Portable XRF in Archaeology and Heritage Conservation
From pigment identification to alloy provenance — how heritage teams use non-destructive XRF without sampling artifacts.
Specelex Research Team · 2025-06-23
Archaeology and heritage science demand analysis that does not damage irreplaceable objects. Portable XRF answers elemental questions in situ — on excavation trenches, in museum storage, or at conservation benches.
Common applications
- Ceramics & glazes — flux (Na, K), colorants (Cu, Co, Mn), and provenance fingerprints
- Metals & alloys — Cu-Sn-Pb ratios for bronze age classification; Au-Ag-Cu for coinage
- Pigments & paintings — Pb, Hg, As markers for historical pigment identification
- Soils & sediments — anthropogenic metal enrichment around settlements
- Glass & beads — network modifiers and colorants for trade-route studies
Field vs lab workflow
1. Document — photograph, GPS, context layer before any contact
2. Surface prep — gentle cleaning only; avoid abrasion on patina
3. Multiple spots — heterogeneous objects need 3–5 readings
4. Log everything — instrument serial, mode, live time, operator ID
5. Confirm outliers — micro-XRF or SEM-EDS for publication-grade spots
Limitations to plan for
Portable XRF cannot quantify carbon, nitrogen, or oxygen. Light elements (Mg, Al, Si) need careful matrix correction. Organic binders and bind phases are invisible to XRF — pair with FTIR or Raman when needed.
Academic support
Specelex Lab Connect serves archaeology, art conservation, and heritage science departments. See our [Archaeology & Heritage discipline page](/en/research/archaeology-heritage) and [São Paulo partner profile](/en/research/partners/sao-paulo-archaeology). [Submit a sample inquiry](/en/research/inquiry?discipline=archaeology-heritage&need=sample-analysis) for a free feasibility review.