How to analyse archaeological iron slag with pXRF

What is it about?

Handheld XRF analyses of objects are very popular in archaeological and museum studies because the technique is portable and non-destructive. A research project at Sagalassos, Turkey, investigating iron production in the region needed to analyse slag material onsite. Handheld XRF can easily provide qualitative data, but it is much harder to obtain quantified data. This paper explains the process of creating a calibration file for a Handheld XRF to be used with archaeological iron slag material.

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Why is it important?

The paper outlines in a step by step process a method for creating a calibration file for pXRF to quantify the chemical composition of archaeological iron slag material.