Complementary scientific techniques for the study of Mesoamerican greenstone objects
Abstract Jade and greenstone objects have been held in high regard by many cultures stemming from their limited geological availability and their unique optical and mechanical properties. Jade and greenstone objects symbolized life, fertility, and eternity to early Mesoamerican people. In recent yea...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
SpringerOpen
2024-02-01
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| Series: | Heritage Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40494-023-01128-7 |
| _version_ | 1827326536123940864 |
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| author | Willow Knight Faith Gantz Matthew Carl Marcus L. Young Brigitte Kovacevich Dawn Crawford Elena Torok Fran Baas |
| author_facet | Willow Knight Faith Gantz Matthew Carl Marcus L. Young Brigitte Kovacevich Dawn Crawford Elena Torok Fran Baas |
| author_sort | Willow Knight |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Jade and greenstone objects have been held in high regard by many cultures stemming from their limited geological availability and their unique optical and mechanical properties. Jade and greenstone objects symbolized life, fertility, and eternity to early Mesoamerican people. In recent years, scientific studies on jade and greenstone objects have been performed to establish provenance and usage, identify composition, and verify the presence of a particular material. These studies of jade and greenstone objects are generally divided geographically, with considerable interest in China and Central America. Most studies are focused on objects from one particular archaeological site; however, a few studies have focused on collections from a range of sites. The use of multiple complimentary analytical techniques has been shown to be the most effective method for characterizing and understanding the technical information obtained from cultural heritage objects. In our study, we examine a set of Mesoamerican jade and greenstone objects from the collection at the Dallas Museum of Art using multiple non-destructive techniques, including scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and handheld X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. We briefly discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each technique. Lastly, we present the results from our study and discuss them in their archaeological and historical context. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T14:46:57Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b1d21b688d0e4da28933a92c5b4d1a9e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2050-7445 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T14:46:57Z |
| publishDate | 2024-02-01 |
| publisher | SpringerOpen |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Heritage Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-b1d21b688d0e4da28933a92c5b4d1a9e2024-03-05T19:55:46ZengSpringerOpenHeritage Science2050-74452024-02-0112112310.1186/s40494-023-01128-7Complementary scientific techniques for the study of Mesoamerican greenstone objectsWillow Knight0Faith Gantz1Matthew Carl2Marcus L. Young3Brigitte Kovacevich4Dawn Crawford5Elena Torok6Fran Baas7Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of North TexasDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, University of North TexasDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, University of North TexasDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, University of North TexasDepartment of Anthropology, University of Central FloridaDepartment of Anthropology, Southern Methodist UniversityDallas Museum of ArtDallas Museum of ArtAbstract Jade and greenstone objects have been held in high regard by many cultures stemming from their limited geological availability and their unique optical and mechanical properties. Jade and greenstone objects symbolized life, fertility, and eternity to early Mesoamerican people. In recent years, scientific studies on jade and greenstone objects have been performed to establish provenance and usage, identify composition, and verify the presence of a particular material. These studies of jade and greenstone objects are generally divided geographically, with considerable interest in China and Central America. Most studies are focused on objects from one particular archaeological site; however, a few studies have focused on collections from a range of sites. The use of multiple complimentary analytical techniques has been shown to be the most effective method for characterizing and understanding the technical information obtained from cultural heritage objects. In our study, we examine a set of Mesoamerican jade and greenstone objects from the collection at the Dallas Museum of Art using multiple non-destructive techniques, including scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and handheld X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. We briefly discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each technique. Lastly, we present the results from our study and discuss them in their archaeological and historical context.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40494-023-01128-7GreenstoneJadeMesoamericaNon-destructiveNon-invasive |
| spellingShingle | Willow Knight Faith Gantz Matthew Carl Marcus L. Young Brigitte Kovacevich Dawn Crawford Elena Torok Fran Baas Complementary scientific techniques for the study of Mesoamerican greenstone objects Heritage Science Greenstone Jade Mesoamerica Non-destructive Non-invasive |
| title | Complementary scientific techniques for the study of Mesoamerican greenstone objects |
| title_full | Complementary scientific techniques for the study of Mesoamerican greenstone objects |
| title_fullStr | Complementary scientific techniques for the study of Mesoamerican greenstone objects |
| title_full_unstemmed | Complementary scientific techniques for the study of Mesoamerican greenstone objects |
| title_short | Complementary scientific techniques for the study of Mesoamerican greenstone objects |
| title_sort | complementary scientific techniques for the study of mesoamerican greenstone objects |
| topic | Greenstone Jade Mesoamerica Non-destructive Non-invasive |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40494-023-01128-7 |
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