Epilogue

Summary

Hopefully this volume has served to illustrate the diversity of applications of chemistry in archaeology. It utilizes the full armory of analytical techniques, from the humble thin layer chromatography plate to the fearsome power of the synchrotron. The range of materials available for analysis is also vast – ranging from little black sticky messes on the rims of pot shards, through the stable isotopes in human collagen, to the prize museum bronze statue, or marble figurine. It should also be clear that, because of the nature of archaeological materials, there is rarely such a thing as a “routine analysis”. Each project presents its own challenges, either because of the limited size of the sample available, the potential degradation or contamination of the sample as a result of burial and excavation, or the hovering presence of the museum curator watching as samples are removed from some precious object which is destined to return to the display case.

Although some of the earliest applications of analytical chemistry in archaeology were focused on organic materials (particularly amber), the bulk of the effort over the last hundred years and more has been devoted to the analysis of inorganic materials – primarily pottery and metal, but also glass, obsidian, flint, and other lithic materials. Often the question has been one of provenance – identifying the source of the raw materials used, with the underlying objective of determining patterns of trade and exchange.