Ancient glass studies analytical techniques used

TABLE 31 Analytical Techniques Frequently Used to Study Ancient Glass... 

Chemical Analysis. The chemical composition of ancient objects is important for their authentication. The nature as well as the relative amounts of major, minor, and trace elements in any object are of use for determining the authenticity or otherwise of ceramics, glass, or alloys. A wide range of analytical techniques, depending on the nature of the material studied, have been used for this purpose, including X-rays fluorescence analysis, mass spectrometry, atomic absorption spectroscopy, and neutron activation analy-... 

Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) is a widespread analytical technique for the study of surfaces in materials science. Mostly used for elemental analyses and depth profiling, it is particularly relevant for many different fields of research including cultural heritage studies. Reviews of its use for the study of ancient glasses or metal artefacts already exist in the literature [Spoto 2000, Darque-Ceretti and Aucouturier 2004, Dowsett and Adriaens 2004, Adriens and Dowsett 2006, Anderle et al. 2006, McPhail 2006], but as only elemental information is obtained, these studies are limited to inorganic materials. 

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