With National Science Foundation support Dr. Michael Glascock and his colleagues will continue the operation of the Archaeometry Laboratory at the University of Missouri Research Reactor Center (MURR). The MURR Archaeometry Laboratory is one of the most comprehensive US-based laboratories dedicated to chemical characterization studies of archaeological materials. The MURR laboratory is widely recognized around the world for its leading role in chemical characterization and interpretation of archaeometric data. The analytical techniques available at MURR include neutron activation analysis (NAA), inductively-coupled-plasma mass-spectrometry (ICP-MS) of solutions using high resolution and quadrupole instruments, laser ablation ICP-MS (LA-ICP-MS), and conventional- and portable-XRF. These multi-elemental techniques permit the quantification of major, minor and trace elements simultaneously and with a high degree of accuracy and precision in a wide range of archaeological materials. The MURR laboratory also plays an important role in training students in the analytical techniques for application to specific archaeological questions. Frequently, archaeology students are invited to spend time on site visiting the Missouri laboratory where they are taught a variety of methods for interpreting archaeological data and have direct access to the large compositional databases containing more than 90,000 previous analyses of pottery, obsidian, basalt, and chert by INAA, ICP-MS, and XRF. Online access to these databases is continuing to be developed and improved for integration with databases from other laboratories. MURR laboratory staff and students are also involved in efforts to rescue of compositional databases from laboratories no longer in operation. In addition to continued support of student and senior archaeology research projects, Dr. Glascock will also work toward the development of calibration standards and analytical procedures that facilitate the integration of data from multiple analytical techniques (e.g., INAA, ICP-MS, XRF). These efforts will benefit both new and mature analytical programs involved in archaeometric compositional analysis research. Dr. Glascock and his colleagues also will continue to oversee the development and application of LA-ICP-MS to archaeological materials and will facilitate the development of portable-XRF for archaeometric research. The broader impacts of this grant are that elemental data generated in collaboration with colleagues and students will be used to address important topics related to human and social dynamics of prehistoric peoples and societies, such as, mobility patterns and migrations of people, cultural responses to conflict and stress, community social organization, the development of craft production and specialization, and the creation and maintenance of social boundaries and identity. Compositional data will also be used improve our understanding concerning changes in ancient technology and provide insight into prehistoric diet and nutrition.
NSF funding to the Archaeometry Laboratory at the University of Missouri Research Reactor was used to support research on the chemical characterization of archaeological materials. Techniques available at the Archaeometry Laboratory include neutron activation analysis (NAA), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) with a laser ablation system attached to the ICP-MS. These analytical methods are used to determine the geological sources of artifacts, to investigate trade/exchange networks and other interactions between people and places, to research the migration of ancient human populations, and to understand the development of ancient technologies. The project continues the long-term commitment by the Archaeometry Laboratory to promote collaborative research between archaeologists and chemists interested in archaeological science. Funds provided by NSF with other support from the University of Missouri allow analytical costs to be made more affordable to faculty and graduate-student researchers. The Archaeometry Laboratory at MURR is unique in that we the only laboratory in the world providing access to three of the most powerful analytical techniques (NAA, XRF, and ICP-MS) to archaeologists working anywhere in the world. As a result, research projects involving large numbers of samples capable of addressing significant archaeological questions are being investigated. In addition to making chemical analysis more affordable to academic researchers, the Archaeometry Laboratory is directly involved in training visiting researchers and students from the University of Missouri and other academic institutions concerning research design, sample preparation, and interpretation of chemical data obtained on archaeological samples. The Archaeometry Laboratory also conducts research on new analytical standards and method development for the purpose of improving overall efficiency, reducing the costs of analysis, and reducing the number of artifacts undergoing destructive analysis. During the past three years, more than 100 faculty and graduate student submitted approximately 25,000 archaeological samples to the Archaeometry Laboratory for analysis by one or more of the available analytical techniques. This work has already produced 65 publications in journals and supported more than 20 new graduate theses in anthropology, archaeology, chemistry and geoscience. The total number of archaeological samples in our database now exceeds 125,000. Finally, the Archaeometry Lab is continuing to support the development of an internet accessible database of all chemical analyses performed in the laboratory so that it will be available for use by archaeologists from around the world. Some of the broader impacts include raising the profile of archaeological science through public lectures and the direct involvement of undergraduate and graduate students from the University of Missouri and other institutions in the application of the analytical techniques to archaeological science. This training is preparing the students for careers in archaeology, chemistry, forensic science, cultural resource management and other disciplines, and is better preparing undergraduates for advanced graduate work. A Sample of Publications Produced as a Result of this Research Blomster, J.P. and M.D. Glascock 2011 Obsidian procurement in Formative Oaxaca, Mexico: diachronic changes in political economy and inter-regional interaction. Journal of Field Archaeology 36(1): 21-41. Boulanger, M.T., R.S. Davis, and M.D. Glascock 2012 Preliminary characterization and regional comparison of the Dasht-i-Nawur obsidian source near Ghazni, Afghanistan. Journal of Archaeological Science 39(7): 2320-2328. Earle, T.K., A. Kreiter, C. Klehm, J.R. Ferguson and M. Vicze 2011 Bronze Age ceramic economy in the Benta Valley, Hungary. European Journal of Archaeology 14(3): 419-440. Hirshman, A.J. and J.R. Ferguson 2012 Temper mixture models and assessing ceramic complexity in the emerging Tarascan state. Journal of Archaeological Science 39(10): 3195-3207. Stoner, W.D. and M.D. Glascock 2012 The forest or the trees? Behavorial and methodological considerations for geochemical characterization of ceramic pastes using NAA and LA-ICP-MS. Journal of Archaeological Science 39(8): 2668-2683. Wallis, N.J., M.T. Boulanger, J.R. Ferguson and M.D. Glascock 2010 Woodland Period ceramic provenance and the exchange of Swift Creek Complicated Stamped vessels in the southeastern United States. Journal of Archaeological Science 37(10): 2598-2611.
