The ancient iron mines of Meroe

Ongoing archaeometallurgical research at the Royal City of Meroe and the nearby Meroitic town of Hamadab in Sudan has established the presence of a Kushite iron production tradition spanning over one thousand years. Potentially from as early as the seventh century BC to as late as the sixth century AD, a significant quantity of iron was produced at Meroe, while Hamadab appears to have started producing iron during the latter stages of this time-frame. Previous investigations assumed that the iron ore exploited for use was widely available and easily accessible, close to the ancient city itself. This paper presents the results of archaeological and geological research that has, for the first time, identified ancient iron mining activity in the area. Insights gained into certain aspects of the ore procurement stage of the chaîne opératoire of Meroitic iron production, including the nature of the mined ores and the manner in which this activity was conducted, are presented. Indications as to the organisation of mining activities are also provided. The significant potential of this avenue of research is highlighted and potential future research questions are posed.Qatar-Sudan Archaeology Project grant 037 UCL Qatar core grant British Institute in Eastern Afric

Iron Smelting in Sudan: Experimental Archaeology at The Royal City of Meroe

The Royal City of Meroe,ca.200 km north of Khartoum in the modern-day Republic of the Sudan, was an ancient capital of the Kingdom of Kush. From the 3rd century B.C. to the 4th century A.D., Kushite rulers controlledsignificantterritoryfromthebanksoftheNileatMeroe,inpartthroughtheirabilitytoensure the production of significant quantities of iron. The extensive archaeological remains of Meroitic iron production have been investigated over decades, and recently a series of experimental iron smelts in a replica Meroitic furnace has shed new light on the archaeometallurgical evidence. The data generated during the smelting campaigns has provided an understanding of the type of iron ore used, the construction and operating parameters of the furnace, and the workshop space created by the ancient iron smelters during the later and post-Meroitic times.Qatar Sudan Archaeology Project Grant 037 UCL Qatar core fun

Rapid LC-MS/MS method for determination of scopolamine in human plasma

Sensitive, simple, and fast LC-MS/MS method for the determination of Scopolamine in human plasma was developed and validated. Liquid-Liquid extraction technique was used for sample preparation. Cyano bonded phase column (150 × 4.6 mm, 5 µm) was used for the separation with an isocratic elution of ammonium format buffer:methanol (60:40) mobile phase at a flow rate of 1 ml.min-1 over 3.8 min run time. Scopolamine and [13C,2H3]-Scopolamine, as internal standard, were detected and quantified in positive ion mode via MRM at m/z 304/138 and m/z 308/142, respectively. The developed method was validated according to FDA and EMA guidelines. The standard calibration curve was linear over the concentration range of 3.03–315.76 pg.ml-1 (r2 = 0.999). The intra-day and inter-day precision was in the range 1.28–10.46% and accuracy 96.89–110.53%. The recovery of analyte and IS was 78.63% and 76.21%, respectively. Scopolamine in plasma was stable at benchtop (short term) for 18 h, in autosampler tray for 43 h, in instrumentation room for 43 h (post-preparative), after 4 freeze-thaw cycles (−70 °C), and 3 days in the freezer (−70 °C). The validated method was successfully applied to a bioequivalence study of scopolamine transdermal patch of 1 mg for 3 days for 16 healthy Jordanian volunteers