Glossary Archaeological method and dating
X-ray fluorescence
Also called: XRF, pXRF
A usually non-destructive technique that identifies the chemical elements in a surface, often done with a portable (pXRF) instrument.
An X-ray beam makes the atoms in a material emit secondary X-rays whose energies identify the elements present. Handheld instruments allow objects to be tested in museum stores without taking samples. XRF reads only the surface, so weathering, slips and paint affect the results, and it measures fewer elements, less precisely, than neutron activation.
In Cypriot studies XRF is used above all on pottery pigments and fabrics. It showed that the black of Black-on-Red ware is a manganese-based paint containing iron (Black-on-Red Ware), and it has traced changes over time in the pigments of Iron Age painted wares. Portable XRF is also used to group Red Polished fabrics.
Related terms
- Archaeometry
The use of physical and chemical science to analyse archaeological materials: their date, composition, source and manufacturing technique.
- Neutron activation analysis
A chemical technique that measures dozens of trace elements in a small sample, used above all to group pottery by clay source.