By analyzing the material characteristics of objects or artifacts, we can trace the past interactions between different societies and with their natural environment. The geographic source of the objects' raw materials can be determined by identifying the precise mineral elements composing each object, through geochemical characterization. We take small samples of the material that are invisible to the eye using a portable laser to avoid damaging the artifact. With the information from these samples, we assess the exchange networks linking communities throughout the Caribbean.
By studying these imperceptible traces of surface wear, we can also uncover cultural preferences that different peoples may have had in making and using these objects. We combine optical microscopy and experimental archaeology to understand how artifacts were produced and used. By integrating all these approaches, we reconstruct the biographies of artifacts.
Jadeitite axes found at many archaeological sites in the islands (AD 600-1492). Jadeitite occurs naturally in northern Dominican Republic, Cuba, Guatemala and possibly in northern South America (photo: NEXUS1492).
Using optical microscopy, Thomas Breukel studies a stone axe excavated in the northern Dominican Republic (photo: Leiden Laboratory for Material Culture Studies).