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Home , Archaeology

Introduction

ROB STERNBERG Member of the SAS Executive Board and SAS liaison with the EAS; Emeritus of Geosciences, Franklin & Marshall College, USA

The of Archaeological (SAS) is pleased to sponsor the publication ofthisencyclopedia.WeheartilyapplaudtheeffortsofEditor-in-ChiefSandraLópez Varela,theassociateeditors,andtheauthorsoftheapproximately480entries.Onecan only wonder how many emails and rounds of editorial comments went into the com- pletion of this effort. It is especially exciting to note the wide variety of topics covered, including archaeological and anthropological problem areas, materials studied, scien- tific methods used, and development of broader themes. Interdisciplinarity and the successful creation of a successful subdiscipline are inher- ently challenging in an academic world largely organized around traditional disciplines (National of Sciences 2005). As the field of archaeological (here used interchangeably with ) has developed over the 60 (using the benchmark of the journal Archaeometry, volume 1, published in 1958), many needs have been filled, such as: the formation of professional ; conferences where progress in is presented; journals where research can be pub- lished; funding opportunities for research and ; awards recognizing profes- sional accomplishments; development of academic curricula and research laboratories; and availability of newsletters, social media, and publication of reference works and textbooks. Killick (2015) discusses some of these issues, including a comparison of funding in the and Britain, and access to archaeological science in less wealthy nations. As examples of such infrastructural developments: the sponsor of this encyclopedia, the International Society for Archaeological Sciences (intentionally plural), was formed in 1977 “to provide a professional society for those involved and interested in physical and science applications in archaeology and ” (SAS by-). The role and activities of the SAS are further discussed by Varela in this volume. Other such organizations include: the Groupe des Méthodes Pluridisciplinaires Contribuant à l’Archéologie (GMPCA); the Gesellschaft für Naturwissenschaftliche Archäologie 2 INTRODUCTION

ARCHAEOMETRIE (GNAA); the Hellenic Society of Archaeometry (HSA); the Asso- ciazione Italiana di Archeometria (AIAr); and the Australasian Research Cluster for Archaeological Science (ARCAS). The biennial International Symposium on Archaeometry (ISA) has been devoted since its inception in 1961 to archaeological science. The GMPCA organizes archaeom- etry conferences every other . There are an increasing number of archaeometric sessions at archaeological meetings such as the Society for American Archaeology (SAA), the European Association of Archaeologists (EAA), and many other regional conferences, including sessions sponsored by the SAS. The SAS has been publishing its quarterly Bulletin (formerly Newsletter)forover 40 years, and has become increasingly involved in social media for posting archaeo- metric news and other content. Peer-reviewed journals devoted to archaeological science include: Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences (Springer); Archaeometry (Wiley); JournalofArchaeologicalScienceand JournalofArchaeologicalScience:Reports (Elsevier). Open access journals include the French journal ArcheoSciences, Revue d’Archéométrie (GMPCA), published since 1977, formerly as Revue d’Archéométrie; Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry (University of the Aegean); and STAR: Science and Technology of Archaeological Research (Taylor & Francis). General archae- ology journals also contain many papers and parts of papers on archaeological science. The US National Science Foundation Archaeology Program Archaeometry Awards provide research funds for archaeological sciences, although the adequacy of that funding has been questioned (Killick 2015). In the United Kingdom, the national Science-Based Archaeology Committee (SBAC) operated from 1976 to 1994 within oneoftheUKResearchCouncils;duringthatperiod,thebudgetrosefromaround £50,000 to more than one million pounds annually. After the demise of SBAC, funding for archaeological science in the UK continued through the Natural Environment Research Council and (Bayley and Heron, 1998). The University of Bradford’s School of Archaeological and Forensic Sciences started offering a one-year, full- MSc program in Archaeological Sciences as as an undergraduate curriculum in 1974. Since 2000, the US National Science Foundation and the European Union have funded substantial projects for the training of researchers in archaeological science. Similar initiatives and research funding have existed in other countries across the world. Examples include: NSF’s Integrated Graduate Research Education and Training (IGERT) award for a five-year interdisciplinary training pro- gram for graduate students in archaeological sciences at the University of Arizona; the European Union-funded Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network (ITN) NARNIA (New Archaeological Research Network for Integrating Approaches to Ancient Material Studies); and the multi-year British collaboration on the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Centre for Doctoral Training in Science and Engineering in Arts, Heritage and Archaeology (SEAHA) to establish an infrastructure to meet challenges set by the heritage sector, , and government. AnearlyresearchlaboratoryinthearchaeologicalscienceswastheResearchLabo- ratory of Archaeology and the of Art, founded at the University of Oxford in 1955 (Tite 1991), which has served as a role model for many others. INTRODUCTION 3

Awards in the archaeological sciences include: SAS and ISA student poster awards at the SAA and ISA meetings; SAS student travel awards; the SAA Fryxell Award for Interdisciplinary Research; and the Archaeological Institute of America’s Pomerance Award for Scientific Contributions to Archaeology. Wiley has contributed to the research and reference literature as part of the infra- structural development of this emerging field. An important Wiley was the Hand- book of Archaeological Sciences (Brothwell and Pollard 2008), an excellent summary of manyareasofarchaeometrythatserveswellasatextbookforthisfield.Adecadelater, Wiley now is publishing this Encyclopedia of Archaeological Sciences,whichwillcer- tainly become a valuable reference work for the breadth of its coverage. As pointed out by the National Academy of Sciences (2005), such works are especially important in interdisciplinary endeavors, enabling collaborators to better prepare to work with each other and students to learn across traditional disciplinary boundaries. From the vantage point of my own career of some 40 years in the archaeological sciences, includ- ing 30 years serving the SAS in various official capacities and now being the liaison between the SAS Executive Board and this encyclopedia project, the publication of this encyclopedia represents a milestone in the further professionalization of our field. So, whether you be an archaeometrist, a natural , or an archaeologist, a professor, a student, a cultural resources specialist, or other professional, we hope you benefit from this 2,000-page reference work. We encourage you to join the Society of Archaeological Sciences to support the infrastructure of our field and endeavorssuchasthis.

REFERENCES

Bayley, Justine, and Carl Heron. 1998. “Archaeological Science in the UK: Current Trends and Future Prospects.” Revue d’Archéomètrie 22: 137–40. Brothwell, D. R., and M. A. Pollard, eds. 2008. Handbook of Archaeological Sciences. Chichester: Wiley. Killick, David. 2015. “The Awkward Adolescence of Archaeological Science.” Journal of Archaeological Science 56: 242–47. National Academy of Sciences. 2005. Facilitating Interdisciplinary Research.Washington,DC:National Press. Tite, M. S. 1991. “Archaeological Science—Past Achievements and Future Prospects.” Archaeometry 33: 139–51.