Using Soil Chemistry through EDXRF to Identify Archaeological Features at the Site of Ulpiana in Kosova

Abstract

Chemical analysis of archaeological sediments is a research area that has long interested archaeologists but has seen recent developments. It locates concentrations of chemical elements in soils that can be linked to ancient activities responsible for their deposition. The use of X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, a more accessible analytical technique than others, makes it possible to analyze large batches of samples. At Ulpiana, two trenches were studied. In the first area, the presence of a lime pit and a mortar preparation area was identified. The signature of the lime seems to correspond to that produced in a kiln discovered further north. In the second area, a bronze recycling workshop was identified, along with a suspected dye molecule.

Keywords

• archaeology
• elemental analysis
• construction material
• bromine
• coper metalworking
• edxrf
• late antiquity