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Separation of Bone, Charcoal, and Seeds by Chemical Flotation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Connie Cox Bodner  and
Ralph M. Rowlett
Connie Cox Bodner
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, MO 65201
Ralph M. Rowlett
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, MO 65201
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Abstract

Gravel, bone, carbonized seeds, and charcoal recovered from a 2,000 year old cereal pit were successfully separated by chemical flotation. Specific gravities of each material were determined experimentally, and then for each pair of materials to be separated (e.g., bone from gravel, seeds from charcoal), a solution with a specific gravity intermediate between those of the two materials was used for flotation. Optimal sample sizes and possible sources of error are discussed, as are criteria for selection of solutions. A procedure for evaluating the effect of solutions and flotation practices on test seeds is also presented.

Type
Reports
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 45 , Issue 1 , January 1980 , pp. 110 - 116
Copyright
Copyright © Society for American Archaeology 1980

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References

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