Glossary Archaeological method and dating
Neutron activation analysis
Also called: NAA
A chemical technique that measures dozens of trace elements in a small sample, used above all to group pottery by clay source.
A powdered sample is irradiated in a nuclear reactor, and the radiation it then gives off reveals the concentrations of many elements, even at very low levels. Pots made from the same clay share a chemical fingerprint, so samples can be sorted into groups and the groups matched to known production centres.
NAA has been central to the question of where Cypriot and Cypriot-style pottery was made. Analyses run at Bonn assigned several chemical groups of Mycenaean-style pottery to a Cypriot origin (From Bronze to Iron); studies led by Michal Artzy tested where Bichrome ware found in the Levant was made; and another project traced the origin of Cypriot-style horse-and-rider figurines found in the Aegean.
Related terms
- Archaeometry
The use of physical and chemical science to analyse archaeological materials: their date, composition, source and manufacturing technique.
- Petrographic analysis
Examining a thin slice of pottery or stone under a polarising microscope to identify its minerals and so where its clay or stone came from.
- X-ray fluorescence
A usually non-destructive technique that identifies the chemical elements in a surface, often done with a portable (pXRF) instrument.
Where it appears
- Base Ring Ware
- Bichrome Ware
- From Bronze to Iron: Cypriot Pottery c. 1300–950 BCE
- Jars (Amphora)
- Black-on-Red Ware
- Flasks
- Horse and Rider Figurines
- Jugs (Oinochoe)
- Mycenaean Imports and Local Imitations
- Red Polished Ware
- The Philistines
- Amphora
and 6 more compendium pages