Heavy Metals in Archaeological Soils

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Sarah A. Kennedy ◽  
Sarah J. Kelloway
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Archaeological Survey ◽  
Surface Soils ◽  
Lake Titicaca ◽  
Potential Harm ◽  
Industrial Archaeology ◽  
Western Lake ◽  
Titicaca Basin ◽  
Lake Titicaca Basin

Abstract Portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) spectroscopy is commonly used for testing toxic levels of heavy metals in modern industrial waste sites, and it has seen growing applicability in the context of archaeological survey and soils. In this study, we present the results of our pXRF analysis of surface soils at a historic silver refinery located near Puno, Peru, in the western Lake Titicaca Basin. The results of our analysis identified hazardous levels of antimony (Sb), arsenic (As), mercury (Hg), and lead (Pb) in excavation soils, necessitating the relocation of planned excavation units and the use of personal protective equipment. This study highlights the advantages of rapid, in situ pXRF analysis of surface soils in contaminated industrial archaeology sites to assess potential harm to human health.

scholarly journals Archaeological survey in the Juli-Desaguadero region of Lake Titicaca Basin, Southern Peru / Charles Stanish, et al.

1997 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Stanish ◽  
Percy Calisaya Chuquimia ◽  
Cecilia Chavez Justo ◽  
Edmundo de la Vega M. ◽  
Kirk Lawrence Frye ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Archaeological Survey ◽  
Lake Titicaca ◽  
Southern Peru ◽  
Titicaca Basin ◽  
Lake Titicaca Basin

Landscapes of death: GIS-based analyses of chullpas in the western Lake Titicaca basin

2012 ◽  
Vol 39 (6) ◽  
pp. 1687-1693 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacob Bongers ◽  
Elizabeth Arkush ◽  
Michael Harrower
Keyword(s):  
Lake Titicaca ◽  
Western Lake ◽  
Titicaca Basin ◽  
Lake Titicaca Basin

scholarly journals Temporal Inflection Points in Decorated Pottery: A Bayesian Refinement of the Late Formative Chronology in the Southern Lake Titicaca Basin, Bolivia

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 798-817 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik J. Marsh ◽  
Andrew P. Roddick ◽  
Maria C. Bruno ◽  
Scott C. Smith ◽  
John W. Janusek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Formative Period ◽  
South American ◽  
Lake Titicaca ◽  
Large Sets ◽  
Inflection Points ◽  
Titicaca Basin ◽  
Lake Titicaca Basin ◽  
Ceramic Chronology ◽  
Late Formative ◽  
Stratigraphic Sequences

The Late Formative period immediately precedes the emergence of Tiwanaku, one of the earliest South American states, yet it is one of the most poorly understood periods in the southern Lake Titicaca Basin (Bolivia). In this article, we refine the ceramic chronology of this period with large sets of dates from eight sites, focusing on temporal inflection points in decorated ceramic styles. These points, estimated here by Bayesian models, index specific moments of change: (1) cal AD 120 (60–170, 95% probability): the first deposition of Kalasasaya red-rimmed and zonally incised styles; (2) cal AD 240 (190–340, 95% probability): a tentative estimate of the final deposition of Kalasasaya zonally incised vessels; (3) cal AD 420 (380–470, 95% probability): the final deposition of Kalasasaya red-rimmed vessels; and (4) cal AD 590 (500–660, 95% probability): the first deposition of Tiwanaku Redwares. These four modeled boundaries anchor an updated Late Formative chronology, which includes the Initial Late Formative phase, a newly identified decorative hiatus between the Middle and Late Formative periods. The models place Qeya and transitional vessels between inflection points 3 and 4 based on regionally consistent stratigraphic sequences. This more precise chronology will enable researchers to explore the trajectories of other contemporary shifts during this crucial period in Lake Titicaca Basin's prehistory.

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