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‘Not All That Is White Is Lime’—White Substances from Archaeological Burial Contexts: Analyses and Interpretations

Schotsmans, Eline M.J.
; 
Toksoy-Köksal, F.
; 
Brettell, Rhea C.
; 
Bessou, M.
; 
Corbineau, R.
; 
Lingle, A.M.
; 
Bouquin, D.
; 
Blanchard, P.
; 
Becker, K.
; 
Castex, D.
... show 3 more
Publication Date
2019-08
End of Embargo
Supervisor
Keywords
Taphonomy, Diagenesis, Funerary deposits, Gypsum, Calcite, Brushite, XRD
Rights
© 2019 Wiley. This is the peer-reviewed version of the following article: Schotsmans EMJ, Toksoy-Köksal F, Brettell RC et al (2019) ‘Not All That Is White Is Lime’—White Substances from Archaeological Burial Contexts: Analyses and Interpretations. Archaeometry. xx(xx): xxx-xxx, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/arcm.12453. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.
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Peer-Reviewed
Yes
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openAccess
Accepted for publication
12/11/2018
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Life Sciences Publications
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Abstract
Archaeological burial contexts may include a variety of white substances, but few analyses have been published. This study reports on the physico‐chemical characterization of such residues from seven archaeological sites. It is often assumed that white materials from burial contexts are lime. Our findings demonstrate that they can be gypsum, calcite (chalk), aragonite, brushite, degraded metal, natural (gum) resins or synthetic polymer–based products. These may be present as the result of diagenetic processes, funerary practices or modern contamination. This paper provides an analytical approach for the holistic investigation of white materials encountered in burial contexts.
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/10454/17084
Version
Accepted manuscript
Citation
Schotsmans EMJ, Toksoy-Köksal F, Brettell RC et al (2019) ‘Not All That Is White Is Lime’—White Substances from Archaeological Burial Contexts: Analyses and Interpretations. Archaeometry. 61(4): 809-827.
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Link to Version of Record
https://doi.org/10.1111/arcm.12453
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Article
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