Our Research Initiatives

Studying Ivory in Indiana

At home in Indiana, the ArchIvory team is studying the complex histories of ivory carvings in family collections. Our approach combines oral history, scientific analysis, and primary source research. We are committed to empowering individuals through a citizen-science model that highlights the role of local communities in global narratives.

Testing X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) Spectroscopy

In pursuit of a rapid, cost-efficient, and non-destructive method for identifying the elephant populations behind ivory carvings, we are researching XRF spectroscopy as a tool for historians, museum curators, and law enforcement. XRF spectrometers analyze the elemental composition of a material in just minutes. We are testing the hypothesis that this elemental "fingerprint" can differentiate among elephant populations across Africa and Asia.

Building the ArchIvory Database

The team is developing an open-access database, ArchIvory, to aggregate, analyze, and share the biological data preserved in elephant ivory and recorded in museum catalogues. The database includes results from X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy, zooarchaeology by mass spectrometry (ZooMS), DNA, and isotopic analyses of tusks and ivory artifacts from major U.S. collections.