The nitty gritty…

Archaeological materials we analyse:

• volcanic glasses (e.g., obsidian; McMillan et al., 2019)
• fine-grained lithic materials (e.g., extrusive volcanics; Weis et al., 2020)
• chemical sediments (e.g., cherts; Allan and McMillan, 2021)
• clastic sediments (e.g., tuffs, siltstones; Bonjean et al., 2015; Allan and McMillan, 2021)
• oxide and sulphide minerals (e.g., ochres)
• bioapatite (e.g., bone, McMillan et al., 2017 and 2019)

Please see the following publications for additional information about our methods:

Bioapatite Geochemistry, Diagenesis, and Taphonomy

Moreiras, D. K., Munizzi, J. S., McMillan, R., Milliare, J-F., Longstaffe, F. J. 2022. Effects of Consolidants and their Removal by Polar Solvents on the Stable Isotope Compositions of Bone. Quaternary International.

Stamataki, E., Kontopoulos, I., Salesse, K., McMillan, R., Veselka, B., Sabaux, C., Annaert, R., Boudin, M., Capuzzo, G., Claeys, P., Dalle, S., Hlad, M., Sengeløv, A., Vercauteren, M., Warmenbol, E., Tys, D., De Mulder, G., Snoeck, C. 2021. Is it hot enough? A multi-proxy approach shows variations in cremation conditions during the Metal Ages in Belgium. Journal of Archaeological Science.

Golding, M. L., McMillan, R. 2020. The impacts of diagenesis on the geochemical characteristics and Color Alteration Index of conodonts. Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12549-020-00447-y

McMillan, R., Snoeck, C., de Winter, N., Claeys, P., Weis, D. 2019. Evaluating the impact of acetic acid chemical pre-treatment on ‘old’ and cremated bone with the ‘Perio-spot’ technique and ‘Perios-endos’ profiles. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 530: 330-344. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2019.05.019

McMillan, R., Weis, D., Amini, M., Bonjean, D. 2017. Identifying the reworking and stratigraphic provenance of bones by exploring multivariate geochemical relationships with the ‘Perio-spot’ technique. Journal of Archaeological Science 88: 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2017.10.003

Bonjean, D., Abrams, G., Delaunois, E., Di Modica, K., McMillan, R., Pirson, S., Roy, C. A., Toussaint, M. 2014. Taphonomy of the Juvenile Neandertal Remains from Sedimentary Complex 4A, Scladina Cave. In: Toussaint, M., and Bonjean, D., editors. The Scladina 1-4A Juvenile Neandertal (Andenne, Belgium), Palaeoanthropology and Context. Études et Recherches Archéologiques de l’Université de Liège 134, 127-154. (Book chapter).

Archaeological and Geological Provenance

McMillan, R., Waber, N., Ritchie, M., Frahm, E. 2022. Introducing SourceXplorer, an open-source statistical tool for guided lithic sourcing. Journal of Archaeological Science.

Ritchie, M., Morin, J., Ritchie, J., Waber, N., Blake, M., McMillan, R. 2022. Embedded Household Specialization and the Production of Bifaces at YāçkEtEl, a Sts’ailes-Coast Salish Village on the Harrison River, Southwest British Columbia. Journal of Field Archaeology.

Allan, T. E., McMillan, R. 2021. Investigating the application of Raman spectroscopy of carbonaceous material in sedimentary lithic artifacts for archaeological provenancing in the Canadian Rockies. Geoarchaeology. https://doi.org/10.1002/gea.21893

Weis, D., Harrison, L. N., McMillan, R., & Williamson, N. M. 2020. Fine‐scale structure of Earth’s deep mantle resolved through statistical analysis of Hawaiian basalt geochemistry. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, e2020GC009292.

McMillan, R., Amini, M., Weis, D. 2019. Splitting obsidian: Assessing a multiproxy approach for sourcing obsidian artifacts in British Columbia. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2019.102040

Bonjean, D., Vanbrabant, Y., Abrams, G., Pirson, S., Burlet, C., Di Modica, K., Otte, M., Vander Auwera, J., Golitko, M., McMillan, R., Groemaere, E. 2015. A new Cambrian black pigment used during the late Middle Palaeolithic discovered at Scladina Cave (Andenne, Belgium). Journal of Archaeological Science 55: 253-265. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2014.11.040

Thermal Maturity of Carbonaceous Material

Golding, M. L., McMillan, R. 2020. The impacts of diagenesis on the geochemical characteristics and Color Alteration Index of conodonts. Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12549-020-00447-y

McMillan, R., Golding, M. 2019. Thermal maturity of carbonaceous material in conodonts and the Color Alteration Index: independently identifying maximum temperature with Raman spectroscopy. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 534. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2019.109290

Bonjean, D., Vanbrabant, Y., Abrams, G., Pirson, S., Burlet, C., Di Modica, K., Otte, M., Vander Auwera, J., Golitko, M., McMillan, R., Groemaere, E. 2015a. A new Cambrian black pigment used during the late Middle Palaeolithic discovered at Scladina Cave (Andenne, Belgium). Journal of Archaeological Science 55: 253-265. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2014.11.040

Mineralogy and Structural Characteristics

Satyro, S., Li, H., Dehkhoda, A. M., McMillan, R., Ellis, N., & Baldwin, S. A. 2020. Application of Fe-biochar composites for selenium (Se+ 6) removal from aqueous solution and effect of the presence of competing anions under environmentally relevant conditions. Journal of Environmental Management, 277, 111472.

Coolbaugh, M. F., McCormack, J. K., Raudsepp, M., Czech, E., McMillan, R., & Kampf, A. R. (2020). Andymcdonaldite (Fe3+2Te6+O6), a new ferric iron tellurate with inverse trirutile structure from the Detroit district, Juab County, Utah. The Canadian Mineralogist, 58(1), 85-97.

Raudsepp, M., Coolbaugh, M.F., McCormack, J.K., Czech, E. and McMillan, R. 2019. Andymcdonaldite, IMA 2018-141. CNMNC Newsletter No. 49, June 2019, European Journal of Mineralogy: 31.

Multivariate Statistics and Hypothesis Testing

McMillan, R., Waber, N., Ritchie, M., Frahm, E. 2022. Introducing SourceXplorer, an open-source statistical tool for guided lithic sourcing. Journal of Archaeological Science.

Weis, D., Harrison, L. N., McMillan, R., & Williamson, N. M. 2020. Fine‐scale structure of Earth’s deep mantle resolved through statistical analysis of Hawaiian basalt geochemistry. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, e2020GC009292.

McMillan, R., Weis, D., Amini, M., Bonjean, D. 2017. Identifying the reworking and stratigraphic provenance of bones by exploring multivariate geochemical relationships with the ‘Perio-spot’ technique. Journal of Archaeological Science 88: 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2017.10.003