Editing Archaeological science (section)

== Types of archaeological science ==
Archaeological science can be divided into the following areas:<ref>Tite, M.S. (1991) Archaeological Science - past achievements and future prospects. ''Archaeometry'' '''31''' 139-151.</ref>
* physical and chemical dating methods which provide archaeologists with [[absolute dating|absolute]] and [[relative dating|relative]] [[chronology|chronologies]]
* [[Artifact (archaeology)|artifact]] studies
* environmental approaches which provide information on past landscapes, climates, flora, and fauna; as well as the diet, nutrition, health, and [[pathology]] of people
* mathematical methods for data treatment (including computer-based methods)
* [[remote sensing|remote-sensing]] and [[geophysical survey|geophysical-survey]] techniques for buried features
* [[conservation sciences]], involving the study of decay processes and the development of new methods of conservation

Techniques such as [[lithic analysis]], [[archaeometallurgy]], [[paleoethnobotany]], [[palynology]] and [[zooarchaeology]] also form sub-disciplines of archaeological science.

=== Dating techniques ===
Archaeological science has particular value when it can provide absolute dates for archaeological [[stratum|strata]] and [[Artifact (archaeology)|artifacts]]. Some of the most important [[Dating methodologies in archaeology|dating]] techniques include:
* [[radiocarbon dating]] — especially for dating organic materials
* [[dendrochronology]] — for dating trees; also very important for calibrating radiocarbon dates
* [[thermoluminescence dating]] — for dating inorganic material (including ceramics)
* [[optically stimulated luminescence]] (OSL) — for absolutely dating and relatively profiling buried land-surfaces in vertical and horizontal stratigraphic sections, most often by measuring photons discharged from grains of [[quartz]] within sedimentary bodies (although this technique can also measure [[potassium feldspar]]s, complications caused by internally induced dose-rates often favor the use of quartz-based analyzes in archaeological applications)
* [[electron spin resonance]], as used (for example) in dating teeth
* [[potassium-argon dating]] — for dating (for example) fossilized [[Hominidae|hominid]] remains by association with volcanic sediments (the fossils themselves are not directly dated)

=== Artifact studies ===
Another important subdiscipline of archaeometry is the study of artifacts. Archaeometrists have used a variety of methods to analyze artifacts, either to determine more about their composition, or to determine their [[Provenance#Archaeology, anthropology, and_paleontology|provenance]]. These techniques include:
* [[X-ray fluorescence]] (XRF)
* [[inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry]] (ICP-MS)
* [[neutron activation analysis]] (NAA)
* [[scanning electron microscope|scanning electron microscopy]] (SEM)
* [[laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy]] (LIBS)

[[Lead]], [[strontium]] and [[oxygen]] [[isotope analysis]] can also test human remains to estimate the diets and even the birthplaces of a study's subjects.

Provenance analysis has the potential to determine the original source of the materials used, for example, to make a particular artifact. This can show how far the artifact has traveled and can indicate the existence of systems of [[trade|exchange]].<ref>
{{Cite book
 | last = Lambert | first = JB
 | year = 1997
 | title = Traces of the Past: Unraveling the Secrets of Archaeology Through Chemistry
 | publisher = Addison-Wesley
}}</ref>