Journal of Archaeological Science

Journal of Archaeological Science
Title	Journal of Archaeological Science
Discipline	Archaeology
Abbreviation	J. Archaeol. Sci.
Publisher	Elsevier
Country	Netherlands
Frequency	Monthly
History	1974–present
Impact	6.0
Impact-year	2023

Journal of Archaeological Science is a peer-reviewed scientific journal covering archaeological science and archaeometry. It publishes research on analytical methods, dating techniques, material analysis, and computational approaches applied to archaeological problems. The journal serves as a venue for studies linking fieldwork sites, laboratory techniques, and theoretical perspectives promoted by institutions and practitioners worldwide.

History

Founded in the 1970s amid growing interest in scientific approaches to past human activity, the journal emerged alongside initiatives at British Museum, University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, University College London, and National Museum of Natural History, France. Early contributors included researchers affiliated with University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University, Smithsonian Institution, and Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. The journal’s development paralleled methodological advances at Argonne National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Brookhaven National Laboratory, and research programs at University of Chicago, Yale University, Columbia University, and University of California, Berkeley. Editorial leadership over the decades featured scholars connected to Institute of Archaeology, UCL, McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, Australian National University, University of Sydney, and University of Toronto. The periodical’s growth reflected collaborations with projects at Çatalhöyük Research Project, Tell Brak, Göbekli Tepe, Stonehenge Riverside Project, Mesa Verde National Park, and excavations at Pompeii and Herculaneum.

Scope and Editorial Focus

The journal emphasizes quantitative and laboratory-based studies relevant to sites such as Mohenjo-daro, Harappa, Knossos, Maeshowe, Newgrange, Skara Brae, Palenque, Tikal, Monte Albán, and Teotihuacan. It prioritizes methods including radiocarbon dating refined at University of Arizona Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, dendrochronology linked to Yale Peabody Museum, stable isotope analysis practiced at University of Cambridge Department of Archaeology, ancient DNA work associated with University of Copenhagen, and proteomics performed by teams at Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History. Thematically, the journal covers material culture studies connected to collections at British Library, Victoria and Albert Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Louvre Museum, and engages with theoretical frameworks from scholars associated with University of Michigan, Princeton University, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and University of California, Los Angeles. Interdisciplinary work linking climate proxies from IPCC-referenced research, palaeoenvironmental reconstructions from Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory, and geochemical sourcing done at Geological Survey of Canada are within scope.

Abstracting and Indexing

The journal is indexed in major databases and directories used by researchers at Clarivate Analytics, Scopus, PubMed Central, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. It appears in bibliographic services utilized by staff at Library of Congress, British Library, National Diet Library (Japan), and Bibliothèque nationale de France. Academic consortia at JSTOR, ProQuest, EBSCO, and ScienceDirect provide access; institutional subscriptions often managed through systems at Elsevier, Springer Nature, and Wiley-Blackwell. University libraries including Harvard Library, Bodleian Libraries, National Library of Scotland, and University of Toronto Libraries list the journal in their catalogues.

Impact and Reception

The journal has influenced practice and policy in heritage management as discussed by agencies such as UNESCO, ICOMOS, British Heritage Lottery Fund, and National Trust (United Kingdom). High-impact studies published in the periodical have been cited in work from researchers at Smithsonian Institution, Natural History Museum, London, Field Museum, and American Museum of Natural History. The journal’s articles inform conservation guidelines used by Getty Conservation Institute and legal frameworks referenced in cases before courts such as European Court of Human Rights when scientific evidence from archaeological materials is considered. Scholarly reception spans departments at University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, Sorbonne University, Heidelberg University, and University of Tokyo.

Notable Articles and Contributions

Influential papers include methodological advances in radiocarbon calibration linked to work by teams at International Radiocarbon Conference and tree-ring datasets curated by NOAA Paleoclimatology Program. Key contributions on ancient DNA involved collaborations with Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology and Wellcome Sanger Institute; isotope provenance studies drew on facilities at University of Bradford, Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre, and University of Bristol. Landmark case studies addressed sites like Çatalhöyük, Shahr-e Sukhteh, Banpo, Yangshao Culture localities, Maya Lowlands, and Andean contexts such as Chan Chan and Machu Picchu. The journal published pivotal work on ceramic petrography influenced by researchers affiliated with British Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum, and Metropolitan Museum of Art, and on residue analysis connected to laboratories at Imperial College London and ETH Zurich.

Editorial Board and Publication Practices

The editorial board comprises scholars from institutions including University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, University College London, Max Planck Society, Australian National University, University of Sydney, McMaster University, University of Toronto, University of California, Los Angeles, University of Texas at Austin, University of Copenhagen, and Leiden University. Peer review follows policies common to publishers such as Elsevier and aligns with ethical guidelines advocated by Committee on Publication Ethics and standards discussed at meetings like Society for American Archaeology annual conferences and European Association of Archaeologists congresses. The journal supports data sharing in repositories used by Dryad, PANGAEA, GenBank, and Zenodo and encourages compliance with open data initiatives promoted by Plan S and national research councils such as UK Research and Innovation and National Science Foundation.

Category:Archaeology journals