosse). Les groupes trouvés pouvaient être illustrés par les diagrammes relevants de la connexion archéologique.

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