The 12th Archaeological Chemistry Symposium was held as part of the Spring ACS National Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana, April 7-11, 2013. This volume is a compilation of presentations from the Symposium, the latest in a long tradition that began at the ACS National Meeting in Philadelphia in 1950. The papers herein show that archaeological chemistry today is more than the usual studies of trace elements in pottery and lithics, which continue to contribute to our understanding of human behavior in the past. New areas of research include more focus on portability to analyze pigments in situ and artifacts in museums, nascent developments in non- and minimally destructive chemical characterization, new applications of isotopic analyses, and an increasing interest in archaeological biomolecules. This volume is divided into sections that roughly follow those of the Symposium: Pigments, Residues and Material Analysis, X-Ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy, and Isotopes in Archaeology. The first section, Pigments and Dyes, begins with a review of manuscript pigments by Dr. Mary Virginia Orna, the organizer of the 9th Archaeological Chemistry Symposium and Editor of Archaeological Chemistry: Organic, Inorganic, and Biochemical Analysis (2). Each of the following sections begins with a review paper from one of the invited speakers. Dr. Valerie Steele, now at the University of Bradford in the Department of Archaeological Science, provides an overview of the state - for better and for worse - of analyses of archaeological residues. Portable X-ray fluorescence instruments are becoming extremely common in archaeological chemistry investigations; Dr. Aaron Shugar of Buffalo State University provides in his chapter some perspectives and warnings against the indiscriminate use of this technology. Finally, Dr. Matthew Sponheimer gives an overview of the contributions of stable carbon isotope and trace metal studies in understanding early hominin diets. The final chapter of the book provides a perspective on the earliest work in archaeological chemistry in the 18th century and brings us up to today's challenges

The use of chemistry in archaeology can help archaeologists answer questions about the nature and origin of the many organic and inorganic finds recovered through excavation, providing valuable information about the social history of humankind. This textbook tackles the fundamental issues in chemical studies of archaeological materials. Examining the most widely used analytical techniques in archaeology, the third edition of this comprehensive textbook features a new chapter on proteomics, capturing significant developments in protein recognition for dating and characterisation. The textbook has been updated to encompass the latest developments in the field. The textbook explores several archaeological investigations in which chemistry has been employed in tracing the origins of or in studying artefacts, and includes chapters on obsidian, ceramics, glass, metals and resins. It is an essential companion to students in archaeological science and chemistry, as well as to archaeologists, and those involved in conserving human artefacts.

Highlighting its broad, multidisciplinary nature, this volume presents new research and applications in the field of archaeological chemistry, which focuses on the application of chemical techniques to the study of the material remains of the cultures of historical or prehistorical peoples. Consisting of 18 chapters written by a diverse collection of international authors, this volume highlights new research in archaeological chemistry, and shows how the field combines aspects of analytical chemistry, history, archaeology, and materials science. Current efforts to include archaeological chemistry in science education are also presented. As this book utilizes current scientific advances to better understand our past, it will be of broad general interest to the chemical, archaeological, and historical communities.