An Introduction to X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) Analysis in Archaeology

As I have discussed in the last chapter, our goal here is not to elucidate XRF for the entire scientific community – this has been done admirably by others – but to translate the physics, mechanics, and art of XRF for those in archaeology and geoarchaeology who use it as one of the many tools to explain the human past in twenty-first century archaeology. While not a simple exercise, it has utility not only for those like us, who have struggled (and enjoyed) the vagaries of XRF applications to archaeological problems, but for a greater archaeology. First, we trace the basic history of X-rays used in science and the development of XRF for geological and archaeological applications, and the role some major research institutions have played in the science. Following this is an explanation of XRF that, in concert with the glossary, illuminates the technology.