Welcome to our Spectroscopy and Archaeology Content Series!
All of us at Spectroscopy magazine are excited to bring you our second content series, which focuses on the role that spectroscopy has played in advancing archaeological science. This content series spotlights the latest research in this field, recognizing the spectroscopists that are conducting important work in this field to help us understand ancient human civilizations.
Our content series contains 13 original pieces, a couple of which have appeared in previous Spectroscopy print issues. We have two new landing pages for you to explore today. The first one, titled, “A Look Into the Ancient Past,” contains nine original pieces, including two question and answer (Q & A) interviews, conducted by Spectroscopy editors Will Wetzel and Patrick Lavery. This landing page also highlights six recent studies where spectroscopy has played a role in archaeological science, with spectroscopic techniques such as portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), and Raman spectroscopy taking center stage. We also highlight studies that were conducted all over the globe, from Stonehenge to northern Spain to the Middle East.
Our second landing page, titled, “An Inside Look at Ancient Egyptian History,” focuses on studies that were designed to uncover more about Ancient Egypt. This landing page contains four original pieces, including one Q & A interview conducted by our associate editorial director Caroline Hroncich, which examines studying ancient papyrus through non-destructive spectroscopic techniques. This landing page also contains a thorough look at Ancient Egyptian blue pigments used in material culture during the Pharaonic Period, and a couple studies that highlight the use of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), FT-IR, and Raman spectroscopy in helping elucidate the archaeological record.
To embark on your journey, you can access either landing page below to get started!
Scientists Unveil Better Mixing Rule for Absorption Spectroscopy of Aerosols and Colloids
June 16th 2025Researchers have introduced a simple yet powerful new rule based on Rayleigh scattering theory that accurately links the absorption behavior of composite media, like aerosols or colloids, to the properties of their nanoparticle constituents.
Short Tutorial: Complex-Valued Chemometrics for Composition Analysis
June 16th 2025In this tutorial, Thomas G. Mayerhöfer and Jürgen Popp introduce complex-valued chemometrics as a more physically grounded alternative to traditional intensity-based spectroscopy measurement methods. By incorporating both the real and imaginary parts of the complex refractive index of a sample, this approach preserves phase information and improves linearity with sample analyte concentration. The result is more robust and interpretable multivariate models, especially in systems affected by nonlinear effects or strong solvent and analyte interactions.
