!["The future is not only on the edges of a discipline, but where two edges touch, and that is where the excitement is. And two edges of our pursuit of truth are about to touch..."
--Robert Ballard
"Within some archaeological artifacts there is a record to which an archaeologist is blind but which a physicist can hope to read... [but] a physicist is not a machine that, when fed with material, regurgitates an archaeological answer acceptable without qualification."
--Martin Aitken
"Every archaeological problem starts as a problem in geoarchaeology."
--Colin Renfrew](Ellery%20Frahm_files/shapeimage_25.png)
Ellery Frahm
Research Interests
I am a senior research fellow in Geology and Geophysics at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, managing the Electron Microprobe Laboratory, and I'm also a doctoral candidate in the Department of Anthropology, working on my dissertation in archaeology.
My interests involve the intersections of the physical and geologic sciences with archaeology, particularly the chemical analysis of archaeological materials. Electron microprobe analysis is infrequently used in archaeology compared to geology despite similar materials studied in both fields. Theoretical understanding of analytical techniques used in archaeology is important so the selected technique is well suited to the material and research question.
I'm currently working on electron microprobe analysis of obsidian from Anatolia (now Turkey), refining artifact sourcing procedures in the Jezirah and Syro-Mesopotamia. Recently I visited Tell Mozan in northeastern Syria to study the obsidian tools unearthed at the site and to work on the excavations. More broadly, I am also interested in practical and theoretical issues of provenance studies and in studies of ancient trade and exchange.
Collaborating with other archaeologists and geologists, I have analyzed a variety of artifacts with the microprobe: slag, ceramics, bone, stone tools, and more.
I take an approach to sourcing that relies on petrology (the branch of geology concerning rock composition, structure, and properties) and petrography (description of rocks using microscopic examination). What I do could be called "petroarchaeology" -- I study rocks chemically but with the aim of addressing questions about human behavior in antiquity.
Educational Background
Ph.D. candidate, Archaeology Program, Anthropology, University of Minnesota
Concentration: obsidian sourcing, theoretical and practical issues of sourcing
Committee: Drs. Gilbert Tostevin, Gilliane Monnier, Peter Wells, and James Stout
M.S., Interdisciplinary Archaeological Studies, University of Minnesota, 2002
Concentration: chemical analysis in archaeology, native copper sourcing
Committee: Drs. Guy Gibbon, George “Rip” Rapp, and James Kakalios
B.A. in Physics, Grinnell College, Grinnell, Iowa, 1999
Additional coursework in anthropology, archaeology, geomorphology, classics
Independent studies in archaeological science: ceramics and temper, atlatls
Intern, Nuclear Theory Group, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1998
Research Experience for Undergraduates Program, Department of Physics
Project: Pion absorption by heavy atomic nuclei; Advisor: V.R. Pandharipande
Research Appointments
Senior Research Fellow, Summer 2008 to Present
Department of Geology & Geophysics, University of Minnesota
Research Fellow, Summer 2003 to Summer 2008
Department of Geology & Geophysics, University of Minnesota
Research Assistant, Fall 2001 to Spring 2003
Department of Geology & Geophysics, University of Minnesota
Electron Microprobe Experience
Lab Manager & Principal Analyst, Summer 2003 to Present
Electron Microprobe Laboratory, University of Minnesota
Interim/Apprentice Laboratory Manager, Spring 2003
Electron Microprobe Laboratory, University of Minnesota
Laboratory Assistant, Fall 2001 to Winter 2002
Electron Microprobe Laboratory, University of Minnesota
Relevant Coursework:
Geology 5353: Electron Microprobe Theory and Practice
Materials Science 5517: Electron Microscopy
Teaching Experience
Primary Instructor, Summer 2003 to Present
Geology 5353: Electron Microprobe Theory and Practice
Laboratory Instructor, Fall 2001 to Present
Geology 5353: Electron Microprobe Theory and Practice
Curriculum Developer, Summers 2001 and 2002
Physics 1001: Energy and the Environment
Teaching Assistant, Spring 2000 to Spring 2001
Physics 1001: Energy and the Environment
Teaching Assistant, Fall 1999
Physics 1101: Introductory College Physics I
Relevant Coursework:
Curriculum & Instruction 5540: Teaching College Physics I
Curriculum & Instruction 5540: Teaching College Physics II
Anthropology 8217: Pedagogy
Guest Lectures:
Anth 3021/5021: Anthropology of the Middle East
Committees & Service
Co-chair, Geoarchaeology Interest Group, Society for American Archaeology, 2009 to Present
Student Representative, Management Board of the Archaeological Geology Division, Geological Society of America, 2005 to Present
Member, Analytical Facilities Committee, Department of Geology and Geophysics,
University of Minnesota, 2003 to Present
Member, Departmental Safety Committee, Department of Geology and Geophysics,
University of Minnesota, 2003 to Present
Professional Society Memberships
Society for American Archaeology (SAA) - Geoarchaeology Interest Group
Geological Society of America (GSA) - Archaeological Geology Division
International Association for Obsidian Studies (IAOS)
Society for Archaeological Sciences (SAS)
Minnesota Microscopy Society (MMS)
Microscopy Society of America (MSA)
Microbeam Analysis Society (MAS)
Grants and Awards
Grant-in-Aid of Research, Artistry, and Scholarship (with Marc Hirschmann),
Graduate School, University of Minnesota, 2009 - $19,200
Block Grant, Anthropology Department, University of Minnesota, 2009
Grant-in-Aid of Research, Artistry, and Scholarship (with Donna Whitney),
Graduate School, University of Minnesota, 2008 - $10,000
Block Grant, Anthropology Department, University of Minnesota, 2008
Travel Grant, Anthropology Department, University of Minnesota, 2008
Travel Grant, Anthropology Department, University of Minnesota, 2007
Student Travel Award, Inaugural Archaeological Sciences of the Americas
Symposium, University of Arizona, 2004
Block Grant, Anthropology Department, University of Minnesota, 2001
Outstanding Teaching Assistant, Physics Department, University of Minnesota, 2001
Papers, Posters, and Presentations
G. Conde, P.D. Ihinger, and E.E. Frahm. Water Speciation in Anatolian Obsidian: Quenched Magmatic Water vs Low Temperature Hydration. The 19th V.M. Goldschmidt Conference, Davos, Switzerland, 21-26 June 2009.
Blasting Stone Tools with Electron Beams and Other Fun with Geoarchaeology. Earth and Environmental Sciences Colloquium, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire, 4 October 2008.
Scandinavian Reindeer Herding, Tunisian Timekeeping, and Electron Probe Microanalysis: Considering Technological Choices. Problem-Solving Using Microanalysis Tools Workshop. Center for Advanced Materials Characterization, University of Oregon, 16-18 Sept 2008.
Ellery Frahm, Marianna Nikolaidou, and Marilyn Kelly-Buccellati. 2008. Using Image Analysis Software to Correlate Sherd Scans in the Field and X-ray Element Maps in the Laboratory. Bulletin of the Society for Archaeological Sciences 31(2):8-12 • Abstract
Ellery Frahm, Marianna Nikolaidou, and Marilyn Kelly-Buccellati. Investigating Ceramic Technology at Urkesh (Tell Mozan, Syria): Using Image Analysis Software to Correlate Sherd Scans in the Field and X-ray Element Maps in the Lab. Session: Scientific Analyses in Old World Archaeology. Society for American Archaeology, 73rd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, Canada, 26-30 March 2008 • Abstract
Alfred Kracher, Luca Bindi, Paola Bonazzi, John Fournelle, Ellery Frahm, and Paul G. Spry. Large Errors in Electron Microprobe Analysis of Laphamite, As2Se3-xSx (x~0.75), due to Uncertainties in ZAF Correction Parameters. Session: Challenges to Electron Microprobe Analysis in Geology. American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting, San Francisco, California, 10-14 December 2007 • Abstract
An Evaluation of Portable X-Ray Fluorescence for Artifact Sourcing in the Field: Can A Handheld Device Differentiate Anatolian Obsidian Sources? Session #7: Sourcing Techniques in Archaeology. Geological Society of America, Annual Meeting, Denver, Colorado, 28-31 October 2007 • Abstract
"Set Phasers on Stone!": An Evaluation of a Handheld XRF "Gun" for Sourcing Lithic Materials in the Field. University of Minnesota Archaeology Lunch Series, October 2007.
Microanalytical Characterization of Native Copper Artifacts in Order to Differentiate Raw Material Sources. Session P-09: Metallurgy, History, and the Fine Arts. Microscopy & Microanalysis 2007, Annual Meeting of the Microscopy Society of America and the Microbeam Analysis Society, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, 5-9 August 2007. Abstract: Microscopy and Microanalysis, Vol. 13, Supplement 2, pp. 1108-1109 • Abstract
Electron Microprobe Analysis in 21st-Century Archaeology: Its Strengths, Weaknesses, and the Advancements Useful to Archaeologists. Session: Archaeometric Methods, Archaeological Applications I. Society for American Archaeology, 72nd Annual Meeting, Austin, Texas, 25-29 April 2007 • Abstract
Humans: The Newest Geological Transport Process (or Looking for Obsidian in all the Wrong Places). Hard Rock Lunch seminar series, Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Minnesota, February 2007.
Relevance, History, and Frameworks in Teaching Instrumentation (or How I Learned to Stop Talking about Vacuum Systems and Discuss 1950s Russian Microprobe Designs). Invited, Session #113: Teaching Instrumentation to Geoscience Students: Course Design, Objectives, and Presentations. Geological Society of America, Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 22-25 October 2006. Abstract: Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs, Vol. 38, No. 7, Paper No. 113-3, p. 283 • Abstract
Blasting Stone Tools with Electron Beams: Crossroads of Archaeology and the Physical Sciences. Lawrence University, Science Hall Colloquium, November 2005 • Abstract
The History and Physics of Electron Microscopy and Microanalysis. Lawrence University, Physics Department Colloquium, November 2005.
Electron Microprobe Analysis of Artifacts: Where Physics Meets Archaeology. Grinnell College, Physics Department Seminar, November 2005 • Abstract
An Electron Microprobe in the Classroom: A Remote-Access System for Education. Session #29: Inquiry-Based, Hands-On, Classroom Exercises, Lab Demonstrations, and Field Investigations in Geoscience Education. Geological Society of America North-Central Section, 39th Annual Meeting, Minneapolis, 19-20 May 2005. Abstract: Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs, Vol. 37, No. 5, Paper No. 29-4, p. 74 • Abstract
From Consultation to Collaboration: Why Geologists Should Learn Archaeological Theory. Session #127: Archaeological Geology II. Geological Society of America, Annual Meeting, Denver, Colorado, 7-10 November 2004. Abstract: Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs, Vol. 36, No. 5, Paper No. 127-11, p. 309 • Abstract
Consultation to Collaboration: Why Geologists Should Learn Archaeological Theory. University of Minnesota Archaeology Lunch Series, October 2004.
Electron Microprobe Analysis of North American Native Copper: An Example of the Importance of Minor and Trace Elements' Spatial Distributions. Inaugural Archaeological Sciences of the Americas Symposium, University of Arizona, 23-26 September 2004 • Abstract
Electron Beams and Micro-scale Composition: The Electron Microprobe as an Archaeological Tool (or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Spot Analysis). University of Minnesota Archaeology Lunch Series, September 2002.
The Potential of Electron Microprobe Analysis in Provenance Studies of North American Copper Artifacts. M.S. thesis, University of Minnesota, May 2002 • Abstract
Pion Absorption Cross Sections of Heavy Nuclei. Proceedings of the 1998 Research Experience for Undergraduates Program, University of Illinois, August 1998 • Abstract
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