Determining Pottery Provenience By a New High Precision Low Cost X-ray Fluorescence Method and Comparison with Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis

该奖项将允许Frank Asaro博士和他的同事继续开发和测试用于陶瓷分析的x射线荧光（XRF）技术。XRF与其他几种方法一样，可以确定陶瓷中存在的微量元素的丰度，这些数据对考古研究人员非常重要。微量元素的频率是由用于制造容器的粘土以及所含的回火材料决定的，通过对相对丰度的分析，通常可以确定“制品”的存在——一组具有共同结构的材料，因此应该归类在一起。有时也可以通过与粘土原料的地质收藏进行比较，将特定的陶器追溯到它们的起源。通过对大量遗址的陶瓷研究和分析，考古学家可以深入了解陶瓷生产和贸易的组织。陶瓷的运动也揭示了经济和政治组织。由于陶瓷在许多史前社会中发挥了至关重要的作用，并且在许多考古遗址中保存完好，数量众多，因此它成为考古学关注的中心焦点。虽然XRF在微量元素研究中应用并不广泛，但其潜力巨大。其成本相对较低，所需样品制备时间相对较少。如果它发展到其他技术的准确度水平，它将极大地方便考古学家实际获取微量元素数据。在这个国家科学基金会的奖项中，阿萨罗博士和他的同事将追求三个目标。首先，他们将努力改进技术本身。他们将开发新的方法来精确测量Th和稀土La和Ce的丰度。提高了Ba、As、K、Ti的测量精度。其次，他们将通过精心控制的多实验室研究比较XRF和中子活化的结果。最后，他们将把这项技术应用于以色列化学复杂的考古情况，以获得对潜在优势和缺陷的实际现场洞察。如果成功，这个项目将为考古学家提供一个宝贵的工作工具。o n«¬¬^ n¬½¼^ + (n +▒ +¬ o¬n«^¼▒和n ^ o联合国^ | | u +▒ +¬ o¬n«^½¼¼½联合国^ ^ o | | u +▒ +¬ o¬n«^,¬|,^¬¼+ª阿^ |联合国+▒ +¬ ¬ n«^,¬|,^¬¼+ª联合国^ ^ o | | u o¬n«^¬¼¬+ ^ ua¼n ^ | u▒▒ +¬ 哪一个½¼^¡,u¼^¡½n +▒+¬¬哪一个½¼^¡,u¼^,ª(+▒ +¬ 哪一个½¼^¡,u¼^¼(½和+▒ +¬ o N |½^¼░ ¼ + ▒ +¬ oªn + u |联合国阿^ +▒ +¬ o n«¬¬^ auu¬^ | + n +▒ +¬ o n«¬¬^ auu ¬^¼»| + ▒+¬o n«¬¬^ auu¬^¼º¬nn +▒ +¬ o n«¬¬^ auu¬^ n |¡¬+▒ +¬ o n«¬¬^ auu¬^ n害怕«n +▒ +¬ o n«¬¬^ auu¬^害怕½░+▒+¬

This award will permit Dr. Frank Asaro and his colleagues to continue development and testing of a x-ray fluorescence (XRF) technique for ceramic analysis. XRF, in common with several other approaches, determines the abundance of trace elements present in ceramics and such data is extremely important to archaeological researchers. Trace element frequencies are set by both the clay used to manufacture a vessel as well as the tempering material included and through analysis of relative abundances it is often possible to establish the presence of `wares` - groups of material which share a common fabric and thus should be classed together. It is also sometimes possible to trace specific wares back to their point of origin through comparison with geological collections of clay raw material. Through sourcing studies and the analysis of ceramics from large numbers of sites archaeologists can gain insight into the organization of ceramic production and trade. The movement of ceramics also sheds light on economic and political organization. Because ceramics played such a crucial role in many prehistoric societies and because it is well preserved and abundant in many archaeological sites, it provides a central focus of archaeological attention. Although XRF is not widely used for trace element studies its potential is great. Its cost is relatively low and relatively little sample preparation time required. Were it developed to the level of accuracy of other techniques it would greatly facilitate archaeologists' practical access to trace element data. In this NSF award Dr. Asaro and his colleagues will pursue three goals. First they will work to improve the technique itself. They will develop new methods to accurately measure abundances of Th and the rare earths La and Ce. They will also improve measurement precision of Ba, As, K and Ti. Secondly they will compare the results of XRF and neutron activation through a carefully controlled multi-laboratory study. Finally they will apply the technique to a chemically complicated archaeological situation in Israel to gain practical field insight into both potential advantages and pitfalls. If successful this project will provide archaeologists with a valuable working tool. ó ¬ñ«¬^Ѭ½¼^+á(ñ +▒+¬ ó ¬ñ«^¼▒&ñ^ó|úñ^|ú +▒+¬ ó ¬ñ«^½¼¼½^ó|úñ^|ú +▒+¬ ó ¬ñ«^&¬|&^¬¼+ª^ó|úñ+▒+¬ ¬ñ«^&¬|&^¬¼+ª^ó|úñ^|ú ó ¬ñ«^¬¼¬+^úá¼ñ^|ú ▒▒+¬ ó á½¼^¡&ú¼^¡½ñ¬ +▒+¬ ó á½¼^¡&ú¼^&ª( +▒+¬ ó á½¼^¡&ú¼^¼(½& +▒+¬ ó Ñ|½^¼░¼ +▒+¬ ó ªñ+ú^ó|úñ +▒+¬ ó ¬ñ«¬^áúú¬^|+ñ +▒+¬ ó ¬ñ«¬^áúú¬^¼»| +▒+¬ ó ¬ñ«¬^áúú¬^¼º¬ññ +▒+¬ ó ¬ñ«¬^áúú¬^Ñ|¡¬ +▒+¬ ó ¬ñ«¬^áúú¬^Ñ¿«ñ +▒+¬ ó ¬ñ«¬^áúú¬^½¿░ +▒+¬