Optical and Electron Microscopy in the Archaeology of Sub-Saharan Africa

Optical and electron microscopy are relatively cheap and versatile techniques for investigating pyrotechnologies, and optical petrography is a proven technique for inferring the geological provenance of pottery. Both have been used for more than three decades in Southern Africa, but few archaeologists based in other parts of sub-Saharan Africa have made much use of them. We briefly review what applications of these techniques have revealed about the African past, identify the obstacles to their wider use, and make recommendations to resolve these.