Geochemical analyses of archaeological specimens using advanced methods

University Of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia MO

Investigators

Abstract

The Archaeometry Laboratory at the University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR) specializes in the provenance and compositional analysis of archaeological materials including ceramics, chert, obsidian, pigments, and metals. Such chemical analyses are essential pieces of evidence used by archaeologists to investigate the technology, economics, social and political organization and identity practices in ancient societies. Understanding past human behavior can inform modern efforts to address issues such as population movement, resource exploitation, social networks, and land-use patterns. The laboratory supports a wide variety of projects, trains students, graduate interns, researchers, and visiting scholars from US institutions every year, and contributes to knowledge diffusion through close scientific collaborations between MURR staff and outside researchers, student education, and professional publications. Broader impacts of the Archaeometry Laboratory at MURR include: (1) availability of affordable chemical and isotopic analyses for students and faculty from academic departments and non-profit research organizations in the US; (2) training of undergraduate and graduate students in the selection and use of laboratory methods of analysis; (3) advice in project design, statistical analysis, and interpretation of the chemical and isotopic data; and (4) public access by archaeologists, geologists, and scientists from many disciplines to the compositional database. The long-term success of the Archaeometry Laboratory has resulted in an unparalleled database of artifact and raw material chemical compositions that enhance the explanatory power of future analytical studies, as well as provide the raw material for large-scale research projects using existing data. These databases are increasingly relevant for the emerging use of Artificial Intelligence to interpret large and complex datasets. The Archaeometry Laboratory plays a leading role in developing novel applications in AI-enhanced analysis of archaeometric datasets. The MURR Archaeometry Laboratory focuses on elemental and isotopic analysis in order to examine the production, exchange, and movement of a broad variety of artifacts using neutron activation analysis (NAA), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), Raman spectroscopy (RS), and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) including a laser ablation system and a multi-collector. The laboratory also supports geochemical research on the petrogenesis of various igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.