The Development of Archaeological Chemistry

Abstract

Archaeology systematically collects, evaluates, and analyses data in the pursuit of comprehending past human behaviours and beliefs. Chemistry in particular offers a means to extract significant information from this material record. It has been contributing significantly to our knowledge of the past, from the 18th- and 19th-century wet chemical analyses by such well-known chemists as Klaproth, Berzelius and Kekulé to the development of instrumental methods in the early 20th century, through to recent developments that allow the study of fragile biomolecules like DNA and proteins. The materials from which these data are extracted are often fragmentary and usually altered by a variety of processes, some through their production and others after deposition, meaning that the application of chemistry to archaeology is usually challenging. This chapter provides a historical perspective on the subject and an introduction to the rest of the volume. For those seeking additional information, we offer suggestions for further reading.