Rehydroxylation of Fired‐Clay Ceramics: Factors Affecting Early‐Stage Mass Gain in Dating Experiments

Wilson, Moira; Clelland, S.; Carter, M. A.; Ince, Ceren; Hamilton, Alister; Batt, C. M

doi:10.1111/arcm.12038

Cited by 20 publications

(54 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…According to Wilson et al . (, , ), the heating of baked clay samples at 105°C allows the removal of the molecular and weakly bound adsorbed water from the medium. The mass evolution of these samples, measured in controlled and constant environmental conditions, would then be characterized over 1 or 2 days by a rapid gain in mass, principally by capillarity, before the sample mass attained stabilization—defining the so‐called archaeological mass ( m A , see http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/arcm.12137/suppinfo).…”

Section: New Weighing Measurements From Syrian Medieval Ceramic Samplesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…), or the use of the specific surface area (SSA) of the studied samples to constrain the duration of laboratory rehydroxylation measurements (Wilson et al . ). Even though these aspects are important, they should not mask several other points, which must be further analysed and constrained so that the RHX dating method becomes efficient (e.g., Le Goff and Gallet ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…We further take the opportunity of this study to make a point on the complexities that we encountered in our own RHX experiments (Le Goff and Gallet , and this study) and on those we also observed from a new analysis of some of the data previously obtained by Wilson et al . (, , ). The resolution of these complexities would clearly mark an important step in the development of the RHX dating method.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evidence for Complexities in the RHX Dating Method

Goff

Gallet

2014

Archaeometry

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The rehydroxylation (RHX) dating method applicable to virtually all baked clay fragments still requires testing and new developments. Here, we have obtained new weighing measurements from Syrian medieval ceramic fragments. In particular, they allow us to illustrate the scatter in RHX behaviour that may exist between different potsherds of the same age and found at the same archaeological site, thus having experienced the same effective lifetime temperature, and even between samples collected from the same artefact. Thanks to a so‐called time‐span analysis, we also report on some complexities in data sets previously obtained by Wilson et al. (2009, 2012, 2014).

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Section: New Weighing Measurements From Syrian Medieval Ceramic Samplesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evidence for Complexities in the RHX Dating Method

Goff

Gallet

2014

Archaeometry

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“…Figure shows the notation and illustrates the RHX dating method . The measurements should be carried out at the Effective Lifetime Temperature (denoted T e or ELT) that the ceramic experienced over its lifetime.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

RHX Dating of Archeological Ceramics Via a New Method to Determine Effective Lifetime Temperature

2014

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Determining the absolute chronology of ceramic artifacts has significant implications for archeological and historical research. Wilson, Hall et al. recently suggested a new technique for direct absolute dating of archeological ceramics based on a moisture‐induced chemical reaction, called rehydroxylation (RHX) dating. RHX dating proceeds by measuring the mass of chemically combined water in the ceramics in the form of OH hydroxyls, and the mass gain rate at the Effective Lifetime Temperature (ELT) that the ceramics experienced over its lifetime. To date, ELT determinations have been based on estimates of the ceramic's lifetime temperature history; taking into account weather and climate data and the depth at which the artifact was found. The uncertainty in determining the ELT can be a major component of the overall dating uncertainty. Here, we propose an alternative method which relies minimally on weather and climate data, and provides more precise determinations of the ELT and the ceramic age. The proposed method (SAS: Same Age Samples) involves a minimum of four measurements of the RHX mass gain rate constant for two ceramic samples of the same age at two temperatures. We show via simulations that the proposed SAS method can determine the ELT with a precision of 0.2 K which is comparable to the best ELT determination based on lifetime temperature history, and also comparable to available microbalance temperature resolutions of around 0.1 K. The corresponding percent age error is then 1.4%, or 43 yr for a 3000‐yr‐old ceramic. The proposed SAS method should be tested with ceramic samples of different ages, whose ELT are well‐known.

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“…Seven fragments from sample RLG 019 show a typical two‐stage progression of mass with

t

¼ . Neither drying at 300°C, nor prolonged firing time showed a significant effect on the RHX rate.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Reproducibility in Rehydroxylation of Ceramic Artifacts

et al. 2015

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Since its introduction in 2009, application of the rehydroxylation (RHX) technique for dating fired‐clay ceramics has been controversial, with very few satisfactory dating results collected in the interim. The stability and efficiency of this technique has been called into question by several investigators in the last few years, who have struggled to reproduce and validate this new dating method. Based on our new mass gain measurements for ca. 2000–7000 yrs old ceramic artifacts, the reproducibility in the RHX process rate is analyzed and discussed. Timespan analysis was performed, and age uncertainty related to RHX dating technique was evaluated by considering the error propagation. The results show poor reproducibility of the RHX process in the samples of the same origins, which give new evidence for a revision of the RHX protocols.

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Rehydroxylation of Fired‐Clay Ceramics: Factors Affecting Early‐Stage Mass Gain in Dating Experiments

Cited by 20 publications

References 11 publications

Evidence for Complexities in the RHX Dating Method

Evidence for Complexities in the RHX Dating Method

RHX Dating of Archeological Ceramics Via a New Method to Determine Effective Lifetime Temperature

Reproducibility in Rehydroxylation of Ceramic Artifacts

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