Archaeological chemical laboratories material analyses

Neutron activation analysis (NAA) is an eminently suitable technique for obtaining the chemical profile of ancient pottery and artifacts made from other earthy materials. This technique can be used to determine where these articles originated. An NAA system that has proved to be adequate for this task is discussed. A brief review is also given of the way archaeologists have decided matters of provenance and the uses to which they put their knowledge. Finally, two examples of archaeological problems are given in which the new horizons opened by the laboratory work are stressed. 

The Laboratory for Archaeological Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, founded in 1987, is a center for research and training in the chemical analysis of archaeological materials, one of a few such facilities in the USA. The laboratory and its continuing operation are made possible by grants from the US... 

Neutron activation analysis has proven to be a convenient way of performing the chemical analysis of archaeologically-excavated artifacts and materials. It is fast and does not require tedious laboratory operations. It is multielement, sensitive, and if need be, can be made entirely non-destructive. Neutron activation analysis in its instrumental form, i.e. that involving no chemical separation, is ideally suited to automation and conveniently takes the first step in data flow patterns that are appropriate for many taxonomic and statistical operations. 

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