Phosphate analysis in archaeology ‐ problems and recent progress

Abstract

Ecological knowledge is important if phosphate analysis is to become a useful tool for the archaeologist. The author mentions variation in natural phosphate content, solifluction, drifting sand, iron pan, different land use, and the vegetation and climate as examples of factors which must be taken into consideration before sampling and discussion of the results. On this basis a critical evaluation is made of some papers dealing with phosphate analysis applied to archaeology. The author claims that a rapid field test can in many cases make the much more laborious laboratory procedure unnecessary, and gives examples of the use of the spot test from areas with summer farming, settlements from the Iron Age and Mesolithic Age, modern farming, and cattle tracks. A trained person can sample and analyse some hundred samples a day, and this compensates for the low accuracy of the spot test.