Department of Scientific History and Archaeometry, Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
Microsc Res Tech. 2012 Jul;75(7):852-5. doi: 10.1002/jemt.22004. Epub 2012 Jan 25.
Phytoliths are an important component for interpreting the ancient botanical record. However, phytoliths can be altered through heating, either as the result of such activities as firing ceramics, clay molds use for casting metal or in hearths. Phytoliths can also be altered through heating as the result of creating comparative sample from living plants. By heating phytoliths at graduated intervals it was found that different types of phytoliths lost their diagnostic morphological characteristics at significantly different temperatures. The phytoliths used in this study are derived from economically important plants to Chinese archaeology and culture. Given the consistent results of the alteration of different type of phytoliths at specific temperatures it should eventually be possible to use phytolith alterations as a proxy measure of the original firing temperature of ancient objects and features.
植硅石是解释古代植物记录的一个重要组成部分。然而，植硅石会因为加热而发生改变，例如烧制陶瓷、铸造金属使用的黏土模具，或者在炉膛中。植硅石也会因为从活体植物中制取对比样本而发生改变。通过在不同的温度下逐步加热植硅石，发现不同类型的植硅石在明显不同的温度下失去其具有诊断意义的形态特征。本研究中使用的植硅石来自对中国考古学和文化具有重要经济意义的植物。鉴于不同类型的植硅石在特定温度下发生改变的一致性结果，最终应该有可能将植硅石的改变用作古代物体和特征原始烧制温度的替代测量方法。
