Laser Ablation-ICP-MS In Archaeological Research

by Speakman, Robert J.

• ISBN13: 9780826332547
• ISBN10: 0826332544
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-04-01
• Publisher: Univ of New Mexico Pr

Summary

These fifteen essays explore the archaeological applications of an exciting new field of research in materials science. Since the first archaeometric uses of inductively coupled plasma (ICP) in the early 1980s, most applications have required the processing of solid samples with heat and/or strong acids. This is time consuming, expensive, and sometimes dangerous. An alternative sample-introduction technique, laser ablation (LA), became commercially available in the mid-1990s. The coupling of laser ablation with state-of-the-art inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometers (ICP-MS) has resulted in the development of extremely sensitive microprobes capable of determining most elements of the periodic table. Already recognised as an invaluable technique in earth sciences, zoology, and botany, the use of LA-ICP-MS is being explored in archaeology. Robert Speakman and Hector Neff bring together writings that specifically describe laser ablation, methods for data quantification, and applications. Originating in New World and Mediterranean sites, the materials whose analysis are described here include paints and glazes, ceramic pastes, lithics, human teeth and bone, and metals

Table of Contents

Contributors and Affiliations	vii
The Application of Laser Ablation-ICP-MS to the Study of Archaeological Materials---An Introduction	1	(16)
Robert J. Speakman
Hector Neff
Straight from the Source: Obsidian Prismatic Blades at El Ujuxte, Guatemala	17	(12)
A. Natasha Tabares
Michael W. Love
Robert J. Speakman
Hector Neff
Michael D. Glascock
LA-ICP-MS as a Supplement to Abbreviated-INAA for Obsidian Artifacts from the Aztec-Tarascan Frontier	29	(10)
Michael D. Glascock
Robert J. Speakman
Helen P. Pollard
Laser Ablation-ICP-MS Chemical Characterization of Jade from a Jade Workshop in Cancuen, Guatemala	39	(20)
Brigitte Kovacevich
Hector Neff
Ronald L. Bishop
Characterization of Montana Cherts by LA-ICP-MS	59	(18)
Tom E. Roll
Michael P. Neeley
Robert J. Speakman
Michael D. Glascock
Searching for Analytical Alternatives to the Characterization of Copper Minerals	77	(8)
Maria Nieves Zedeno
Hector Neff
Axel E. Nielsen
Laser Ablation-ICP-MS of African Glass Trade Beads	85	(10)
Rachel S. Popelka
Michael D. Glascock
Peter Robertshaw
Marilee Wood
Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) as a Bulk Chemical Characterization Technique: Comparison of LA-ICP-MS, Digestion-ICP-MS, and INAA Data on Virgin Branch Anasazi Ceramics	95	(10)
Daniel O. Larson
Sachiko Sakai
Hector Neff
A Provenance Study of Hohokam Schist-tempered Pottery and Raw Materials from the Middle Gila River Valley, Arizona: Techniques and Prospects	105	(12)
James W. Cogswell
David R. Abbott
Elizabeth J. Miksa
Hector Neff
Robert J. Speakman
Michael D. Glascock
Archaeological Applications of Tephra Analysis by LA-ICP-MS	117	(8)
Hector Neff
Payson Sheets
Laser Ablation-ICP-MS Analysis of Late Neolithic Ceramic Pigments from the Amuq Plain, Turkey	125	(14)
Benjamin H. Diebold
Robert J. Speakman
Michael D. Glascock
A Compositional Analysis of Nasca Pigments: Implications for Craft Production on the Pre-Hispanic South Coast of Peru	139	(16)
Kevin J. Vaughn
Christina A. Conlee
Hector Neff
Katharina J. Schreiber
A Preliminary Analysis of Pigments Used in Redware Pottery Production at Point of Pines, Arizona	155	(12)
Candace A. Sall
Maria Nieves Zedeno
Robert J. Speakman
Chemical Characterization of Mesa Verde and Mancos Black-on-White Pottery Pigments by LA-ICP-MS	167	(20)
Robert J. Speakman
Detecting Provenance of African-Origin Individuals in the Colonial Cemetery of Campeche, Yucatan: A New Approach Using Trace Elements and LA-ICP-MS	187	(11)
Andrea Cucina
Hector Neff
Vera Tiesler Blos
Index	198