Photons in the Field: New Approaches to the Use of Portable X-ray Fluorescence (pXRF) in Archaeological Fieldwork

In recent years there have been many pioneering advances in the field of science that have led to a symbiotic relationship between scientific enquiry and archaeology that has significantly advanced current academic knowledge. However, many of these scientific methods must operate in a controlled laboratory environment and often necessitate the destruction—in whole or in part—of the artefact under investigation such as with isotope, DNA, X-ray Diffraction or Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy analysis. These factors, along with issues relating to time, finance, legality and/or the export of cultural heritage, inhibit the application of various scientific studies in numerous research contexts. Within this problematic scientific environment came a ground-breaking technology, portable X-ray Fluorescence (pXRF): a non-destructive, portable instrument for elemental compositional measurement. This symposium seeks to examine the viability of pXRF in the field and its potential employment to resolve these issues. It will focus on the benefits, scope and limitations of using this specific form of equipment, and investigate how this technology can contribute to quantitative analysis of anthropological and archaeological historical studies.