A. M. Pollard – författare

In order to make the contents of the British Academy's Proceedings more accessible to readers, the following changes have been made:The large annual volumes have been replaced by an irregular series of slimmer volumes, published about three times a year, with most of the volumes containing papers devoted to one particular subject. Disciplines to be represented in future thematic volumes include archaeology, history, philosophy, literature, and law. The range of subjects will also be extended to areas of the humanities and social sciences inadequately covered at present. Memoirs of the lives and scholarly achievements of deceased Fellows of the Academy will continue to be published in the series.It is hoped that the change from large, multi-disciplinary annual volumes of Proceedings to a series of slimmer, more easily classified (and less expensive) volumes will benefit subscribers to the series. The volumes will continue to be numbered in the same sequence as the former annual Proceedings.The proceedings of this prestigious meeting highlight new developments in archaeological science over the last ten years. There is a strong emphasis on the applications of organic chemistry and biochemistry to archaeological remains, as well as reviews of more traditional subjects, such as the scientific study of ceramics.

Provenance has been one of the major scientific applications in archaeology for a hundred years. The 'Golden Age' began in the 1950s, when large programmes were initiated focussing on bronzes, ceramics, and lithics. However, these had varying impact, ranging from wide acceptance to outright rejection. This Element reviews some of these programmes, mainly in Eurasia and North America, focussing on how the complexity of the material, and the effects of human behaviour, can impact on such studies. The conclusion is that provenance studies of lithic materials and obsidian are likely to be reliable, but those on ceramics and metals are increasingly complicated, especially in the light of mixing and recycling. An alternative is suggested, which focusses more on using scientific studies to understand the relationship between human selectivity and processing and the wider resources available, rather than on the simple question of 'where does this object come from'.

Provenance has been one of the major scientific applications in archaeology for a hundred years. The 'Golden Age' began in the 1950s, when large programmes were initiated focussing on bronzes, ceramics, and lithics. However, these had varying impact, ranging from wide acceptance to outright rejection. This Element reviews some of these programmes, mainly in Eurasia and North America, focussing on how the complexity of the material, and the effects of human behaviour, can impact on such studies. The conclusion is that provenance studies of lithic materials and obsidian are likely to be reliable, but those on ceramics and metals are increasingly complicated, especially in the light of mixing and recycling. An alternative is suggested, which focusses more on using scientific studies to understand the relationship between human selectivity and processing and the wider resources available, rather than on the simple question of 'where does this object come from'.