Portable X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometer Analysis of the Pylos Linear B tablets

Author

Billy B. Wilemon

Issuing Body

Mississippi State University

Advisor

Hardin, James W.

Committee Member

Galaty, Michael L.

Committee Member

Peacock, Evan

Committee Member

Rafferty, Janet E.

Date of Degree

12-8-2017

Document Type

Graduate Thesis - Open Access

Major

Applied Anthropology

Degree Name

Master of Arts

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures

Abstract

This thesis investigates similarities and differences in the chemistry of the Linear B clay tablets and sealings found at the Palace of Nestor in Pylos, located in the western Peloponnese, Greece. Their chemistry provides clues regarding the flow of material goods in and out of the palace and therefore to the degree of centralization of the political-economy. Over a thousand 3,000 year-old clay tablets and sealings currently housed at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens were analyzed using a pXRF over the course of the summers of 2015 and 2016. The chemical compositions were analyzed statistically. Results of the study and the conclusions are presented here.

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11668/19529

Comments

Pylos||Linear B||Late Bronze Age Greece

Recommended Citation

Wilemon, Billy B., "Portable X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometer Analysis of the Pylos Linear B tablets" (2017). Theses and Dissertations. 3572.
https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/td/3572