Ursula M. Franklin

A study of the feasibility of detecting blood residue on artifacts

Abstract A two-step procedure for the detection of blood residue on artifacts is described. The first step includes quick screening tests for the presence of haem using phenolphthalein and tetramethylbenzidine combined with thin layer chromatography. The sample is next analysed for blood protein using sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Positive results for both steps of the procedure confirm the presence of blood. The importance of control samples to test for interfering environmental constituents is emphasized. Results of experiments designed to simulate the burial conditions of blood residues on artifacts are described. These indicate that the haem component of blood is relatively stable but the protein undergoes some degradation. This suggests that the detection of blood on artifacts may be difficult but it is feasible.

New approaches to the characterization and classification of ceramics on the basis of their elemental composition

Abstract This study is a part of a larger investigation related to questions of the systemization of neutron activation analysis results. It considers the analysis of experimental data and focuses on the application of a multivariate statistical technique to the characterization and classification of ceramic artifacts in order to establish and assess their provenance. Central to the statistical methodology reported here is the determination of a specific characterization-classification function. This function provides a method of defining a group of archaeological ceramics on the basis of their elemental composition patterns. Conditional and expected probabilities calculated from the function are then used as a means of classifying unknown observations, indicating outliers, and detecting the existence of another group as yet unidentified. The utility of the function is demonstrated in a specific test case. The possibility of using the characterization-classification function to increase the portability of information and to reduce the need for centralized computer data banks is pointed out.