X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometry and Its Applications to Archaeology: An Illustrated Guide - Paperback

by Mary Kate Donais (Author), David B. George (Author)

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.

Author Biography

Mary Kate Donais earned her BS (Bucknell University) and PhD (University of Massachusetts, Amherst) in chemistry. Following positions in government and industry, she joined the faculty at Saint Anselm College where she is currently a professor in the chemistry department. Dr Donais' research focus is on applications of atomic spectroscopy and portable instrumentation, especially in the field of archaeology. She is actively involved with the Society for Applied Spectroscopy (SAS) and FACSS, and is a member of the Society for Archaeological Sciences. Dr Donais is a fellow of the SAS and the Royal Society of Chemistry.