This is an exciting time for archaeology.  The ongoing miniaturization of analytical instrumentation has advanced to a state where traditional lab based analysis can now be performed in the field (i.e. XRF, Raman, FITR etc�).  This in situ analysis can be enormously advantageous for archaeologists providing identification of artifacts on the spot and even helping guide excavation to be more beneficial.  But what seems advantageous can also be detrimental if not fully understood.  pXRF offers a utopian view of this on site elemental analysis, but what is often offered and promoted by manufacturers rarely will produce viable results when investigating the material types we encounter.  The underlying physics of XRF limit what we should consider acceptable data, yet we can extract exceptionally useful information when this instrument is used responsibly.   Several examples will be given to emphasize this position and methods of analysis will be recommended to aid in proper interpretation of raw data.

Portable X-ray fluorescence in archaeology: Issues related to limitations of instrumentation and suggested methods to achieve desired results

245th National Meeting (2013)

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