This award will permit Dr. Frank Asaro and his colleagues to continue development and testing of a x-ray fluorescence (XRF) technique for ceramic analysis. XRF, in common with several other approaches, determines the abundance of trace elements present in ceramics and such data is extremely important to archaeological researchers. Trace element frequencies are set by both the clay used to manufacture a vessel as well as the tempering material included and through analysis of relative abundances it is often possible to establish the presence of `wares` - groups of material which share a common fabric and thus should be classed together. It is also sometimes possible to trace specific wares back to their point of origin through comparison with geological collections of clay raw material. Through sourcing studies and the analysis of ceramics from large numbers of sites archaeologists can gain insight into the organization of ceramic production and trade. The movement of ceramics also sheds light on economic and political organization. Because ceramics played such a crucial role in many prehistoric societies and because it is well preserved and abundant in many archaeological sites, it provides a central focus of archaeological attention. Although XRF is not widely used for trace element studies its potential is great. Its cost is relatively low and relatively little sample preparation time required. Were it developed to the level of accuracy of other techniques it would greatly facilitate archaeologists' practical access to trace element data. In this NSF award Dr. Asaro and his colleagues will pursue three goals. First they will work to improve the technique itself. They will develop new methods to accurately measure abundances of Th and the rare earths La and Ce. They will also improve measurement precision of Ba, As, K and Ti. Secondly they will compare the results of XRF and neutron activation through a carefully controlled multi-laboratory study. Finally they will apply the technique to a chemically complicated archaeological situation in Israel to gain practical field insight into both potential advantages and pitfalls. If successful this project will provide archaeologists with a valuable working tool. ó ¬ñ«¬^Ѭ½¼^+á(ñ +?+¬ ó ¬ñ«^¼?&ñ^ó|úñ^|<ú +?+¬ ó ¬ñ«^½¼¼½^ó|úñ^|<ú +?+¬ ó ¬ñ«^&¬|&^¬¼+ª^ó|úñ+?+¬ ¬ñ«^&¬|&^¬¼+ª^ó|úñ^|<ú ó ¬ñ«^¬¼¬+^úá¼ñ^|<ú ??+¬ ó <á½¼^¡&ú¼^¡½ñ¬ +?+¬ ó <á½¼^¡&ú¼^&ª( +?+¬ ó <á½¼^¡&ú¼^¼(½& +?+¬ ó Ñ|½^¼?¼ +?+¬ ó ªñ+ú^ó|úñ +?+¬ ó ¬ñ«¬^áúú¬^|+ñ +?+¬ ó ¬ñ«¬^áúú¬^¼»| +?+¬ ó ¬ñ«¬^áúú¬^¼º¬ññ +?+¬ ó ¬ñ«¬^áúú¬^Ñ|¡¬ +?+¬ ó ¬ñ«¬^áúú¬^Ñ¿«ñ +?+¬ ó ¬ñ«¬^áúú¬^½¿? +?+¬
