Sobre el uso imágenes microtomográficas para estudios de carbón de madera arqueológico

There are currently hardly any references to anthracological analyses using microtomography. Expectations about its potential, suggested in part by its use on similar materials, need to be evaluated in anthracological practice, according to the specificity of its subject. This paper seeks to highlight some benefits and disadvantages of the technique in the analysis of archaeological charcoal assemblages and to point out aspects to which it offers significant contributions. Here we present the steps of an experimental plan for microtomographies acquisition applied to a set of modern reference samples of wood charcoal. A brief protocol on how to prepare contemporary charcoal samples for microtomographic imaging is also included in the proposal. Digital analysis procedures for a number of diagnostic anatomical characters used for the taxonomic identification of woods and charcoals are described below. Lastly, descriptions of the microscopic anatomy of some specimens are presented, based entirely on the analysis of virtual models obtained by microtomography. The results suggest that X-ray microtomography provides quality data for anthracology. However, time and resources needed to study large sample sets, which are the privileged basis of this disciplinary field, could interfere with its applicability. On the other hand, microtomography offers several advantages for studies based on small and/or taxonomically homogeneous assemblages of charcoals, or even specific samples. These are related to its capabilities in exploring the whole object through unlimited visualization planes, the automation of measurements and the bulk of morphological data that can be extracted from three-dimensional images, whether for index calculations or other statistical markers, the non-destructiveness involved in sample preparation and analytical processes, the preservation of physical specimens and the simultaneous documentation and storage of large amounts of available information as virtual models of the studied materials.