%0 Journal Article
%J Journal of Archaeological Science
%D 1998
%T Gamma Rays, X-Rays and Stone Tools: Some Recent Advances in Archaeological Geochemistry
%A Shackley, M. Steven
%P 259-270
%V 25
%X Recent advances in instrumental technology are providing archaeologists with enticing opportunities in the chemical analysis of geological materials. These advances, however, have not necessarily been employed with a great degree of communication between the archaeologists who study stone tools and structural stone, and the archaeometrists who analyse those materials. While communication has improved greatly in the last several years, progress can still be realized. Recent archaeometric attempts to unravel issues in stone-tool use, continuing work in the understanding of the chemical variability and secondary depositional eVects in archaeological sources of obsidian and chert, and discussions of the best methods to quantify results all dominate the interface between lithic technology and archaeometric attempts to solve these problems. These issues will be with us well into the next century and deserve some discussion here and now.