Where Stonehenge’s giant bluestones come from? Was the fall of the Roman Empire hastened by lead poisoning? How did amber get from the Baltic to Belize? In exploring these and other historical enigmas, Joseph Lambert expertly details the rich insights into ancient life that chemistry alone can provide.Using cutting-edge scientific methods such as radiocarbon dating, DNA analysis, and elemental fingerprinting, acclaimed chemist Joseph Lambert expertly details the rich insights into ancient life that chemistry alone can provide. He shows, for example, how investigators today can determine the diet of prehistoric Europeans, the geographical origin of the marble in a Greek statue, or the reason why the Liberty Bell cracked. He uses nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to reconstruct ancient trade routes, and X-ray diffraction, among other methods, to compare the color palettes of the Mesopotamians and Egyptians (the latter were apparently much more flamboyant). He explains how chemical analysis of DNA can be used to sort out human lineages and migratory patterns—demographic trends that affected, in turn, everything from language to the spread of disease.Chemistry takes center stage in this fascinating book, proving that it is not just an analyst of culture, it stands as one of its primary creators. Lambert offers us a unique glimpse into a form of technical progress hitherto unappreciated: the ever-increasing ingenuity of the Human race, as seen through the prism of its evolving chemical sophistication. We discover how primitive chemistry was initially used by ancient people as a tool to improve their daily lives, a feat that was achieved by reworking molecules of clay into pottery and minerals into metal alloys, and by turning grains into beer and pitch into sealants.By documenting the way ancient people manipulated their environment chemically, Lambert further refines the distinguishing feature of our species. Early humans were more than tool-makers. They were molecular transformers.
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When British archaeologists discovered a Viking ship burial at Sutton Hoo, Sussex, in the late 1930s, they were surprised to find no signs of human remains; only through the chemical study of the acidic soil could signs of a body be found. The use of chemistry has enabled archaeologists to pinpoint the origins of ancient Egyptian monuments, discover some causes for the decline of the Roman empire, and date the remains of the earliest protohominids. In Traces of the Past, chemist Lambert introduces readers to this happy alliance of science and history.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
About the Author
Joseph B. Lambert is Clare Hamilton Hall Professor of Chemistry at Northwestern University. He is a pioneer in organosilicon chemistry, and has won many national awards, including the James Flack Norris Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Teaching of Chemistry. He has published over 300 articles and many leading textbooks in the field of chemistry.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
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very interesting and useful book,
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This review is from: Traces Of The Past: Unraveling The Secrets Of Archaeology Through Chemistry (Contemporary Issues in Museum Cultures) (Paperback)
This is a new way to look and to study history and chemistry at the same time. It is written in an accesible language. I think it is very useful element of motivation for students in different branches of chemistry: organic, inorganic, analytical, nuclear, etc.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
Imagine a block of stone more than four stories high, almost as deep, and 15 feet wide; a monolith weighing about 720 tons. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
glazed quartz, porcelain stone, amino acid dating, archaeological chemistry, lead antimonate, potash glass, rock varnish, phosphate analysis, lead isotope ratios, modern bone, arsenical copper, burial conditions, native copper, copper artifacts, sugar monomers, percent zinc, ancient glass, percent silver, isotopic analysis Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Southwest Asia, Bronze Age, New World, Princeton University Press, Iron Age, South America, North America, Old World, American Chemical Society, United States, Han Dynasty, Eighteenth Dynasty, Grimes Graves, West Africa, Industrial Revolution, Native Americans, Shang Dynasty, Colin Renfrew, New Mexico, Press Limited, Salisbury Plain, South Africa, Tang Dynasty, Vinland Map, Archaic Mark New!
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Imagine a block of stone more than four stories high, almost as deep, and 15 feet wide; a monolith weighing about 720 tons. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
glazed quartz, porcelain stone, amino acid dating, archaeological chemistry, lead antimonate, potash glass, rock varnish, phosphate analysis, lead isotope ratios, modern bone, arsenical copper, burial conditions, native copper, copper artifacts, sugar monomers, percent zinc, ancient glass, percent silver, isotopic analysis Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Southwest Asia, Bronze Age, New World, Princeton University Press, Iron Age, South America, North America, Old World, American Chemical Society, United States, Han Dynasty, Eighteenth Dynasty, Grimes Graves, West Africa, Industrial Revolution, Native Americans, Shang Dynasty, Colin Renfrew, New Mexico, Press Limited, Salisbury Plain, South Africa, Tang Dynasty, Vinland Map, Archaic Mark New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 50
books:
See all 50 books this book cites
5
books
cite this book:
- Archaeological Chemistry (RSC Paperbacks) by A. Mark Pollard in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- Ancient Tech Archeol Mater by Wisseman in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Prehistoric Textiles: The Development of Cloth in the Neolithic and Bronze Ages with Special Reference to the Aegean by E.J.W. Barber in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Electron Spin Resonance: Volume 9 (Specialist Periodical Reports) by P B Ayscough in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Ancient Evenings by Norman Mailer on page 71, and page 86
See all 50 books this book cites
- The Barbarian's Beverage: A History of Beer in Ancient Europe by Max Nelson in Back Matter
- Theory (Scientific Theology) by Alister E. McGrath on page 154
- A Splendor of Letters: The Permanence of Books in an Impermanent World by Nicholas A. Basbanes in Back Matter
- Ancient Wine: The Search for the Origins of Viniculture by Patrick E. McGovern in Back Matter
- Archaeological Chemistry: Materials, Methods, and Meaning (ACS Symposium) by Kathryn A. Jakes on page 46
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