Günther A. Wagner Bücher

Der große offizielle Jubiläumsband zum 100. Jahrestag der Entdeckung des Homo heidelbergensis – eines Fundes von Weltrang! Das Buch gibt einen anschaulichen, bebilderten Überblick zur spannenden Abstammungsgeschichte des Menschen auf Grundlage neuester Forschungen.

Archäometrie befasst sich mit der Entwicklung und Anwendung naturwissenschaftlicher Methoden und Konzepte zur Lösung archäologischer Fragestellungen. Damit forscht sie an der Schnittstelle zwischen Natur- und Geisteswissenschaften. Archäologen, Physiker, Chemiker, Bio- und Geowissenschaftler geben hier einen Überblick über den heutigen Stand der vielfältigen archäometrischen Ansätze: Grundlagen, Fallbeispiele und Anwendungsmöglichkeiten. Die Themen: Materialanalytik, Datierung, geophysikalische Prospektion, Archäometallurgie, Molekulargenetik, geoarchäologische Umweltrekonstruktion und die Kulturentwicklung durch den Klimawandel.

When reconstructing the past, the archaeologist needs to take into account all kinds of relevant information. Where no written evidence is available, the natural sciences play an indispensable role. Troia is a remarkable site in this respect. The present Troia project, under the directorship of Manfred Korfmann, integrates various disciplines including geoarchaeology, archaeobotany, zooarchaeology, anthropology, geophysical prospection as well as chemical and technological studies of metal, stone and pottery. Hardly any other archaeological project is supported so intensely and on such a broad scale by archaeometric investigations as the international research group in Troia. In April 2001 an International Symposium was held in Heidelberg, Germany, with the aim of promoting scientific interaction and providing synopses of the various disciplines engaged in Troia. This volume contains most of the contributions presented at the symposium.

Dating the Quaternary, which covers approximately the last 2 million years, has experienced considerable progress over the past few decades. On the one hand, this resulted from the necessity to obtain a valid age concept for this period which had seen tremendous environmental changes and the advent of the genus Homo. On the other hand, instrumental improvements, such as the introduction of highly sensitive analytical techniques, gave rise to physical and chemical innovations in the field of dating. This rapid methodological development is still in full progress. The broad spectrum of chronometric methods applicable to young rocks and artifacts also becomes increasingly intricate to the specialist. Hence, it is my goal to present a comprehensive, state-of-the-art sum mary of these methods. This book is essentially designed as an aid for scientists who feel a demand for dating tasks falling into this period, i. e., Quaternary geologists and archaeologists in the broadest sense. Since it has been developed from a course of lectures for students of geological and archaeological sciences, held at the University of Heidelberg, it certainly shall serve as an introduction for students of these disciplines.