The use of spectroscopic techniques in the analysis and dating of archaeological and cultural artefacts is now well established and the data they produce is invaluable for archaeologists, curators and conservation scientists. This book reviews the applications of various spectroscopic techniques and, in particular, electron spin resonance spectroscopy in evaluating the structure and composition of materials for archaeological and cultural heritage research. Spanning both dating and compositional analysis methods of artefacts and their associated dating layers the book includes contributions from an international pool of researchers and uses case studies to demonstrate the applications of the techniques under discussion.

Editor and contributor biographies

List of contributors

Preface

1 Spectrometry as nondestructive technique in identifying cultural archaeological heritage

2 ESR dating in archaeology

3 The development of low frequency EPR spectroscopy for studying objects with cultural heritage significance

4 Determination by ESR of the temperature of prehistoric lithic heat treatment

5 Concordant ESR and TL depositional age of Romanian Plane loess