Neutron Activation Analysis for Archaeological Soils and Ceramics

The applications of nuclear analysis techniques are widespread in various socio-economic sectors such as industry, medicine, geosciences, environment and cultural heritage. In this field, nuclear techniques make it possible to study the life of an archaeological sample at the heart of its material, in order to inform us about human activity and skills of the past. By preserving these witnesses to our history, we can use them to build a better future. The aim of our study is to determine the elemental composition of samples of ancient soils and ceramics from different archaeological sites in Algeria, using the Neutron activation analysis (NAA). The experimental results of the samples analyses will be compared with existing experimental data. This will be done in the perspective of establishing a classification in order to set up an initial draft database for archaeological sites in Algeria.