The role of SiO2 and silica-rich amorphous materials in understanding the origin of uncommon archeological finds

Abstract

ABSTRACT The SiO2 varieties of low temperature other than quartz play an important role in the composition of many archeological tools, products, byproducts, and raw materials. We have encountered several SiO2 species, ranging from Paleolithic stone tools to glass production, from ores, smelting slags, and finds of burnt clay belonging to ancient metalworking technologies. They are amorphous or nanocrystalline varieties and also SiO2 rich glassy materials and all of them hide a clue on the type of raw materials, the processing, and technological methods, or even the usage of the tools they are connected with. We present several case studies on various prehistoric finds (e.g. Paleolithic stone tools, glass production slag, Iron Age slag, or even early medieval iron ore and clay tuyere) to show the optimal synergetic application of mineralogy (X-ray powder diffraction), geochemistry and chemistry (electron beam microanalysis), and microscopy (petrography, metallography with SEM) in unfolding choices and actions of people of many centuries ago. Emphasis is on the modes of SiO2 occurrence, as a technological marker for the different products, and not as a unifying element for various random artifacts.