Characterization of archaeological remains from a military settlement in the Argentinian Pampas (19th century): New insights by laser–induced breakdown spectroscopy

Laser–induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) was applied for the rapid characterization of the elemental composition of archaeological remnants recovered from a military settlement dating from 1831, located at the center of the Argentinian Pampas (Buenos Aires province, Argentina). This research is part of an interdisciplinary project for the study of military fortifications within the field of historical archaeology. We present original results of the analysis of metallic artifacts, bones, potsherds, and colored glazed crockery of the site. The measurements included drilling through superficial weathering and corrosion layers to determine the underlying bulk composition of the materials, the analysis of glazing processes and the identification of pigments in the paintings. A new analytical approach was applied for the discrimination of elements corresponding to the pigments, the binder medium or the glaze from those belonging to the paste matrix which improved the LIBS performance. The obtained results provided useful information related to the characteristics, raw materials, manufacturing processes, use and provenance of the objects that contributed to achieve a more comprehensive knowledge of the archaeological context investigated. [Display omitted] •LIBS method was applied for the analysis of different archaeological remains.•Qualitative/semi-quantitative results of the elemental compositions were obtained.•Raw materials, manufacturing processes, use and provenance were studied.•The feasibility of LIBS for rapid analysis of archaeological objects was assessed.