Archaeochemical Detective Work

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions)", at the 2024 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

A familiar scenario in historical archaeology involves the identification of artifacts from minute quantities of associated materials that a first glance appear to be evidence poor. The artifact may be a scrap of fabric, or a generic glass bottle with a stain on the inside surface. Its identification likely depends on a judicious choice (and careful application) of analytical techniques that allow the investigator to recognize the chemical signatures of the materials in question. So it may be found that the fabric was treated with a flame retardant, or that the bottle contained a patent medicine. In what analysts consider “fun” cases, these findings may lead to the discovery of hair-raising practices by our forebears.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2024   •
• Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions)

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow