Ruth Ann
Armitage, Ph.D.
Analytical
Chemistry
Associate professor
B.A., 1993, Chemistry, Thiel College (Greenville, PA)
Dissertation: Radiocarbon dating of
charcoal-pigmented rock paintings
(Advisor: M.W. Rowe)
Complete CV
(pdf format)
Contact information:
225 Mark Jefferson
Department of Chemistry
Eastern Michigan University
Ypsilanti, MI 48197
Phone: (734)
487-0290
Fax: (734)
487-1496
Email: rarmitage @ emich.edu
Courses taught
- Instrumental Analysis (Chem 481
and 381 lab)
- Quantitative Analysis (Chem 281)
- General Chemistry (Chem 121)
- Advanced Analytical Chemistry (Chem 641, now Chem 581)
- Special Topics: Analytical
Methods in Archaeological Science (Chem 591)
- Contemporary Chemistry for
Non-Scientists, Forensic Chemistry (at St. Mary's College of Maryland)
Course materials are available at E-reserves.
Research interests
Analysis of archaeological
materials. Current research projects
include: Long term storage effects on chemistry of archaeological soil
samples;
Characterization of organic binder material in rock paintings;
Characterization
of 17th century brick; Radiocarbon dating of rock paintings;
Surface
analysis of rock painting samples.
Armitage group research pages.
Our research on a coating in Little Lost River Cave was described in Chemical and Engineering News, April 24, 2006!
[link to C&EN article]
Affiliations
- American Chemical Society,
Division of the History of Chemistry, Archaeological Chemistry
Subdivision
- Sigma Xi
- Society for Archaeological
Sciences
- Phi Lambda Upsilon
Selected Publications
“FTIR-ATR
Studies of Plasma-Oxidized Materials: Implications for ‘Nondestructive’
Radiocarbon Dating” J. Kirkland
and R. A. Armitage. Society for Archaeological Sciences Bulletin, 30 (2007): 15-17. [download pdf]
“Surface
Analysis of a Black Deposit from Little Lost River Cave, Idaho” Perumplavil,
R.; Armitage, R. A. In Archaeological Chemistry: Analytical Techniques and
Archaeological Interpretation; Glascock, M. D., Speakman, R. J.,
Popelka-Filcoff, R. S., Eds.; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2007, pp 152-166.
“Characterization
of building materials from the brick chapel at Historic St. Mary's City” R. A.
Armitage, L. Minc, S.D. Hurry, and M. Doolin. In Archaeological
Chemistry: Analytical Techniques and Archaeological Interpretation;
Glascock, M. D., Speakman, R. J., Popelka-Filcoff, R. S., Eds.; American
Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2007, pp 364-375.
“Pyrolysis GC/MS and THM-GC/MS Studies of a Black Coating from Little
Lost River
Cave, Idaho” S.
Fezzey and R. A. Armitage. Journal of
Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis. In
press, 2006. [download pdf]
“Characterization of Bricks and Tiles from the 17th-century
Brick Chapel, St. Mary’s City, Maryland” R. A. Armitage, L. Minc, D. V. Hill, and S. D. Hurry. Journal of Archaeological Science. 33
(2006): 615-627. [download pdf]
“Fern Cave Rock Paintings at Lava Beds National Monument, California: Not the 1054 A.D. Supernova” R. A. Armitage, M. Hyman, M. W. Rowe, J. R.
Southon, and C. Barat in Current Studies in Archaeoastronomy: Conversations
Across Time and Space, J. W. Fountain and R. M. Sinclair, Eds. Carolina
Academic Press, Durham, NC, 2005.
“Landscapes
in Transition? New Radiocarbon Dates on
Cave Drawings from the Mitchell-Palmer Limestone Belt (Northeastern Australia)” B. David, R.A. Armitage, M. W. Rowe,
and E. Lawson. American Indian Rock Art 27 (2001):
106-116.
“Mass spectrometric radiocarbon dates
from three rock paintings of known age” R.A.
Armitage, J.E. Brady, A. Cobb, J.R. Southon, and M.W.
Rowe. American Antiquity, 66(2001):
471-480.[download pdf]
“Plasma-chemistry
for dating
pictographs by AMS” R.A. Armitage, M. Hyman, and M.W. Rowe in Advances in Dating Australian Rock-Markings:
Papers from the First Australian Rock-Picture Dating Workshop, G. Ward and C. Tuniz, Eds. Occasional AURA
Publication 10, Australian Rock Art Research Association, Melbourne, 2000.
“Dated Rock
Paintings at Red Cliffs, Arizona” R. A.
Armitage, M. Hyman, M.W. Rowe, L.L.
Loendorf and J.R. Southon. The Kiva, 65(2000):253-265.
Invited talks
"Using
GC-MS Methods to Investigate Organic Binders in Rock Paintings,"
Conservation Science Annual, Eastern Analytical Symposium, Atlantic City, NJ (November 2007), scheduled.
“Archaeological
Chemistry of Rock Paintings: Radiocarbon Dating and Chemical Analysis,” ACS Chicago Section Dinner Meeting, Chicago, IL (June 2007). *link*
“Archaeological
Chemistry of Rock Paintings: Radiocarbon Dating and Chemical Analysis,” Implications of Science and Technology Group,
Institute for Retired Professionals, Jewish Community Center, West Bloomfield, MI (May 2007).
“Archaeological
Chemistry of Rock Paintings: Radiocarbon Dating and Chemical Analysis,” ACS
Penn-Ohio Border Section Meeting, Greenville, PA (February 2007).
“Archaeological
Chemistry of Rock Paintings: Radiocarbon Dating and Chemical Analysis,” ACS
Detroit Section Meeting, Detroit, MI (January 2007). *link (pdf)*
“Radiocarbon
Analysis of Rock Paintings,” Andrews University Chemistry Department Seminar
Series, Benton
Harbor, MI (October 2003).
“Characterization of 17th Century Bricks from Historic St. Mary's City, Maryland,” Oakland University Chemistry
Department Seminar Series, Rochester, MI (March 2003).
Selected Conference Presentations
“FTIR-ATR
Studies of Plasma-Oxidized Materials: Implications for “Nondestructive”
Radiocarbon Dating” J. Kirkland
and R. A. Armitage, Archaeological Sciences of the Americas Symposium, Tucson, AZ (September 2006)
“Characterization
of a black residue in Little Lost River Cave, Idaho Using Chromatographic and
Spectroscopic Techniques” J. Brown, S. Fezzey, R.
Perumplavil, R.A. Armitage, 36th International Symposium
on Archaeometry, Quebec
City, QC (May 2006).
“Characterization
of building materials from the brick chapel at Historic St. Mary's City” R. A.
Armitage, L. Minc, S.D. Hurry, and D.V. Hill, 36th International
Symposium on Archaeometry, Quebec City, QC (May 2006).
“Characterization
of building materials from the brick chapel at Historic St. Mary's City” R. A.
Armitage, L. Minc, S.D. Hurry, and D.V. Hill, 231st ACS
National Meeting, Atlanta, GA (March 2006).
“Characterization
of Bricks and Tiles from 17th-Century Maryland,” R. A. Armitage, L.
Minc, D. V. Hill, and S. D.
Hurry, Inaugural Symposium on Archaeological Sciences of the Americas, Tucson,
AZ (September 2004)
“Characterization
of Black Deposit Associated with Rock Paintings in Little Lost River
Cave,
Idaho using Pyrolysis GC/MS” RA Armitage and S Fezzey, 36th
Central Regional ACS Meeting, Indianapolis, IN (June 2004)
“Characterization
of Bricks and Tiles From 17th-Century Maryland” RA Armitage,
SD Hurry, L Minc, D
Hill, 36th
Central Regional ACS Meeting, Indianapolis, IN (June 2004)
“Characterization
of Bricks and Tiles from 17th-Century Maryland,” R. A. Armitage, N.
Richards, L. Minc, D. V. Hill,
and S. D. Hurry, 34th International
Symposium on Archaeometry,
Zaragoza, Spain (May 2004)