Elemental Analysis Facility (EAF)

The EAF was established at the Field Museum of Natural History in 2004 thanks to a NSF MRI grant and generous donations from the Anthropology Alliance and an anonymous donor and is part of the Museum’s Core Lab Group. For 20 years, it has served the archaeological community at the Field Museum, around the Chicago area, in the US and beyond. This laboratory contains instrumentation including a mass spectrometer and lasers that allows for the rapid compositional analysis, in a minimally or non-destructive manner, of artifacts collected during archaeological excavations and field work conducted by Field Museum curators and colleagues from other institutions. The EAF develops research that addresses questions related to the archaeology of cultural production, interaction and exchange in the Americas, Africa, Oceania, Europe, and Asia. The EAF educates the next generation of archaeological scientists through graduate and undergraduate teaching, internships and training assistantships, dissertation research projects, and faculty apprenticeships. Additionally, the EAF assists conservators working on the museum’s anthropological collections, and contributes to the earth and life science research and collections areas as well.

We are currently developing a new NSF proposal to help encourage collaborations. This NSF funded program aims at facilitating the access of the EAF to researchers and students by offering funding to offset analytical costs to users. 

A few examples of particularly important research developed with the help of the EAF:

• Peruvian ceramics (Williams, Muro): Data obtained from the elemental composition of ceramics (paste and pigments) from the Andes was used to compare economic production strategies during particular socio-political configurations or through time at a local scale.

• Glass bead trade around the Indian Ocean (Dussubieux, Bandama): Over the years, the EAF has facilitated a large number of projects dealing with the circulation of glass beads around the Indian Ocean. The data accumulated has allowed us to document glass bead production sites and regions, identify paths of circulation, and define chronology used to understand trade networks around the Indian Ocean.

More than 350 projects have been conducted in the lab so far, generating 250 publications (articles in peer-reviewed journals or book chapters). Two open-access edited volumes, one on obsidian and one on glass beads, focused exclusively on EAF research were published recently. In 20 years, more than 135 students or postdocs were trained at the EAF and EAF results were incorporated into more than 40 PhD dissertations.

Laure Dussubieux, Senior Research Scientist, Director & Manager of the EAF

More information: If you are interested in using or learning more about the EAF or would like to undertake a collaborative project, please inquire with Laure Dussubieux at ldussubieux@fieldmuseum.org and consult the EAF Website.