Calibrating pXRF instruments for chert provenance: A how-to from the Anatolian Plateau

Summary

In the past decade, a tremendous increase in the use of portable x-ray fluorescence (pXRF) instruments in archaeological provenance research has warranted several critical reflections on the analytical protocols which underpin their application in various material and regional contexts. This paper approaches the use of pXRF analysis for determining chert provenance with particular emphasis placed on tailoring empirical calibrations to best suit the dynamic properties of chert materials. In so doing, it highlights the need to set in place specific procedures relevant to each context of study in order to develop a productive and successful study of chert provenance. Using as a case-study chert consumption at the Neolithic community of Çatalhöyük, Turkey, this paper reveals how pXRF instruments, when properly calibrated to specific geologic contexts, are capable of distinguishing between multiple geochemical sources of chert, and can be used to produce probable provenance determinations for chert artifacts.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Case Studies in Chert Sourcing and Identification   •
• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage