Modern physics tools can play as important a role as archaeology in piecing together the past and in preserving cultural heritage. A major international, interdisciplinary conference on science, arts and culture, held in 2007 and co-sponsored by ICTP, the European Centre for Science Arts and Culture, and Trieste University, highlighted the contributions that physics--along with geology, chemistry and biology--makes to archaeological studies.

Proceedings from the meeting are now available in a book titled "Science for Cultural Heritage: Technological Innovation and Case Studies in Marine and Land Archaeology in the Adriatic Region and Inland".  The book is published by World Scientific. Chapters include "Ion Beam Techniques for Analysis of Cultural Heritage Topics", "Thermoluminescence Dating and Cultural Heritage" and "Accelerators and Radiation for Art and Archaeology".

Modern physics tools and techniques provide a number of non-invasive ways to characterise ancient materials. For example, synchrotron radiation can generate three-dimensional images of bones and teeth at thousands of times the resolution of ordinary x-ray images without destroying the specimen. To pinpoint chronology, physicists can measure natural radioactivity, or analyse certain isotopes to reconstruct diets, diseases and migrations of ancient human populations.

To purchase the book, visit the World Scientific website.