This page is dedicated to describing some of the ideas and issues that I would like to explore, and will eventually be incorporated into this wiki:
- I'd like to document the scientific methodology I use to analyze ancient glass, primarily using photographs but also providing a "How-to" description (literally taking an example of ancient glass from the sample cutting stage all the way through basic microscope work). This would not only be a documentation of the processes my own research involves, but would be a resource for those interested in applying such methods in their own work.
- I'd like to have a page that summarizes basic materials science topics (such as atomic bonding, crystal structures, diffusion, and deformation) in a way that would 1) be more accessible to archaeologists or anthropologists with minimal chemistry and physics background, and 2) clearly explain why such seemingly-specialized information is useful to know when dealing with archaeological problems.
- I'd like to begin a forum dealing with the science-humanities divide, specifically about how it pertains to studies of materials. Possible topics include 1) Artifacts: untouchable works of art or potential mines of data and information? 2) Issues of destructive analysis, and 3) Bridging the gap between anthropological thinking of materials and scientific thinking of materials (sociocultural vs. physiochemical viewpoints)
- I want to explore issues of material deterioration, specifically the causes and mechanisms of glass corrosion, which is poorly understood by chemists.
- In my discussions with engineers, we've started talking about the idea of "ancient nanotechnology", or the idea that ancient peoples (while probably not comprehending the exact nature of their work) did purposely operate on a nano-scale; I'm curious about this concept and would like to pursue the possible implications further.
- A "resource" page of interesting websites, bibliography, projects, organizations and people (pertaining to materials science, scientific archaeology, ancient technology, glass studies, and Islamic archaeology to name a few areas of interest)
