The National Swedish Archaeological Research Laboratories at Lund University

VDL and KFL

The two national archaeological laboratories at Lund University (VDL and KFL) are part of the ArchLab consortium (http://archlab.se/), which was formed by a group of six leading scientifically oriented archaeology facilities in 2014 after having been awarded a planning grant by the Council for Research Infrastructure (RFI), which is a part of the Swedish Research Council (VR), in 2013.

Two internationally respected facilities focussing on scientific analyses of archaeological source materials have operated as integrated research units at the Department of Geology since the 1970s; the Laboratory for Wood Anatomy and Dendrochronology (VDL) and the Laboratory for Ceramic Research (KFL). In 1994 they were awarded the status as National Swedish Archaeological Laboratories. Through a government regulation, the two research facilities were supplied with yearly funding for personnel and equipment during more than two decades until the funding ceased in 2016 following the recent reorganization of infrastructure funding provided by the Swedish Research Council (VR). The laboratories have been regularly monitored by a scientific committee and repeatedly evaluated in a national perspective with very favourable outcomes during recent years. VDL focusses on dendrochronological dating, dendroclimatology and provenance determination of natural and anthropogenic wood samples based on an extensive set of region-specific reference series (chronologies) which is unique for northern Europe. VDL also undertakes species determination on charcoal and other wood remains based on microscopic wood anatomy. KFL serves the archaeological community worldwide with laboratory investigations of ceramic artefacts from the Stone Age up to modern time. The analyses aim at establishing provenance and choices of raw materials, manufacturing techniques as well as vessel functions.

VDL: A variety of manual as well as engine-powered instruments are available for sampling of discs and cores of wood from living and dead trees, construction timber and different types of artefacts and art work. The laboratory is also equipped with specially adapted microscopes and measuring devices for tree-ring analysis (Lintab, Aniol, Rinntech), some of which are equipped with cameras. These instruments are connected to computers, screens and printers. Software for data storage, cross-correlation and various statistical analyses of tree-ring series.
KFL: Instrumentation exists for stereo microscopy, petrographic microscopy of ceramic thin-sections and thermal analyses. The laboratory also has access to equipment for different types of chemical analyses, e.g. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), Scanning Electron Microscopy with X-ray microanalysis (SEM/EDS), X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis for multi element determination and analyses of carbon and carbonate contents (multiphase carbon analyser), as well as grain size analyses and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis of raw clays.

VDL has an extensive set of region-specific reference series (chronologies) which is unique for northern Europe. Chronologies exist for oak (109 BC-present) and beech (AD 1053-present) from southern Sweden, for pine (AD 900-present) and spruce (AD 1360-present) from central Sweden, and for pine (480 BC-present) from northern Sweden. Extensive reference collections of macroscopic and microscopic wood samples are also available.
KFL has a collection of c. 6000 thin sections from ceramics sampled within a variety of archaeological investigations worldwide.

VDL focusses on dendrochronological dating, dendroclimatology and provenance determination of natural and anthropogenic wood samples.
KFL serves the archaeological community worldwide with laboratory investigations of ceramic artefacts from the Stone Age up to modern time. The analyses aim at establishing choices of raw materials and manufacturing techniques as well as vessel functions.

LUARCH – a bridging infrastructure for the archaeological use of scientific and medical infrastructure at Lund University – coordinates the management of VDL and KFL to optimise research within archaeology, and to guide and connect external archaeologists and partners to a wide range of laboratories at LU, not least MAXIV and ESS. Here, ArchLab (see 9 and 18 below) will play an important role in a national perspective.
LUARCH coordinator: Björn Nilsson
[email protected]