a draft exists
Sep. 28th, 2017 04:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kareinaBelow the cut is my draft for my thesis proposal, which needs to be submitted tomorrow. Should anyone feel for giving me feedback that will improve the proposal, it would be very much appreciated.
Viking-Age Steatite: Do Even Every-Day Household Objects Reveal Differences in Status?
Introduction
This PhD research project will undertake a provenance study of steatite objects from a variety of locations in Scandinavia and the North Atlantic to test the hypothesis that differences in relative status and wealth is also expressed in differences in the source of even the most every-day utilitarian objects.
Researcher
This project will be undertaken by Dr. Riia M. Chmielowski, a geologist with a strong background in metamorphic petrology and laboratory analysis. She has previously read much of the literature related to the composition and formation of talc in high-pressure metamorphic rocks, first for her PhD research, and subsequently for her post-doctoral position at the University of Milan (see attached CV). Riia has had a strong interest in archaeology and history from an early age, which has been fostered through her years of participation in historical re-enactment. She now wishes to convert her amateur interest in this field to serious research via undertaking a second PhD project in geoarchaeology. Since she is currently employed half-time as a laboratory manager she proposes to undertake this study half-time, and to use her own laboratory to facilitate the research. She sincerely hopes that this project will lead to many years of collaborative research in this field.
Background
Talc, soapstone and Steatite
• Talc (Mg6[Si8O20](OH)4) is a sheet silicate with a tri-octahedral layered structure in which a sheet of octahedrally coordinated Mg ions is sandwiched between two sheets of linked SiO4 tetrahedra. The layers are uncharged, which results in no interlayer cations, and the interlayer bonding is very weak, which results in a very low hardness (Deer et al., 1992).
• Soapstone has been used as a general term to describe a variety of soft rocks that contain varying amounts of talc, but there has been some disagreement in the geologic literature as to its definition. Older papers, such as Wikki (1953), define soapstone as “the rock consisting mainly of talc”. However, more recently the term has covered rocks with a large range of variation in composition. Therefore Hutta and Kärki (in press/under review) have proposed a new soapstone classification scheme which specifies that to qualify as a soapstone a rock should contain at least 35% and not more than 65% talc, while rocks containing greater amounts of talc should be classified as a “talc rock”.
• Steatite is a term that has long been used in Europe, as a name for talc itself, but which has also been used by geologists for rocks which consist mainly of talc (Wikki, 1953), while archaeologists use the term for rocks with talc content approaching 100% (Hansen and Storemyr, 2017).
Regardless of what they are called, stones which are high in talc are soft enough to easily carve with a knife, or even by using a harder rock. In addition, they are also durable, heat-resistant, and have a high heat storage capacity. For these reasons they have been used in many times and places, to make a variety of useful and/or decorative objects. For this project proposal the term steatite is used to refer to the stones that have been carved to make such objects.
Viking Age use of steatite
Steatite was used extensively during the Viking age throughout Scandinavia and the North Atlantic for a variety of household objects. While there are many steatite quarries available in rocks of the Caledonian Orogeny, which extends from Scotland through Norway, there are far fewer sources (and often none at all) available in other areas settled by Viking people. (e.g. Forster, 2004; Hansen et al., 2017). Therefore, it would have been necessary to either bring steatite objects with one when moving to a new location, or trade for it after one arrived.
Project Aims
This project will combine two main aims, one analytical, and one archaeological, in an attempt to gain a broader understanding of the movement and trade of steatite within Scandinavia and the Scandinavian colonies.
1) Analytical Aim
Test the effectiveness and efficiency of LA-ICP-MS (see analysis methods section) for provenancing Scandinavian steatite objects.
LA-ICP-MS is becoming more and more common in archaeological applications (Neff, 2012), and has recently been applied to steatite beads in North America (Baron et al., 2016), where they have been able to clearly distinguish between steatite which formed from different geological protoliths (ultramafic rock, versus carbonates) through comparison of major, minor, and trace elements. However, due to compositional variations within a given outcrop, it has not always been possible to tie objects to a specific source, but rather to a set of geologically related sources. To date, most (all?) European geochemical analyses of archaeological steatite objects have used other analytical methods, so the time is right to develop the necessary protocols to achieve at least the level of success achieved by Baron, and, ideally, to expand the technique to resolve specific quarries from a set of analysed objects and freshly quarried samples.
2) Archaeological Aim
This project will have the over-arching goal to deepen our understanding of the movement and trade of steatite within Scandinavia and the Scandinavian colonies. The specific focus will be trying to determine the networks available to a single farmstead/family/individual. Such individual (or small group) access to trading networks could be influenced by a variety of factors, including:
a) Status (both within the community and whether the household owned boats moving in and out of harbours)
b) Personal relationships (clan membership and owner-tenant relationships could have influenced access to goods)
c) Proximity to seasonal or permanent trading centres (there could very well have been down-the-line barter and exchange radiating out from trading centres)
To test the hypothesis that status is an important factor in what trade goods one has access to, even for basic household objects, this project will endeavour to analyse samples from a minimum of two different sites. These sites could be from the same location, one clearly belonging to a high-status/wealthy individual or homesite (as evidenced by the number and quality of objects associated with that particular site or burial), the other to a nearby lower status/not as wealthy individual or homesite. Alternatively, or additionally, they could be from two geographically distinct location to compare differences or similarities in provenance vs status of the object’s owner.
While it is not possible to predict before requests been submitted which requests for artefacts will be approved (and therefore how many objects from which locations can be analysed), the following partial list is indicative of the type of finds for which we will request access to steatite objects:
• Trading centre burials, such as Birka and Kaupang, both of which are suitable for single site comparisons individuals with not only different status, but coming from all over the Viking world.
• The Oseberg ship burial vs other, lower status individual female burials in Norway.
• Scottish settlements such as the high-status Jarlshof (in Shetland), the Brough of Birsay, or Deerness in Orkney versus more normal (but potentially well-connected?) farms such as Snusgard (Skaill), Cille Pheadair, and Bornais.
• Scottish female Viking burials such as the Scar boat burial, the Westness burials, and the Knip burial (held by the National Museum of Scotland).
• Icelandic female Viking burials such as Vatnsjfordur, Dalvik, and Dysnes (held at the National Museum of Iceland).
• The high-status farmsteads of Hrisbru and Hofstadir, in Iceland, versus more normal farms such as Sveigakot and Adalstraeti.
Analysis Methods
LA-ICP-MS
Laser-ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) is a micro-destructive analytical tool with an ability to resolve trace elements present in a sample down to parts per billion (ppb) levels. It is increasingly being applied to archaeological artefacts (Neff, 2012) due to the fact that it can be used on solid objects with little to no sample preparation, does not require a vacuum to operate, and the small size of the laser “craters” (5 to 150 µm in diameter). LA-ICP-MS analysis for this project will be undertaken at the Luleå University of Technology, using a NWR193 Laser Ablation System coupled with a iCAP™ Qc ICP-MS. Data reduction will be done using the iolite data processing software (https://iolite-software.com/).
Note that in their discussion Baron et al. (2016) recommended that researchers: “Couple LA-ICP-MS with another analytical technique, such as XRD. Likewise, petrographic analyses might be helpful.”
XRD
X-Ray powder diffraction (XRD) is a rapid analytical technique that can be used to identify crystalline materials and reveal their major element compositions. The portable XRD at the department of Archaeology at Durham will be used for this application.
Optical Petrology
Depending on availability, thin sections (i.e. 30 µm thick slices of polished stone which are mounted on a glass slide) of reference stone from certain quarries may be made to examine with a petrological microscope to determine the minerals present and their relative abundances prior to any further analysis with LA-ICP-MS to produce reference values with which to compare the data from this research.
An optical petrology approach could also be applied to fragments of archaeological stone objects studied, if the museums involved wish to have an understanding of the petrology of the stone and are willing to have thin sections made from any objects in their collection.
Field work
A minor field component to this research is desirable to give Riia an introduction to the processes of archaeological field work in general and to acquaint her with typical occurrence patterns of soapstone objects in the finds.
Experimental archaeology?
Should time and availability of raw materials permit, an experimental archaeology component, to be determined later, will be added to this project if it is deemed helpful to answer questions that may arise on the production of objects.
Location of Research
Luleå University of Technology, Sweden
Riia will be primarily based in Luleå during this project, where she will continue spend 20 hours a week managing the LA-ICP-MS lab, leaving the remaining hours in a week available to undertake this research.
Durham University, UK
Riia will also undertake at least one short (2 to 3 weeks) stay each year in Durham, where she will be able to take advantage of facilities which are not available in Luleå, and have the opportunity for face-to-face interactions with her supervisor and other colleagues. These visits will, by necessity, be balanced by a corresponding period of time working 40 hours a week at LTU.
Funding and Timing
This position comes with funds sufficient to cover tuition and fees for 4 years of part-time study. Therefore, the goal is to complete the project within four years. One approach to accomplish this goal would be to try do all of the analytical work within the first two years, which would leave ample time for data processing, analysis and interpretation of the results.
The initial travel and analytical budget will come from the Swedish Centrala studiestödsnämnden (CSN), which provides a small weekly stipend to Swedish students who are enrolled in higher education, even abroad. The exact amount of this stipend will depend on the number of weeks the student is officially studying each year, but the base rate is 712 SEK (~£65) each week, for up to 26 weeks. Any additional analysis and/or travel would need to be covered by applications for small scale grants through organizations with an interest in the area (such as the Swedish Research Council) or, possibly, crowd-funding (the latter could, perhaps, benefit from Riia’s extensive international network of historical re-enactors, some of whom might be willing to contribute a small amount towards an interesting research project).
REFERENCES
Baron, A., Burke, A. L., Gratuze, B., and Chapdelaine, C., 2016, Characterization and origin of steatite beads made by Northern Iroquoians in the St. Lawrence Valley during the 15th and 16th centuries: Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, v. 8, p. 323-334.
Deer, W. A., Howie, R. A., and Zussman, J., 1992, An Introduction to the Rock-Forming Minerals, 2nd edition, Essex, England, Pearson Education Limited, 495 p.:
Forster, A. K., 2004, Shetland and the Trade of Steatite Goods in the North Atlantic Region During the Viking and Early Medieval Period [PhD PhD]: University of Bradford.
Hansen, G., and Storemyr, P., 2017, A Versatile Resource - The Procurement and Use of Soapstone in Norway and The North Atlantic Region, Soapstone in the North. Quarries, Products and People 7000 BC - AD 1700, University of Bergen, p. 9-28.
Hansen, G., Storemyr, P., Stavsøien, E., Wickler, S., Lindahl, I., Nilsson, L. P., Bunse, L., Bergsvik, K. A., Grenne, T., Østerås, B., Stenvik, L. F., Heldal, T., Schou, T. P., Baug, I., Vangstad, H., Høegsberg, M. S., Forster, A., Jones, R., Jansen, Ø. J., Berglund, B., and Hommedal, A. T., 2017, Soapstone in the North. Quarries, Products and People 7000 BC - AD 1700, University of Bergen.
Huhta, A., and Kärki, A., in press/under review, A proposal for the definition, nomenclature and classification of soapstones: GFF.
Neff, H., 2012, Laser Ablation ICP-MS in Archaeology, in Lee, M. S., ed., Handbook of Mass Spectrometry, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Wikki, H. B., 1953, Composition and orgin of soapstone: : Geologinen Tutkimuslaitos, 57 p.
Viking-Age Steatite: Do Even Every-Day Household Objects Reveal Differences in Status?
Introduction
This PhD research project will undertake a provenance study of steatite objects from a variety of locations in Scandinavia and the North Atlantic to test the hypothesis that differences in relative status and wealth is also expressed in differences in the source of even the most every-day utilitarian objects.
Researcher
This project will be undertaken by Dr. Riia M. Chmielowski, a geologist with a strong background in metamorphic petrology and laboratory analysis. She has previously read much of the literature related to the composition and formation of talc in high-pressure metamorphic rocks, first for her PhD research, and subsequently for her post-doctoral position at the University of Milan (see attached CV). Riia has had a strong interest in archaeology and history from an early age, which has been fostered through her years of participation in historical re-enactment. She now wishes to convert her amateur interest in this field to serious research via undertaking a second PhD project in geoarchaeology. Since she is currently employed half-time as a laboratory manager she proposes to undertake this study half-time, and to use her own laboratory to facilitate the research. She sincerely hopes that this project will lead to many years of collaborative research in this field.
Background
Talc, soapstone and Steatite
• Talc (Mg6[Si8O20](OH)4) is a sheet silicate with a tri-octahedral layered structure in which a sheet of octahedrally coordinated Mg ions is sandwiched between two sheets of linked SiO4 tetrahedra. The layers are uncharged, which results in no interlayer cations, and the interlayer bonding is very weak, which results in a very low hardness (Deer et al., 1992).
• Soapstone has been used as a general term to describe a variety of soft rocks that contain varying amounts of talc, but there has been some disagreement in the geologic literature as to its definition. Older papers, such as Wikki (1953), define soapstone as “the rock consisting mainly of talc”. However, more recently the term has covered rocks with a large range of variation in composition. Therefore Hutta and Kärki (in press/under review) have proposed a new soapstone classification scheme which specifies that to qualify as a soapstone a rock should contain at least 35% and not more than 65% talc, while rocks containing greater amounts of talc should be classified as a “talc rock”.
• Steatite is a term that has long been used in Europe, as a name for talc itself, but which has also been used by geologists for rocks which consist mainly of talc (Wikki, 1953), while archaeologists use the term for rocks with talc content approaching 100% (Hansen and Storemyr, 2017).
Regardless of what they are called, stones which are high in talc are soft enough to easily carve with a knife, or even by using a harder rock. In addition, they are also durable, heat-resistant, and have a high heat storage capacity. For these reasons they have been used in many times and places, to make a variety of useful and/or decorative objects. For this project proposal the term steatite is used to refer to the stones that have been carved to make such objects.
Viking Age use of steatite
Steatite was used extensively during the Viking age throughout Scandinavia and the North Atlantic for a variety of household objects. While there are many steatite quarries available in rocks of the Caledonian Orogeny, which extends from Scotland through Norway, there are far fewer sources (and often none at all) available in other areas settled by Viking people. (e.g. Forster, 2004; Hansen et al., 2017). Therefore, it would have been necessary to either bring steatite objects with one when moving to a new location, or trade for it after one arrived.
Project Aims
This project will combine two main aims, one analytical, and one archaeological, in an attempt to gain a broader understanding of the movement and trade of steatite within Scandinavia and the Scandinavian colonies.
1) Analytical Aim
Test the effectiveness and efficiency of LA-ICP-MS (see analysis methods section) for provenancing Scandinavian steatite objects.
LA-ICP-MS is becoming more and more common in archaeological applications (Neff, 2012), and has recently been applied to steatite beads in North America (Baron et al., 2016), where they have been able to clearly distinguish between steatite which formed from different geological protoliths (ultramafic rock, versus carbonates) through comparison of major, minor, and trace elements. However, due to compositional variations within a given outcrop, it has not always been possible to tie objects to a specific source, but rather to a set of geologically related sources. To date, most (all?) European geochemical analyses of archaeological steatite objects have used other analytical methods, so the time is right to develop the necessary protocols to achieve at least the level of success achieved by Baron, and, ideally, to expand the technique to resolve specific quarries from a set of analysed objects and freshly quarried samples.
2) Archaeological Aim
This project will have the over-arching goal to deepen our understanding of the movement and trade of steatite within Scandinavia and the Scandinavian colonies. The specific focus will be trying to determine the networks available to a single farmstead/family/individual. Such individual (or small group) access to trading networks could be influenced by a variety of factors, including:
a) Status (both within the community and whether the household owned boats moving in and out of harbours)
b) Personal relationships (clan membership and owner-tenant relationships could have influenced access to goods)
c) Proximity to seasonal or permanent trading centres (there could very well have been down-the-line barter and exchange radiating out from trading centres)
To test the hypothesis that status is an important factor in what trade goods one has access to, even for basic household objects, this project will endeavour to analyse samples from a minimum of two different sites. These sites could be from the same location, one clearly belonging to a high-status/wealthy individual or homesite (as evidenced by the number and quality of objects associated with that particular site or burial), the other to a nearby lower status/not as wealthy individual or homesite. Alternatively, or additionally, they could be from two geographically distinct location to compare differences or similarities in provenance vs status of the object’s owner.
While it is not possible to predict before requests been submitted which requests for artefacts will be approved (and therefore how many objects from which locations can be analysed), the following partial list is indicative of the type of finds for which we will request access to steatite objects:
• Trading centre burials, such as Birka and Kaupang, both of which are suitable for single site comparisons individuals with not only different status, but coming from all over the Viking world.
• The Oseberg ship burial vs other, lower status individual female burials in Norway.
• Scottish settlements such as the high-status Jarlshof (in Shetland), the Brough of Birsay, or Deerness in Orkney versus more normal (but potentially well-connected?) farms such as Snusgard (Skaill), Cille Pheadair, and Bornais.
• Scottish female Viking burials such as the Scar boat burial, the Westness burials, and the Knip burial (held by the National Museum of Scotland).
• Icelandic female Viking burials such as Vatnsjfordur, Dalvik, and Dysnes (held at the National Museum of Iceland).
• The high-status farmsteads of Hrisbru and Hofstadir, in Iceland, versus more normal farms such as Sveigakot and Adalstraeti.
Analysis Methods
LA-ICP-MS
Laser-ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) is a micro-destructive analytical tool with an ability to resolve trace elements present in a sample down to parts per billion (ppb) levels. It is increasingly being applied to archaeological artefacts (Neff, 2012) due to the fact that it can be used on solid objects with little to no sample preparation, does not require a vacuum to operate, and the small size of the laser “craters” (5 to 150 µm in diameter). LA-ICP-MS analysis for this project will be undertaken at the Luleå University of Technology, using a NWR193 Laser Ablation System coupled with a iCAP™ Qc ICP-MS. Data reduction will be done using the iolite data processing software (https://iolite-software.com/).
Note that in their discussion Baron et al. (2016) recommended that researchers: “Couple LA-ICP-MS with another analytical technique, such as XRD. Likewise, petrographic analyses might be helpful.”
XRD
X-Ray powder diffraction (XRD) is a rapid analytical technique that can be used to identify crystalline materials and reveal their major element compositions. The portable XRD at the department of Archaeology at Durham will be used for this application.
Optical Petrology
Depending on availability, thin sections (i.e. 30 µm thick slices of polished stone which are mounted on a glass slide) of reference stone from certain quarries may be made to examine with a petrological microscope to determine the minerals present and their relative abundances prior to any further analysis with LA-ICP-MS to produce reference values with which to compare the data from this research.
An optical petrology approach could also be applied to fragments of archaeological stone objects studied, if the museums involved wish to have an understanding of the petrology of the stone and are willing to have thin sections made from any objects in their collection.
Field work
A minor field component to this research is desirable to give Riia an introduction to the processes of archaeological field work in general and to acquaint her with typical occurrence patterns of soapstone objects in the finds.
Experimental archaeology?
Should time and availability of raw materials permit, an experimental archaeology component, to be determined later, will be added to this project if it is deemed helpful to answer questions that may arise on the production of objects.
Location of Research
Luleå University of Technology, Sweden
Riia will be primarily based in Luleå during this project, where she will continue spend 20 hours a week managing the LA-ICP-MS lab, leaving the remaining hours in a week available to undertake this research.
Durham University, UK
Riia will also undertake at least one short (2 to 3 weeks) stay each year in Durham, where she will be able to take advantage of facilities which are not available in Luleå, and have the opportunity for face-to-face interactions with her supervisor and other colleagues. These visits will, by necessity, be balanced by a corresponding period of time working 40 hours a week at LTU.
Funding and Timing
This position comes with funds sufficient to cover tuition and fees for 4 years of part-time study. Therefore, the goal is to complete the project within four years. One approach to accomplish this goal would be to try do all of the analytical work within the first two years, which would leave ample time for data processing, analysis and interpretation of the results.
The initial travel and analytical budget will come from the Swedish Centrala studiestödsnämnden (CSN), which provides a small weekly stipend to Swedish students who are enrolled in higher education, even abroad. The exact amount of this stipend will depend on the number of weeks the student is officially studying each year, but the base rate is 712 SEK (~£65) each week, for up to 26 weeks. Any additional analysis and/or travel would need to be covered by applications for small scale grants through organizations with an interest in the area (such as the Swedish Research Council) or, possibly, crowd-funding (the latter could, perhaps, benefit from Riia’s extensive international network of historical re-enactors, some of whom might be willing to contribute a small amount towards an interesting research project).
REFERENCES
Baron, A., Burke, A. L., Gratuze, B., and Chapdelaine, C., 2016, Characterization and origin of steatite beads made by Northern Iroquoians in the St. Lawrence Valley during the 15th and 16th centuries: Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, v. 8, p. 323-334.
Deer, W. A., Howie, R. A., and Zussman, J., 1992, An Introduction to the Rock-Forming Minerals, 2nd edition, Essex, England, Pearson Education Limited, 495 p.:
Forster, A. K., 2004, Shetland and the Trade of Steatite Goods in the North Atlantic Region During the Viking and Early Medieval Period [PhD PhD]: University of Bradford.
Hansen, G., and Storemyr, P., 2017, A Versatile Resource - The Procurement and Use of Soapstone in Norway and The North Atlantic Region, Soapstone in the North. Quarries, Products and People 7000 BC - AD 1700, University of Bergen, p. 9-28.
Hansen, G., Storemyr, P., Stavsøien, E., Wickler, S., Lindahl, I., Nilsson, L. P., Bunse, L., Bergsvik, K. A., Grenne, T., Østerås, B., Stenvik, L. F., Heldal, T., Schou, T. P., Baug, I., Vangstad, H., Høegsberg, M. S., Forster, A., Jones, R., Jansen, Ø. J., Berglund, B., and Hommedal, A. T., 2017, Soapstone in the North. Quarries, Products and People 7000 BC - AD 1700, University of Bergen.
Huhta, A., and Kärki, A., in press/under review, A proposal for the definition, nomenclature and classification of soapstones: GFF.
Neff, H., 2012, Laser Ablation ICP-MS in Archaeology, in Lee, M. S., ed., Handbook of Mass Spectrometry, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Wikki, H. B., 1953, Composition and orgin of soapstone: : Geologinen Tutkimuslaitos, 57 p.
(no subject)
Date: 2017-09-28 10:24 pm (UTC)"Even" in the title reads oddly to me. I see why you include it and it makes sense in the first paragraph, but I would omit it from the title.
Do you need to define the period you are intended to pick-out with "Viking Age"?
Is your research geographically restricted in any way?
When describing yourself, it sounds weird to start with "has previously _read_" as opposed to something more active, such as "has previously obtained a PhD in FIELD" and maybe a bit about your other research, and THEN point out your extensive reading and amateur involvement.
Would one have brought steatite objects with, or imported the stone and made the objects oneself?
Can you give an example of what an experimental archaeological component might look like?
(no subject)
Date: 2017-09-28 11:12 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2017-09-28 11:22 pm (UTC)