Exploring archaeological problems with physico-chemical techniques: the trajectory of the Group of Archaeometric Studies of the Nuclear and Energy Research Institute, São Paulo, Brazil

Abstract

The present paper brings together key literature produced by the Group of Archaeometric Studies of the Nuclear and Energy Research Institute, IPEN – National Nuclear Energy Commission (São Paulo, Brazil). This group was founded in 1997, as a result of an international initiative to encourage the use of nuclear techniques for the characterization of archaeological materials. Since then, the Group has developed interdisciplinary partnerships with researchers from Brazil and other countries to offer analytical tools for unraveling ceramic chaîne opératoires in different contexts. Such studies have contributed towards wider cultural interpretations regarding shared technological choices and artifact exchange networks in different social groups. Recently, the Group has also used multi-elemental and mineralogical techniques to tackle questions over the formation of archaeological deposits. This paper briefly explains the analytical principles of the employed techniques, and emphasizes how the results of each case study contribute to the interpretation of specific archaeological problems.

Keywords
Archaeometry; Physico-chemical techniques; Archaeological pottery; Chaîne opératoires ; Archaeological deposits; History of science in Brazil