Exact Methods in Research of Historic Monuments

Course guarantor:

Ladislav Musílek

Lecturer:

Ladislav Musílek

Tutor:

Supervisor:

Department of Dosimetry and Application of Ionizing Radiation

Synopsis:

Aims and methods of historic monument investigations, methods of age determination (radiocarbon, thermoluminescence and related methods, further radiation methods, dendrochronology, archaeomagnetism), analytical methods for determination of origin and production technologies of artefacts (activation analysis, X-ray fluorescence analysis and other methods), photogrammetry.

Requirements:

No specific prerequisities

Syllabus of lectures:

1. Aims and possibilities of investigations of historic monuments and objects

2. Review of methods of monument investigations using natural sciences and their development

3. Dating methods: radiocarbon method and its use

4. Dating methods: thermoluminescence - method and examples of its use

5. Optically stimulated luminescence and its place among dating methods

6. Electron spin resonance and its application in archaeology

7. Other radiation methods of dating

8. Dendrochronological dating

9. Archaeomagnetism and other non-radiation methods of dating

10. Analytical methods: activation analysis - principle, advantages and limits of usability

11. Analytical methods: X-ray fluorescence analysis and other methods

12. Photogrammetry as a method for investigation of historic architecture

13. Summary: materials and methods

Syllabus of tutorials:

Study Objective:

Knowledges:

Methods used in the study of historical subjects and objects by using knowledge of natural sciences.

Abilities:

Evaluation methods, their advantages and disadvantages in different applications. Possibilities of collaboration with various branches of science in this matter.

Study materials:

Key references:

[1] D.C. Creagh - D.A. Bradley (Eds.): Radiation in Art and Archeometry. Amsterdam, Elsevier 2000

Recommended references:

[2] L. Musílek: Applicatïon of ionising radiation in research (in Czech). Praha, ČVUT 1992

[3] M.J. Aitken: Science-based Dating in Archaeology. London and New York, Longman 1990

[4] D.R. Brothwell - A.M. Pollard (Eds.): Handbook of Archaeological Sciences. Wiley, Chichester 2001

[5] M. Martini - M. Milazzo - M. Piazentini (Eds.): Physics Methods in Archaeometry. IOS Press, Amsterdam 2004.

Note:

Time-table for winter semester 2024/2025:

	06:00–08:0008:00–10:0010:00–12:0012:00–14:0014:00–16:0016:00–18:0018:00–20:0020:00–22:0022:00–24:00
Mon
Tue	roomBR:215 Musílek L. 08:00–09:50 (lecture parallel1) Břehová 7
Wed
Thu
Fri

Time-table for summer semester 2024/2025:

Time-table is not available yet

The course is a part of the following study plans:

• Jaderné inženýrství - Aplikovaná fyzika ionizujícího záření (elective course)
• Jaderná chemie (elective course)
• jaderné inženýrství - Radioaktivita v životním prostředí (elective course)