This thesis takes a multidisciplinary approach to the study of ancient Egyptian ceramics by applying scientific dating techniques alongside more traditional methods. It is the first study to apply OSL dating to an Egyptian ceramic assemblage, and it has done so by developing the minimum extraction technique (MET), which has made it possible to use OSL to sample, and thus analyse, ceramics housed in museums. The MET is at present essential to the success of OSL dating of Egyptian ceramics, as the exportation ban on antiquities has prevented OSL analysis of field material. For this thesis, using this new sampling technique, OSL has been applied to several assemblages from the Predynastic to the Early Dynastic period. Ceramics from [ADD IN REVIEW ] have been examined, with three phases being established: late Naqada III, First Intermediate Period, and the mediaeval Islamic period. Absolute dates have been determined for each phase and, where comparison is possible, have been found in good agreement with the historical chronology. A set of vessels from Naqada, Ballas, and the Tomb of Djer at Abydos have been examined using OSL in conjunction with radiocarbon dating. Again, three phases of activity were discerned: late Naqada II, early Naqada III, and the first scientifically determined dates for a burning event in the Tomb of Djer (the New Kingdom). The thesis also demonstrates how OSL can be used as a relative dating technique by analysing a collection of Wavy-Handled ceramics and wine jars from Turah, finding that the OSL results agree well with the established relative chronology. Finally, this thesis has also examined the applicability of cladistic analysis to the study of Egyptian ceramics. Cladistics is a technique borrowed from the biological sciences which offers a complimentary way to examine the evolution of ceramic types and forms, in particular the development of beer and wine jars.

The number of mammals species belonging to the Pleistocene megafauna (animals with more than 44 kg) registered for Sergipe state is still low compared with other states from Brazilian Intertropical Region (BIR). In this study, fossils found in fossiliferous outcrops (Tanks) in the Charco and São José Farm (municipality of Poço Redondo, Sergipe) and Elefante Farm (município de Gararu, Sergipe) localities were analysed. This study described fossils of taxa already registered for the state, like Eremotherium laurillardi, Notiomastodon platensis, Smilodon populator, Mylodontidae and Toxodontinae, besides registering for the first time Xenorhinotherium bahiense, increasing the number of taxa known in Sergipe. Besides the description of fossils, this study also provided absolute dating and isotopes analyses for E. laurillardi e N. platensis from São José Farm (Poço Redondo, Sergipe) tank, contributing for the knowledge about the chronology of this species in BIR, their paleodiets and the environment where they lived during the final Pleistocene. The results showed that the mastodont N. platensis occurred between 12.125 and 19.594 cal yr BP and exhibited a grazer diet (d13C = -1.1 to 1.3 ), while the giant sloth E. laurillardi lived between 11.084 and 13.581 cal yr BP, with a mixed feeder diet (C3/C4 plants; values ratio d13C = -7.7 to -3.3 ). The d18O values of N. platensis ranged between 31.1 to 34.7 , while the values of E. laurillardi ranged between 27.7 to 29.7 , but in both cases the species where inhabiting an environment with high temperatures. The compilation of the data available for this species in this region allows the conclusion that neither species did exhibit differences in its diet through the last thousand of years of the final Pleistocene, which suggests that the vegetational composition of this locality did not vary during this period. / A quantidade de espécies de mamíferos pertencentes à megafauna (indivíduos com mais de 44 kg) Pleistocênica registradas para o estado de Sergipe ainda é baixa quando comparada com outros estados da Região Intertopical Brasileira - RIB. No presente trabalho foram analisados fósseis encontrados em afloramentos fossilíferos (do tipo tanque) nas localidades Fazenda Charco e Fazenda São José (município de Poço Redondo, Sergipe) e na Fazenda Elefante (município de Gararu, Sergipe). Este estudo descreveu novas peças de taxa já conhecidos para o estado como, por exemplo, Eremotherium laurillardi, Notiomastodon platensis, Smilodon populator, Mylodontidae e Toxodontinae, além de fazer o primeiro registro de Xenorhinotherium bahiense, aumentando o número de taxa conhecidos em Sergipe. Além da descrição e registro de fósseis, o presente estudo também forneceu datações absolutas e análises isotópicas para fósseis das espécies E. laurillardi e N. platensis, provenientes da Fazenda São José (Poço Redondo, Sergipe), contribuindo para o conhecimento sobre a cronologia destes megamamíferos na RIB, além de caracterizar suas paleodietas e o ambiente no qual viveram durante o Pleistoceno final. Os resultados indicaram que N. platensis ocorreu entre 12.125 até 19.594 cal yr BP, apresentando uma dieta pastadora (d13C = -1.1 a 1.3 ), enquanto E. laurillardi ocorreu entre 11.084 até 13.581 cal yr BP, com dieta generalista (plantas C3/C4; d13C= -7.7 a -3.3 ). Os valores de d18O de N. platensis variaram entre 31.1 to 34.7 , enquanto os valores de E. laurillardi variaram de 27.7 to 29.7 , demonstrando que ambas as espécies habitam um local com altas temperaturas. A partir da reunião dos dados existentes para estas espécies nesta região, conclui-se que estas permaneceram com a mesma dieta ao longo dos últimos milhares de anos do Pleistoceno final, permitindo a interpretação de que a composição vegetacional da localidade também não variou durante este período.