This volume focuses specifically on the applications, possibilities, and limitations of handheld X-ray fluorescence devices in art conservation and archaeology.

Since the 1960s, x-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF), both wavelength and energy-dispersive have served as the workhorse for non-destructive and destructive analyses of archaeological materials. Recently eclipsed by other instrumentation such as LA-ICP-MS, XRF remains the mainstay of non-destructive chemical analyses in archaeology, particularly for volcanic rocks, and most particularly for obsidian. In a world where heritage and repatriation issues drive archaeological method and theory, XRF remains an important tool for understanding the human past, and will remain so for decades to come. Currently, there is no comprehensive book in XRF applications in archaeology at a time when the applications of portable XRF and desktop XRF instrumentation are exploding particularly in anthropology and archaeology departments worldwide. The contributors to this volume are the experts in the field, and most are at the forefront of the newest applications of XRF to archaeological problems. It covers all relevant aspects of the field for those using the newest XRF technologies to deal with very current issues in archaeology.

The most comprehensive resource available on the many applications of portable spectrometers, including material not found in any other published work Portable Spectroscopy and Spectrometry: Volume Two is an authoritative and up-to-date compendium of the diverse applications for portable spectrometers across numerous disciplines. Whereas Volume One focuses on the specific technologies of the portable spectrometers themselves, Volume Two explores the use of portable instruments in wide range of fields, including pharmaceutical development, clinical research, food analysis, forensic science, geology, astrobiology, cultural heritage and archaeology. Volume Two features contributions by a multidisciplinary team of experts with hands-on experience using portable instruments in their respective areas of expertise. Organized both by instrumentation type and by scientific or technical discipline, 21 detailed chapters cover various applications of portable ion mobility spectrometry (IMS), infrared and near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy, Raman and x-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy, smartphone spectroscopy, and many others. Filling a significant gap in literature on the subject, the second volume of Portable Spectroscopy and Spectrometry: Features a significant amount of content published for the first time, or not available in existing literature Brings together work by authors with assorted backgrounds and fields of study Discusses the central role of applications in portable instrument development Covers the algorithms, calibrations, and libraries that are of critical importance to successful applications of portable instruments Includes chapters on portable spectroscopy applications in areas such as the military, agriculture and feed, hazardous materials (HazMat), art conservation, and environmental science Portable Spectroscopy and Spectrometry: Volume Two is an indispensable resource for developers of portable instruments in universities, research institutes, instrument companies, civilian and government purchasers, trainers, operators of portable instruments, and educators and students in portable spectroscopy courses.

The application of X-rays to objects of archaeology and insights into construction and chemical composition in a non-destructive manner date back to the discovery of radiation. This book contains measurement data taken with portable XRF and XRD, and data taken with accelerating ion beams and synchrotron radiations, and with their explanation.

This book serves as a practical guide for applications of X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, a nondestructive elemental analysis technique, to the study and understanding of archaeology. Descriptions of XRF theory and instrumentation and an introduction to field applications and practical aspects of archaeology provide new users to XRF and/or new to archaeology with a solid foundation on which to base further study. Considering recent trends within field archaeology, information specific to portable instrumentation also is provided. Discussions of qualitative and quantitative approaches and applications of statistical methods relate back to types of archaeological questions answerable through XRF analysis. Numerous examples, figures, and spectra from the authors’ field work are provided including chapters specific to pigments, ceramics, glass, construction materials, and metallurgical materials.

This volume draws together topics and methodologies essential for the socio-cultural, mineralogical, and geochemical analysis of archaeological ceramic, one of the most complex and ubiquitous archaeomaterials in the archaeological record. It provides an invaluable resource for archaeologists, anthropologists, and archaeological materials scientists.