The Science of Physical Archaeology

Abstract

All too often, the theory and practice of archaeology, and heritage in general, are seen as the preserve of the humanities and are interpretative and subjective rather than objectively measured. However, as we will discuss in this paper, measurement technology and physical science are vital to archaeological interpretation in many areas.

To illustrate the point, we will examine the techniques used in a case study investigating the properties of Roman pigments. We will look at some of the physical science techniques applied, the kind of physical properties determined and how the outcomes have aided the understanding, interpretation and validation of artefacts.