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| Research Laboratories of Archaeology | |
|---|---|
| Name | Research Laboratories of Archaeology |
| Formation | 20th century |
| Type | Scientific research facility |
| Headquarters | Various |
| Fields | Archaeometry; conservation science; bioarchaeology |
| Parent organization | Universities; museums; research institutes |
Research Laboratories of Archaeology Research laboratories of archaeology are institutional facilities where scientific analyses of archaeology-related materials are conducted to support work by archaeologists, museums, and heritage agencies. They integrate techniques from chemistry, physics, biology, geology, and materials science to analyze artifacts, ecofacts, and sites for projects associated with institutions such as the British Museum, Smithsonian Institution, University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, and the Max Planck Society.
Laboratories provide analytical support for fieldwork by institutions such as the British Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Musée du Louvre, Vatican Museums, and Israel Antiquities Authority and for research programs at universities like Harvard University, University of Chicago, Stanford University, University College London, and the Australian National University. They aim to address provenance questions tied to collections like the Rosetta Stone, Terracotta Army, Dead Sea Scrolls, Moche ceramics, and Ötzi through techniques promoted by organizations such as the International Council of Museums, ICOMOS, UNESCO, National Science Foundation, and the European Research Council.
Specialized facilities include archaeobotany labs connected to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, zooarchaeology labs at the American Museum of Natural History, osteology and bioarchaeology units at the Natural History Museum, London, isotope geochemistry labs at the University of California, Berkeley, and radiocarbon dating centres like the Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit and the University of Waikato Radiocarbon Laboratory. Other units encompass conservation labs at the Conservation Institute of the Smithsonian Institution, digital archaeology centres at the Digital Antiquity initiative, and dendrochronology facilities linked to the International Tree-Ring Data Bank and the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research.
Methods routinely used include radiocarbon dating via accelerator mass spectrometry at facilities such as the Centre for Isotope Research, stable isotope analysis in labs associated with the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, X-ray fluorescence and X-ray diffraction in instrument suites at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility and Diamond Light Source, scanning electron microscopy in university labs like MIT, mass spectrometry in chemistry departments of institutions such as Caltech, and DNA sequencing undertaken at centres like the Wellcome Sanger Institute and the Broad Institute.
Protocols draw on standards set by bodies such as ISO, British Standards Institution, and research networks including the Archaeological Institute of America and the Society for American Archaeology; methods cover chain-of-custody processes used by the Metropolitan Police Service for forensic archaeology, sampling strategies practiced at projects like the Çatalhöyük excavations, and reporting formats adopted by the European Association of Archaeologists and the American Alliance of Museums for publication in journals such as Antiquity, Journal of Archaeological Science, and Nature Communications.
Laboratories collaborate with field teams led by figures or projects tied to institutions such as the British School at Rome, British School at Athens, Danish National Research Foundation projects, and multinational excavations sponsored by the World Monuments Fund, Getty Conservation Institute, and the Smithsonian Institution. Partnerships extend to government agencies like the National Park Service, Historic England, Consejo de Arqueología (Mexico), and intergovernmental initiatives under UNESCO World Heritage guidance.
Ethical frameworks reference guidelines from ICOM, ICOMOS, UNESCO conventions including the 1970 UNESCO Convention, and national legislation such as the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act and statutes enforced by the Cultural Property Advisory Committee. Conservation practices align with approaches promoted by the Getty Conservation Institute, the Courtauld Institute of Art, and professional standards from the American Institute for Conservation to address issues like looting that involve actors such as the International Criminal Police Organization.
Training occurs through postgraduate programmes at universities including University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, University of Leiden, University of Pennsylvania, and through workshops run by organizations such as the Society for Industrial Archeology, Archaeological Institute of America, and the Getty Conservation Institute. Public engagement includes exhibitions at museums like the British Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Louvre, and collaborative citizen-science projects exemplified by initiatives associated with the Public Archaeology Network and digital platforms supported by the Europeana portal.
Category:Archaeological science Category:Laboratories