Intensive Course on Thin Section Petrography, Geochemistry and Scanning Electron Microscopy of Archaeological Ceramics

This intensive in-person short course delivers a solid practical and theoretical introduction to the scientific analysis of pottery and other ceramics within archaeology via thin section petrography, geochemistry and scanning electron microscopy.

The course is jointly run by Dr Manuel Arroyo-Kalin and Dr Richard I Macphail. Training days (10,12-17 February 2024) will comprise lectures followed by the study of specific thin sections. Reference collection self directed study, for more advanced practitioners, will run in parallel. Attendees with no prior experience should plan on attenting the entire lecture programme. Experienced micromorphologists may attend lectures they are interested in, consult on their own research materials, and/or study the reference collections

Extra Practice Days: Given that many course attendees travel from different corners of the globe to London, reference collections will be made available for self-study between 20-23 February 2024 by special arrangement. If you wish to do so, please contact [email protected]

Programme

1. ABC of soil micromorphological description – learn how to study thin sections from scratch
2. Basic soil types; differences between soils, sediments and archaeological deposits; effects of burial and site inundation.
3. Settlement - structures and occupation surfaces
4. Clearance and low impact (e.g., herding) activities.
5. Hunter-gatherer sediments and caves.
6. Cultivation (low intensity), animal management, manuring.
7. The ‘Settlement Morphology’ Model.
8. Medieval structures, use of space and industrial traces
9. European ‘Classical’ deposits and Dark Earth.
10. Tropical Dark Earths

Full timetable see: 

The 15th Roman Archaeology Conference / 32nd Theoretical Roman Archaeology Conference will take place at UCL, 11-14 April 2024. Organised by a committee representing the breadth of Roman archaeology across London institutions, the joint conference features nearly 40 sessions encompassing the major themes of Roman studies today, including new scientific applications, decentering and decolonizing Roman archaeology, globalization and materiality, and archaeological ethics. The conference is in-person only, but is designed to be inclusive and accessible.