Get the Lead Out! Establishing a Global Database for the Elemental Analysis of Roundball Ammunition

Summary

Archaeologists with the LAMAR Institute and the National Park Service collaborated in an ambitious undertaking to characterize the elemental composition of round ball ammunition from early historic sites. Researchers used portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) technology to sample the elemental content of over 500 round balls from more than 17 different archaeological sites in eastern North America. These include samples from Native American and Euro-American settlements as well as French and Indian War, Revolutionary War, Indian Wars and War of 1812 sites. These preliminary data demonstrate that Antimony (Sb) and Tin (Sn) are very important elements for measuring differences in round balls. One goal is to elevate the diagnostic value of round ball ammunition so that we can determine where the lead came from, who was firing the bullets, and how access to lead varied over time. The pXRF information shows promise in identifying additives or contaminants introduced and military association. If combined with element data from lead ore sources, baseline information can be developed for comparison among battlefield assemblages and incorporated into a global dataset with the purpose of better understanding the geographic distribution of military supplies and military strategy at macro global and regional levels.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 17678