Many archaeologists, as primarily social scientists, do not have a background in the natural sciences. This can pose a problem because they need to obtain chemical and physical analyses on samples to perform their research. This manual is an essential source of information for those students without a background in science, but also a comprehensive overview that those with some understanding of archaeological science will find useful. The manual provides readers with the knowledge to use archaeological science methods to the best advantage. It describes and explains the analytical techniques in a manner that the average archaeologist can understand, and outlines clearly the requirements, benefits, and limitations of each possible method of analysis, so that the researcher can make informed choices. The work includes specific information about a variety of dating techniques, provenance studies, isotope analysis as well as the analysis of organic (lipid and protein) residues and ancient DNA. Case studies illustrating applications of these approaches to most types of archaeological materials are presented and the instruments used to perform the analyses are described. Available destructive and non-destructive approaches are presented to help archaeologists select the most effective technique for gaining the target information from the sample. Readers will reach for this manual whenever they need to decide how to best analyze a sample, and how the analysis is performed.

Dr. Mary Malainey is an associate professor of Archaeology at Brandon University, Manitoba, CA.

Part I  Basic Science.-Chapter 1 Elements, Atoms and Molecules.- Matter and the Atom.-The Periodic Table of Elements.-Chemical Bonding.-Chemical Equations.-Cellular Energy.-Electrical Conductivity.-Chapter 2 Electromagnetic Radiation.-Wavelength, Frequency and Energy.-The Electromagnetic Spectrum.-Energy Absorption and Emission by Atoms and Molecules.-Chapter 3       Radioactive Isotopes and Their Decay.-Emissions.-Radioactive Decay.-The Uranium Decay Series.-Nuclear Reactions.-Chapter 4 Stable Isotopes.-Carbon.-Nitrogen.-Strontium.-Lead.-Oxygen.-Hydrogen.-Chapter 5 Organic Compounds.- Important Organic Compound Families.-Lipids.-Amino Acids and Proteins.-Carbohydrates.-Deoxyribonucleic Acid.-Chapter 6 Other Useful Concepts.-Acids and Bases.-Stereochemistry and the Polarimeter.-Chemical Reactions.- Part II Applications.-Chapter 7        Compositional Analysis.-Chapter 8 Radiocarbon dating.-Carbon-14.- Using Radioactive Carbon to Date Organic Material.-Counting β Emissions.-Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Dating.-Conventional Radiocarbon Ages.-Carbon Exchange Reservoir.-Differences in Circulation Time in the Carbon Cycle.-Secular Variation.-Converting Radiocarbon Ages Into Calendar Dates.-Sampling Considerations.-Sample Pretreatment.-Current Issues in Radiocarbon Dating.-Less Destructive Sampling Techniques.-Judging the Quality of Radiocarbon Dates.-Conclusions.-Chapter 9 Other Radioactive Decay Based Dating Techniques.-Uranium Series Dating.-Using Uranium as a Clock.-Measuring Radioactivity.-Sample Selection.-Biogenetic materials and Uranium Uptake.-Sample Preparation.- Sample Contamination.-Potassium-Argon and Argon-Argon Dating.- The Production of Radiogenic Argon.- Procedures for Obtaining a K-Ar Date.- Procedures for Obtaining an Ar-Ar Date.-Fission Track Dating.-Sample Requirements.-Procedure.-Age Calculation.-Age Range and Potential Errors.-Chapter 10      Trapped Charge Dating.-Theoretical Considerations.-Measuring the Population of Trapped Charges.-Thermoluminescence Dating.-Optically Stimulated Luminescence Dating.-Electron Spin Resonance Dating.-Determining the Paleodose Dose.-Additive (Dose) Method.-Regeneration Technique.-Partial Bleach(ing) Technique.-Regeneration Method.-Single Aliquot Regeneration (SAR).-The Plateau Test.-Sources of the Annual Dose.-External Contribution.-Internal Contribution.-Uranium Uptake.-Dating Limitations and Sources of Error.-Potential Benefits of Trapped Charge Dating.-Chapter 11 Other Dating Techniques.-Amino Acid Racemization.-Archaeomagnetism.-Obsidian Hydration.-Cation Ratio.-Chapter 12 Provenance Studies.-Chapter 13 Stable Isotope Analysis.-Stable Carbon Isotope Ratio Analysis.-Sample Selection.-Factors Affecting δ13C values.-Summary.-Stable Nitrogen Isotope ratio Analysis.-Sample Selection.-Factors affecting δ15N Values.-Using Linear Mixing Models to Reconstruct Paleodiets.-Stable Strontium Isotope Analyses.-Strontium to Calcium Ratios.-Sample Selection and Processing.-Using Strontium Isotope Ratios to Trace Migrations.-Stable Lead Isotope Analysis.-The Occurrence of Lead in Metal.-The Study of Lead in Body Tissue.- Oxygen Isotope Analysis.-Oxygen Isotope Fractionation.-Sample Selection and Processing.-Chapter 14 Lipid Residues.-Chapter 15 Blood and Protein Analysis.-Protein and Blood.-Screening Techniques.-Microscopy.-Colorimetric Methods of Protein Determination.-Urinalysis Test Strips.-Techniques Used for Species Specific Identifications.-Hemoglobin (Hb) Crystallization.-Using the Immune Response to Identify Proteins.-Detecting the Antibody-Antigen Complex.-The Immune Response in Archaeological Residues.-Survival of Proteins.-Survival of Blood Proteins.-The Question of Reliability.-Cross Reactions and Antibody Selection.-Blind Test Results.-Blood Residues Vs. Faunal Assemblages.-Recent Studies.-Conclusions.-Chapter 16 Ancient DNA and the Polymerase Chain Reaction.-The Preservation of Ancient DNA.-The Polymerase Chain Reaction.-Analysis after Amplification.-Sample ...