M. Steven Shackley Books

Focusing on the significance of obsidian in ancient societies, the book reveals its role in understanding social and economic structures in the Southwest. Steven Shackley integrates decades of research, utilizing advances in analytical chemistry to explore obsidian source diversity. It highlights three key applications: the social dynamics of early Preceramic groups, the harmonious coexistence of Mogollon migrants and Hohokam in the Late Classic, and the gendered identities within the Preclassic Hohokam. This comprehensive study positions obsidian research alongside other archaeological methods.

Since the 1960s, x-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF), both wavelength and energy-dispersive have served as the workhorse for non-destructive and destructive analyses of archaeological materials. Recently eclipsed by other instrumentation such as LA-ICP-MS, XRF remains the mainstay of non-destructive chemical analyses in archaeology, particularly for volcanic rocks, and most particularly for obsidian. In a world where heritage and repatriation issues drive archaeological method and theory, XRF remains an important tool for understanding the human past, and will remain so for decades to come. Currently, there is no comprehensive book in XRF applications in archaeology at a time when the applications of portable XRF and desktop XRF instrumentation are exploding particularly in anthropology and archaeology departments worldwide. The contributors to this volume are the experts in the field, and most are at the forefront of the newest applications of XRF to archaeological problems. It covers all relevant aspects of the field for those using the newest XRF technologies to deal with very current issues in archaeology.