This free-to-download eBook explores the significance of geoarchaeology, which uses techniques like X-ray fluorescence and microscopy to study ancient artifacts. It delves into how these methods help uncover the secrets of past societies and offers insights into the lives and societies that produced them.

The eBook includes an interview with restoration expert Dr. Olivier Schalm, highlighting the connection between understanding human history and promoting environmental protection and sustainability. It aims to engage readers in a conversation about the past, present, and future.

Also within the eBook are three case studies. The first study focuses on using portable XRF and thin-section petrography to analyze pottery samples from the mid to late second millennium BCE, providing insights into manufacturing technology and primary material origins.

The second study employs non-invasive analysis to examine the clay paste differences in Emperor Qin Shihuang's Terracotta Army statues, offering information on production, logistics, and the two workshops involved in the third-century BCE Qin Empire project.

Finally, the third study introduces a field-based XRF application that can accurately replicate compositional readings of lab-based XRF on powdered materials. This technique was applied to analyze granite ground stone items from various ancient Maya sites in Belize.

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