Select Bibliography of EMPA in Archaeology
Below are archaeological articles, books, and talks involving electron microprobe analysis. I am always collecting new references, so future posts will include publications that either I find or visitors submit to me.
Abbott, D.R. and D.M. Schaller. 1985. Electron Microprobe and Petrographic Analyses of Prehistoric Hohokam Pottery to Determine Ceramic Exchange within the Salt River Valley, Arizona. In Materials Issues in Art and Archaeology, edited by P.B. Vandiver, J. Druzik and G.S. Wheeler, pp. 441-453. vol. 2. Materials Research Society, Pittsburgh.
Adams, F., A. Adriaens, A. Aerts, I. De Raedt, K. Janssens, and O. Schalm. 1997. Micro and Surface Analysis in Art and Archaeology: Plenary Lecture. Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry 12(3): 257-265.
Biro, K.T. and I. Pozsgai. 1981. Obsidian Characterization by Electron Microprobe Analysis. Industrial Archaeology 2:25-37.
Biro, T.K. and I. Pozsgai. 1984. Obszidian lelöhely-azonositas elektronsugaras mikroanalizis segitsegevel (Obsidian Characterization by Electron Microprobe Analysis). Iparregeszet 2(25-38).
Biro, T.K., I. Pozsgai and A. Vlader. 1986. Electron Beam Microanalyses of Obsidian Samples from Geological and Archaeological Sites. Acta Arhcaeologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 38:257-278.
Boston, R.L. 1995. Electron Microprobe Sourcing of Volcanic Ash Temper in Sunset Red Ceramics. M.A. thesis, Northern Arizona University.
Charles, J.A. 1968. The First Sheffield Plate. Antiquity 42:278-285.
Charles, J.A. 1972. Physical Science and Archaeology. Antiquity 46 (182):134-139.
Clark, D.E. and B.A. Purdy. 1979. Electron Microprobe Analysis of Weathered Florida Chert. American Antiquity 44(3): 517-524.
Cotkin, S.J., C. Carr, M.L. Cotkin, A.E. Dittert and D.T. Kremser. 1999. Analysis of Slips and Other Inorganic Surface Materials on Woodland and Early Fort Ancient Ceramics, South-Central Ohio. American Antiquity 64(2): 316-342.
Demortier, G. and Y. Houbion. 1987. Is Scanning Electron Microprobe Suitable for Complete Elemental Analysis of Solders on Gold Artifacts? Oxford Journal of Archaeology 6:109-114.
Dorais, M.J. and C.M. Shriner. 2002. A Comparative Electron Microprobe Study of "Aeginetan" Wares with Potential Raw Material Sources from Aegina, Methana, and Poros, Greece. Geoarchaeology 17(6): 555-577.
Dorais, M.J. and C.M. Shriner. 2002. An electron microprobe study of P645/T390: Evidence for an Early Helladic III Lerna-Aegina connection. Geoarchaeology 17(8): 755-778.
Doyon, L.G. and R.L. Burger. 1997. Compositional Analysis of Inca Ceramics: An Exploratory Approach Using the Electron Microprobe. The 16th Annual Northeast Conference on Andean Archaeology and Ethnohistory. 4-5 October 1997, University of Maine.
Freestone, I.C. 1982. Applications and Potential of Electron Probe Micro-analysis in Technological and Provenance Investigations of Ancient Ceramics. Archaeometry 24:99-116.
Garcia-Guinea, J., V. Correcher, R.M. Rojas, J.L.G. Fierro, C. Fernandez-Martin, P. López-Arce, and S. Rovira-Llorens. 2005. Chemical Tracers in Archaeological and Natural Gold: Aliseda Tartessos Treasure and New Discovered Nuggets (SW Spain). Gold Bulletin 38(1): 23-28.
García-Heras, M. and J.M. Rincón. 1996. Microstructural and Microanalytical Study (SEM/EDX) of Celtiberian Potsherds from the Spanish Central Meseta. Geoarchaeology 11(4):329-344.
Giovanoil, R. 1969. Provincial Roman Wall Painting Investigated by Electron Microscopy. Archaeometry 11:53-59.
Gordus, A.A., C.E. Henderson, and I. Shimada. 1996. Electron Microprobe and Neutron Activation Analysis of Gold Artifacts from a 1000 A.D. Peruvian Gravesite. Archaeological Chemistry, ACS Symposium Series 625, Washington, D.C., p. 83.
Hall, E.T. 1963. Physical Methods of Chemical Analysis. In The Scientist and Archaeology, edited by E. Pyddoke, pp. 168-192. Roy Publishers, New York.
Hallett, J.R., M. Thompson, E.J. Keall and R.B. Mason. 1988. Archaeometry of Medieval Islamic Glazed Ceramics from North Yemen. Canadian Journal of Chemistry 66:266-272.
Henderson, J. 1988. Electron Probe Microanalysis of Mixed-Alkali Glasses. Archaeometry 30(1):77-91.
Henderson, J. 1988. Electron-microprobe investigation of early Irish glass and glass-making practices. Materials issues in art and archaeology: symposium held 6-8 April 1988, Reno, Nevada, 141-146.
Hooper, J.J. and P.B. Vandiver. Janaway. 2001. The Technological Tradition of Korean Black Ware and the Indigenous Development of Glaze Technology in Korea During the First Millennium A.D. Materials Issues in Art and Archaeology VI. Editors: Pamela B. Vandiver, Martha Goodway, Jennifer L. Mass. MRS Proceedings Volume 71.
Hornblower, A.P. 1962. Archaeological Applications of the Electron Probe Microanalyser. Archaeometry 5:108-112.
Hornblower, A.P. 1963. Some Examples of Work with the Electron Probe Microanalyser. Archaeometry 6:37-42.
Jakes, M.K., R. Sherburne, D. Lubell, C. Barker and M. Wayman. 2001. Destruction of Microstructure in Archaeological Bone: a Case Study from Portugal. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology 11: 415-432.
Kamilli, D.C. and C.C. Lamberg-Karlovsky. 1979. Petrographic and Electron Microprobe Analysis of Ceramics from Tepe Yahya, Iran. Archaeometry 21:47-60.
Kyek, A. , F.E. Wagner, G. Lehrberger, Q.A. Pankhurst and B. Ziegaus. 2000. Celtic gold coins in the light of Mössbauer spectroscopy, electron microprobe analysis, and X-ray diffraction. Hyperfine Interactions 126: 235-240.
Klockenkämper, R., H. Bubert and K. Hasler. 1999. Detection of Near-Surface Silver Enrichment on Roman Imperial Silver Coins by X-ray Spectral Analysis. Archaeometry 41(2):311-320.
Kuisma-Kursula, R. and J. Risnen. 1999. Scanning Electron Microscopy-Energy Dispersive Spectrometry and Proton Induced X-ray Emission Analyses of Medieval Glass from Koroinen (Finland). Archaeometry 41(1):71-79.
Lea, S., D. Baer, E. Paparazzo, P. Northover, and C. Salter. 2001. Achieving High Spatial Resolution in Elemental Mapping of Metal Samples From Archaeological Contexts. Materials Research Society. Materials Issues in Art and Archaeology VI. Editors: Pamela B. Vandiver, Martha Goodway, Jennifer L. Mass. MRS Proceedings Volume 71.
Liu, W. and B. McCarthy. 2001. Analysis of Cizhou Monochrome Green Enamels and Lead Glazes From Guantai Kiln in Northern China, Song to Jin Dynasty. Materials Research Society. Materials Issues in Art and Archaeology VI. Editors: Pamela B. Vandiver, Martha Goodway, Jennifer L. Mass. MRS Proceedings Volume 71.
Mallory-Greenough, L.M., J.D. Greenough and J.V. Owen. 1998. Provenance of Temper in a New Kingdom Egyptian Pottery Sherd: Evidence from the Petrology and Mineralogy of Basalt Fragments. Geoarchaeology 13:391-410.
Mallory-Greenough, L.M. and J.D. Greenough. 2004. Applications of earth science techniques to archaeological problems. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 41(6): 655-657.
Mass, J., A. Ammerman and J.A. Hunt. 2001. Archeological Exploration with the Electron Microprobe: The Early History of Glassmaking in the Venetian Lagoon. American Laboratory:52-55.
Mass, J.L., M.T. Wypyski, and R.E. Stone. 2001. Evidence for the Metallurgical Origins of Glass at Two Ancient Egyptian Glass Factories. Materials Research Society, MRS Proceedings.
Merrick, H.V. and F.H. Brown. 1984. Rapid Chemical Characterization of Obsidian Artifacts by Electron Microprobe Analysis. Archaeometry 26:230-236.
Neff, H., J.W. Cogwell, L.J. Kosakowsky, F.E. Belli and F.J. Bove. 1999. A New Perspective on the Relationships among Cream Paste Ceramic Traditions of Southeastern Mesoamerica. Latin American Antiquity 10(3).
Newman, R. 1992. Applications of petrography and electron microprobe analysis to the study of Indian stone sculpture. Archaeometry 34(2): 163–74.
Northover, P. 1995. How destructive is non-destructive? Electron and proton microprobe inspection of antiquities. IEE Colloquium on NDT in Archaeology and Art, p. 5.
Notis, M.R. 2001. A Ghost Story: Remnant Structures in Corroded Ancient Iron Objects. Materials Research Society. Materials Issues in Art and Archaeology VI. Editors: Pamela B. Vandiver, Martha Goodway, Jennifer L. Mass. MRS Proceedings Volume 71.
Owen, J.V. and D. Hansen. 1996. Compositional Constraints on the Identification of Eighteenth-Century Porcelain Sherds from Fort Beausejour, New Brunswick and Grassy Island, Nova Scotia, Canada. Historical Archaeology 30(4):88-100.
Peschken, S. 2002. Technical Examination of a Mica Cut-Out. Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology.
Politis, T., M. Abraham, P. Northover, and G. Grime. 2001. PIXE, Electron Microprobe Data, and Experimental Archaeology: Tell el-Ajjul and Pilot Studies of Gold Granulation Joining Practices in the Mediterranean Bronze Age. Materials Research Society. Materials Issues in Art and Archaeology VI. Editors: Pamela B. Vandiver, Martha Goodway, Jennifer L. Mass. MRS Proceedings Volume 71.
Roberts, G. 1960. X-ray Microanalyser. Archaeometry 3:36-37.
Rösch, C., R. Hock, U. Schussler, P. Yule and A. Hannibal. 1997. Electron Microprobe Analysis and X-ray Diffraction Methods in Archaeometry: Investigations on Ancient Beads from the Sultanate of Oman and from Sri Lanka. European Journal of Mineralogy 9:763-783.
Schaefer, C.E.G.R., H.N. Lima, R.J. Gilkes and J.W.V. Mello. 2004. Micromorphology and electron microprobe analysis of phosphorus and potassium forms of an Indian Black Earth (IBE) Anthrosol from Western Amazonia. Australian Journal of Soil Research 42(4): 401-409.
Shaw, I.M.E. and J. Bunbury. 2000. Geoarchaeological Survey of the Roman And Byzantine Emerald Mines in the Sikait-zubara Region of the Eastern Desert, Egypt. Egyptology Research Group website, School of Archaeology, University of Liverpool.
Shepard, A.O. 1966. Problems in Pottery Analysis. American Antiquity 31:870-871.
Sheridan, A., K. Eremin, and A. Shortland. 2004. Understanding Bronze Age Faience in Britain and Ireland. Materials Research Society, MRS Proceedings.
Shriner, C. and M.J. Dorais. 1999. A Comparative Electron Microprobe Study of Lerna III And IV Ceramics and Local Clay-Rich Sediments. Archaeometry 41(1):25-49.
Smith, R.W. 1958. Technological Research on Ancient Glass. Archaeology 11:111-116.
Spurr, K. 1995. Compositional Analysis of Temper in Emery Gray Ceramics from Central Utah. Proceedings of the Second Biennial Conference on Research in Colorado Plateau National Parks137-169.
Spurr, K., P.R. Geib, and J.H. Wittke. 1998. Electron microprobe analysis of volcanic ash temper in the investigation of Kayenta Anasazi ceramic production and exchange. Society for American Archaeology 63rd Annual Meeting.
Spurr, K., P.R. Geib, and J.H. Wittke. 2001. Pots from down the road: Investigating Kayenta Anasazi ceramic production and exchange with electron microprobe analysis. Society for American Archaeology 66th Annual Meeting.
Stewart, J.D. and K.R. Adams. 1999. Evaluating Visual Criteria for Identifying Carbon and Iron-Based Pottery Paints from the Four Corners Region Using SEM-EDS. American Antiquity 64(4).
Summerhayes, G.R. 1997. Losing Your Temper: The Effect of Mineral Inclusions on Pottery Analyses. Archaeology in Oceania 32:108-118.
Summerhayes, G.R., D. Frankel and J. Webb. 1996. Electron Microprobe Analysis of Pottery. In Marki Aloni: An Early and Middle Bronze Age Town in Cyprus, edited by D. Frankel and J. Webb, pp. 175-180. Studies in Mediterranean Archaeology. vol. 73, P.A. Forlag, general editor.
Tite, M.S. 1972. Methods of Physical Examination in Archaeology. Studies in Archaeological Science. Seminar Press, London and New York.
Vandiver, P.B. and S.A. Vasil'ev. 2001. A 16,000 Year-Old Ceramic Human-Figurine from Maina, Russia. Materials Research Society. Materials Issues in Art and Archaeology VI. Editors: Pamela B. Vandiver, Martha Goodway, Jennifer L. Mass. MRS Proceedings Volume 71.
Vandiver, P.B. 2004. Craft Knowledge as an Intangible Cultural Property: A Case Study of Samarkand Tiles and Traditional Potters in Uzbekistan. Materials Research Society, MRS Proceedings.
Verità, M., R. Basso, M.T. Wypyski and R.J. Koestler. 1994. X-ray Microanalysis of Ancient Glassy Materials: A Comparative Study of Wavelength Dispersive and Energy Dispersive Techniques. Archaeometry 36(2):241-251.
Vlachou, C., J.G. McDonnell, and R.C. Janaway. 2001. Experimental Investigation of Silvering in Late Roman Coinage. Materials Research Society. Materials Issues in Art and Archaeology VI. Editors: Pamela B. Vandiver, Martha Goodway, Jennifer L. Mass. MRS Proceedings Volume 71.
Weisler, M.I. and D.A. Clague. 1998. Characterisation of Archaeological Volcanic GIass from Oceania. In Method and Theory in Archaeological Obsidian Studies, edited by M. S. Shackley. Advances in Archaeological and Museum Science. vol. 3. Plenum, New York.
Wilson-Yang, K.M. and G. Burns. 1988. Electron microprobe studies of chemical reactions in ancient painted murals: The Beni Hasan Tombs, Egypt. Canadian Journal of Chemistry 66(9): 2348-2361.
Wittke, J.H. 1994. Petrography and major-element geochemistry of sherds and clay from Anasazi sites LA 78861, LA 71838, LA 85174 and LA 71839, and Navajo site LA 86380, New Mexico: Internal report for Navajo Nation Archaeology Department.
Wittke, J.H. 1995. Petrography and major-element geochemistry of sherds and clay from Anasazi sites LA 78838 & LA 81694, and Navajo sites LA 74243 & LA 71781, New Mexico: Internal report for Navajo Nation Archaeology Department.
Yener, K.A. and P.B. Vandiver. 1993. Tin Processing at Goltepe, an Early Bronze Age Site in Anatolia. American Journal of Archaeology 97(2).
6/7/07
Electron Microprobe Analysis in Archaeology
Electron microprobe analysis (EMPA), also known as electron probe microanalysis (EPMA), is an analytical technique that combines scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and compositional analysis using x-ray spectrometry. The ability to determine structure and chemistry of samples makes EMPA very versatile. This is a dominant analytical technique in geology, but it is not as commonly used in archaeology despite similar materials in studied both fields. Here I will post about topics in EMPA, artifacts I have analyzed, archaeological studies that use EMPA, etc. If there is a topic you'd like to see posted here, please let me know.
Ellery Frahm
Doctoral Candidate, Archaeology
Research Fellow, Geology & Geophysics
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
