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Isotope Geochemistry in Archaeology

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Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology

Introduction

Isotope geochemistry is an important scientific technique that has made a significant contribution to archaeological research. Isotope techniques measure the relative abundance of a number of nuclides of the same (or derivative) element as a means of investigating a variety of natural processes. Both stable (H, O, C, N, Ca, Sr, Cu, Pb, S) and unstable (U, Th, K, Ar) isotope systems are analyzed as part of archaeological investigations.

Isotopes (often referred to as a nuclide in the singular) are variants of a particular element, which share the same number of protons but have varying numbers of neutrons. Isotopes are referred to as stable or unstable, depending on whether they undergo radioactive decay. Some nuclides are primordial, meaning they have existed since the beginning of the universe, while others are the product of the decay of other elements. Isotopes of the same element generally share the same chemical behavior.

Stable isotopes can be applied to studying a...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Archaeology, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia

    Ian Moffat

  2. Research School of Earth Sciences, The Australian National University, Acton, ACT, Australia

    Ian Moffat

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  1. Ian Moffat
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Correspondence to Ian Moffat .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Archaeology, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia

    Claire Smith

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Moffat, I. (2014). Isotope Geochemistry in Archaeology. In: Smith, C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-0465-2_1712

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-0465-2_1712

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-0426-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4419-0465-2

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