Simon Fraser University’s (SFU) Department of Archaeology, founded over five decades ago, is celebrated as one of the top archaeology departments in North America.
The SFU archaeology program distinguished itself early on through the work of Erle Nelson, whose 1977 paper, Carbon-14: Direct Detection at Natural Concentrations, with Ralph Korteling (SFU) and W.R. Stott (McMaster University) was the first to propose the use of accelerated mass spectrometry (AMS) in radiocarbon dating. The article is available online via the SFU Library with SFU ID sign-in.
Nelson pioneered the use of AMS at SFU which became the standard technique used today in dating archaeological artifacts and organic samples.
A nuclear physicist, Nelson was recruited to establish the Liquid Scintillation Counting laboratory—now the Isotope Lab. Hiring a physicist for an archaeology program was unconventional, however Nelson’s expertise informed radiocarbon dating and isotope analysis—key tools used to reconstruct the past.
These innovations helped place the fledgling department on the map and set the tone for decades of success in research and teaching. The Isotope Lab is now led by SFU professor and Canada Research Chair in Archaeological Sciences Mike Richards, a former undergraduate student of professor Nelson. Richards uses isotopic analysis in his current research to shed light on past human and animal diets and adaptations.
Research at SFU’s Department of Archaeology has continued to evolve and demonstrate expertise in archaeological and environmental science, First Nations heritage and resource management, and in biological anthropology, including forensic sciences.
We spoke with professor Richards about his and Erle Nelson’s work.
Erle Nelson pioneered the use of mass spectrometry at SFU. What is mass spectrometry and how is it used in archaeological research?
Mass spectrometry is a method that allows us to separate molecules based on their mass. It is a simple concept but a powerful method to allow us to identify molecules and compare the amounts and ratios of different molecules. In archaeology, it can be used to identify the organic residues left on ancient pottery, the diets of humans and animals in the past, and the age of organic remains.
What tools and methods are you using today that were first developed in Nelson’s lab?
Erle pioneered many of the methods that are still used in archaeology and archaeological science. Apart from radiocarbon dating, he did some of the first work on using isotope ratios to look at past human diets. The laboratory preparation methods he developed for this work are still used in labs around the world today.
How do you use isotope analysis and mass spectrometry in your current research?
We mainly use isotope analysis—using mass spectrometry—to look at past human and animal diets, and also to look at how they moved and migrated in the past. As part of this research, radiocarbon dating is usually the first step to ensure the material analyzed is the correct age for the archaeological questions under investigation. Then, we use isotope ratios of elements such as carbon, nitrogen, sulfur and strontium to build up life histories of human and animal skeletons telling us their diets and where they might have moved from or to.
Some current projects we are involved in include working with B.C. Indigenous communities as part of the repatriation of ancestors that were removed from their territories. In this work we can tell the communities, the ages and diets of their ancestors.
In a separate project, we are also working to reconstruct the province’s environmental and glacial history by examining megafauna (large animals like , dating from 50,000 to 10,000 years ago, with a focus on mammoths.
What are some other uses of mass spectrometry? For example, does it help in the forensic analysis of crime scenes?
Yes, it is commonly used in forensic research to identify organic substances. In our work, we use radiocarbon dating and isotopes with the BC Coroners Service to help them identify whether human remains discovered by the police or the general public are archaeological or are indeed modern, forensic cases.
You have authored hundreds of articles spanning thousands of years and several continents across the globe. Do you have a favourite area of research? What advice do you have for aspiring archaeological students?
My first interest was on how societies around the world changed in areas where we moved from being hunter-gatherers to agriculturalists. The diet changes I could see had clear impacts on all of the archaeology from those time periods so we could see the major societal changes that we still live with today.
One of my current favourite projects is the BC Megafauna Project looking at dating, diets and mobility of large ice-age animals like wooly mammoths. It is great to be able to work ‘at home’ on this project and also see the enthusiasm and interest people have for this work.
My advice for aspiring students is to make sure that you are working on research projects that you are really passionate about as then it really does not seem like work. Often your enthusiasm can lead you to further steps in your archaeology career, if that is the path you take.
For more read the SFU News story: 50 Looks Good on Archaeology.
See also: Richard’s collaborative research using isotope ratio analysis to study 2000 years of human agricultural and animal husbandry practices in the Eastern Mediterranean.
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