X-RAY NEAR EDGE SPECTROSCOPY (XANES) AS A TOOL FOR THE CHARACTERIZATION OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL TOOLSTONE

While synchrotron-based forms of chemical analysis have been used to characterize metal and ceramic artifacts, their unique analytical capabilities have not been applied to the investigation of archaeological toolstone. With this in mind, we have initiated a research project designed to explore how x-ray near edge spectroscopy (XANES), a synchrotron-based soft x-ray technique, can contribute to studies of lithic provenience and heat treatment. XANES is notable for its ability to not merely inform on elemental composition, but to provide data on the chemical coordination environments of its constituent elements, even those present in extremely trace quantities. We have found that this capability is of great utility in documenting the subtle and diverse suite of changes associated with heat treatment of archaeological toolstone, giving us a promising means of better understanding this process and a potential tool for identifying instances in which heat treatment was used in archaeological contexts.