A carved ivory cylinder from Akchakhan-kala, Uzbekistan: problems of dating and provenance

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dc.contributor.authorBetts, AVGen_AU
dc.contributor.authorDodson, JRen_AU
dc.contributor.authorGarbe, Uen_AU
dc.contributor.authorBertuch, Fen_AU
dc.contributor.authorThorogood, GJen_AU
dc.date.accessioned2020-03-26T03:11:17Zen_AU
dc.date.available2020-03-26T03:11:17Zen_AU
dc.date.issued2016-02-01en_AU
dc.date.statistics2020-03-20en_AU
dc.description.abstractExcavations at Akchakhan-kala in Uzbekistan, a region known in antiquity as Chorasmia, recovered a large, elaborately carved and heavily burned cylinder of some very solid material. Its poor condition made identification of the raw material difficult. Here we used neutron tomography to examine the internal structure in a non-destructive way, and X-ray Diffraction to determine the main chemical composition of the material which confirmed it as ivory. This was followed by preparation for stable isotope and radiocarbon analysis. The stable isotope analysis suggests a tropical or subtropical grassland source for the ivory, which is unlikely to be from Uzbekistan. The dating shows the ivory to be much earlier than the context in which it was found. Whatever its origin, the ivory travelled far to reach Chorasmia, perhaps in its raw state, and perhaps also for some time in its carved form. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd.en_AU
dc.identifier.articlenumber190-196en_AU
dc.identifier.citationBetts, A., Dodson, J., Garbe, U., Bertuch, F., & Thorogood, G. (2016). A carved ivory cylinder from Akchakhan-kala, Uzbekistan: problems of dating and provenance. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 5, 190-196. doi:10.1016/j.jasrep.2015.10.034en_AU
dc.identifier.govdoc8993en_AU
dc.identifier.issn2352-409Xen_AU
dc.identifier.journaltitleJournal of Archaeological Science: Reportsen_AU
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2015.10.034en_AU
dc.identifier.urihttp://apo.ansto.gov.au/dspace/handle/10238/9249en_AU
dc.identifier.volume5en_AU
dc.language.isoenen_AU
dc.publisherElsevier B.V.en_AU
dc.subjectUzbekistanen_AU
dc.subjectTomographyen_AU
dc.subjectCarbon 14en_AU
dc.subjectX-ray diffractionen_AU
dc.subjectIsotope datingen_AU
dc.subjectRaw materialsen_AU
dc.titleA carved ivory cylinder from Akchakhan-kala, Uzbekistan: problems of dating and provenanceen_AU
dc.typeJournal Articleen_AU
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