Results of the chemical analysis of the Begastri soil

Abstract

During the 2013th field research on multicultural archaeological site Begastri in the region of Murcia in Spain, soil has been sampled in situ from reference points. The research was purposed to assess human pressure on the northern sector of the archaeological site, which presumably changed its functions over the centuries. When choosing the place of the residential sector were taken into account rooms whose cultural layers have been previously defined on the basis of the findings of artefacts, mostly pieces of pottery, glass and metal objects. Soil samples from two cavities were extracted, one of which was bisected in two adjacent areas, and then subjected to chemical analyses, aiming to determine their elemental composition and pH factor. No abnormalities within the archaeological site were revealed while testing the soil’s pH factor, which enabled the study to eliminate the possibility of influence of pH factor variation on concentration of individual elements. It was also determined that the soil is clearly alkaline, that’s why organic material is occasionally discovered.
For the analysis of soil samples have been taken first of all in account of elements whose presence is associated with human activities, including iron, lead, copper, nickel, zinc, cobalt, cadmium and platinum. Layers, which may influence the anthropopressure agent, were distinguished on the basis of high levels of such elements as manganese, copper, zinc, nickel and cobalt. Both the presence of major elements (iron and lead), as well as trace elements (cadmium and platinum) varies in each layer, which forecloses clear conclusions about their origin. Analyses were performed with the technique of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP - MS) in the Laboratory of Nuclear Analytical Techniques in Warsaw. Geological research on the archaeological site is planned to complete the study of chemical determinations.