1 Using Soil Chemistry through EDXRF to Identify Archaeological Features at the Site of Ulpiana in Kosova
Authors: Langer Arthur , Martel Arnaud , Durand Aline , Boucher Fabien 
Published: December 2024

Chemical analysis of archaeological sediments is a research area that has long interested archaeologists but has seen recent developments. It locates concentrations of chemical elements in soils that can be linked to ancient activities responsible for their deposition. The use of X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, a more accessible analytical technique than others, makes it possible to analyze large batches of samples. At Ulpiana, two trenches were studied. In the first area, the presence of a lime pit and a mortar preparation area was identified. The signature of the lime seems to correspond to that produced in a kiln discovered further north. In the second area, a bronze recycling workshop was identified, along with a suspected dye molecule.

About the authors
Arthur Laenger
Arthur Laenger studied history, archaeology, and chemistry at Le Mans University (France) and obtained his PhD in archaeology and the history of the Middle Ages in 2006, under the supervision of A. Durand and A. Martel. His work focuses on the characterization of structures and archaeological sites using an interdisciplinary approach that combines history, archaeology, and chemical soil analysis.
Arnaud Martel
Arnaud Martel was born in 1974 in Le Mans, France. He undertook studies in chemistry at the Université du Maine, obtaining his PhD in 2001. Subsequently, he conducted postdoctoral research with Prof. G. Guillaumet at ICOA (Orleans, France) and with Prof. H. Ottosson in Uppsala (Sweden). He was appointed assistant professor in 2004 and attained the rank of full professor at the Université du Maine in 2013. His research interests encompass organic chemistry, DFT-assisted elucidation of reaction mechanisms, and analytical chemistry. His research is currently focused on the development of new analytical methodologies applied in a multidisciplinary approach ranging from archaeology to environmental sciences.
Aline Durand
Aline Durand studied history, latin and anthracology in Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne University and obtained her PhD under the supervision of R. Fossier and J.-L. Vernet (1991). Assistant professor in Aix-Marseille University (1992-2013), she is full professor of Middle Age history and archaeology at Le Mans University from 2013. She is particularly interested on rural economy of the X th -beginning XIII th centuries in the Mediterranean French area (Languedoc, Provence, Southern French Alps). Her research tries to interweave diverse sources: written documents (diplomatic documentation or agronomic treatises), archaeological data, bioarchaeological and palaeoenvironmental results. She works on agrarian landscapes, vegetal resources management, practices and knowledge on plants. To gain a better understanding of craft production techniques and their environmental impact, she developed an ethnoarchaeological research in Morocco, using archaeological methods observe and record them.
Fabien Boucher
Fabien Boucher was born in 1978 in Le Mans, France. He first studied chemistry at the University of Maine where he obtained a DUT in Chemistry (the French equivalent of a Bachelor's degree) and continued his studies at the Rennes School of Chemistry (Universityof Rennes). There he obtained an engineering degree in analytical chemistry. After spending more than 10 years in laboratories providing environmental analysis services, he returned to the University of Le Mans as a study engineer. He worked there in particular as a research support in analytical chemistry and participated in the development of new analytical methodologies applied to various fields of chemistry, biology and archaeology.