We offer a wide range of analysis methods of archeological material and can also combine these in a multiproxy approach. In multiproxy, the combined data from many sources help to paint a picture of the past and allow for a more comprehensive understanding of natural and archaeological sediments and prehistoric environments.
Proxies tend to complement each other – the results from one method provide insights where preservation conditions or context make another method less successful. For example, insects provide information about environments beyond that which pollen from wind-pollinated plants can provide, and plant macrofossils provide information about the use of plants where the presence of pollen is limited, coupled with a deeper understanding of the area’s soil formation and the chemical and magnetic properties of sediments.
Function: Analysis of plant macrofossils, pollen, insects, diatoms, anthracology, geoarchaeology, spectroscopy. Developing spectroscopy and image analysis. Curation and improvement of reference collections.
Equipment & facilities: Lab with microscopes, XRF, Raman, FT-IR, NIR probe, NIR camera, Hyperspectral camera with conveyor belt, field sampling equipment. Sample preparation and storage space, insect, seed and wood reference collections, reference and identification literature, archive of subsamples and analysed samples, NAS, desktop and high-spec computers.
Umeå Environmental Archaeology Laboratory
Contact:
Director Ivanka Hristova
Geoarcheology Johan Linderholm
Archaeobotany Sofi Östman
Pollen & diatomées Christos Katrantiotis