Analytical data for ash-derived vitrified material from Terrace IX at Sarmizegetusa Regia, Romania
Description
This dataset supports the article “Ash-Derived Vitrified Material from a Fire-Destruction Horizon at Sarmizegetusa Regia (Romania): Evidence for High-Temperature Transformation in a Dacian Monumental Context”. The dataset contains analytical and contextual information for three black porous fragments identified during archaeobotanical sorting of a cereal-rich assemblage recovered from Terrace IX at Sarmizegetusa Regia, Romania. The fragments derive from a fire-destruction horizon associated with an earlier architectural phase of the terrace. The deposited files include the semi-quantitative micro-XRF dataset, sample metadata, AMS radiocarbon documentation for associated charred cereal grains and selected digital microscopy images acquired using a KEYENCE VHX-700 Digital 3D Imaging Microscope. The radiocarbon determination provides contextual chronological evidence for the destruction horizon and is not treated as a direct date for the vitrified fragments.
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The dataset was generated through the analytical investigation of three black porous fragments identified during archaeobotanical sorting of a cereal-rich assemblage recovered from Terrace IX at Sarmizegetusa Regia, Romania. The fragments were selected diagnostically because their dark colour, irregular morphology and apparently organic texture initially suggested possible carbonised prepared-food residues or other indeterminate organic aggregates. Digital microscopy was undertaken at the Centre for Archaeology Laboratory, Historic England, Fort Cumberland, Portsmouth, UK, using a KEYENCE VHX-700 Digital 3D Imaging Microscope. The examination focused on morphology, porosity, surface texture, internal heterogeneity and visible indications of softening or vitrification. Representative images were acquired under reflected light at a nominal magnification of 20×. Elemental composition was investigated using a Bruker M4 Tornado bench-top energy-dispersive micro-X-ray fluorescence spectrometer at the Centre for Archaeology Laboratory, Historic England. For each specimen, at least three analytical points were acquired with a livetime of 200 s. The instrument was operated at 50 kV and 200 μA under vacuum and without a filter. Average values were calculated for each specimen. Results are reported as normalised oxide proportions (wt.%). The micro-XRF results should be treated as semi-quantitative compositional data. Complementary SEM-EDS screening was also undertaken using a FEI Inspect F scanning electron microscope equipped with an Oxford Instruments X-Act silicon drift detector and INCA software. Prior to examination, the specimens were coated with a 5 nm layer of gold. Detailed SEM images and point-analysis datasets are not included in the present dataset. AMS radiocarbon dating was undertaken on associated charred grains of Triticum aestivum recovered from the same broader fire-destruction horizon. Sample DeA-53024 (I/4211/3) yielded a conventional radiocarbon age of 1899 ± 26 BP. Calibration followed the IntCal20 Northern Hemisphere calibration curve and produced a calibrated range of AD 70–215 at 95.4% probability.
Institutions
- 1 Decembrie 1918 UniversityAlba County, Alba Iulia