Geological and archaeological analysis of stone masonries in standing structures helps reveal information aboutuse of natural resources. At the same time, the study of historical materials is useful for conservators and culturalheritage management. Geochemical and petrographic analysis of building material types is usually done throughdestructive analysis on a few selected samples and can be problematic due to the costs of operations and the sizeof buildings themselves. This paper demonstrates that the combination of hyperspectral imaging portable NearInfrared (NIR) spectroscopy and Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (ED-XRF) spectroscopy can be useful foranalysing types of raw materials used in distinct construction phases of the inner defensive wall in the citadel ofCarcassonne (Aude, France). Stratigraphic analysis of the architecture, short-range spectral remote sensing andportable ED-XRF measurements were combined in an interdisciplinary approach to classify sandstone elements.The experimental protocol for in situ non-destructive analysis and classification of the masonry types allows theinvestigation of the monument in a diachronic perspective, collecting information to delineate raw materialsvarieties and their use or re-use through time.

This study proposes a method for the classification of lithic raw materials by means of hyperspectralimaging, a non-destructive fast analytical technique. The information potential of this approach wastested on a dwelling site dated to mid-late Mesolithic (7200–5800 BP) at Lillsjön, Ångermanland,Sweden. A dataset of lithic tools and flakes (2612 objects) made of quartz and quartzite, wasanalyzed using a shortwave infrared hyperspectral imaging system. The classification of the rawmaterials was performed applying multivariate statistical models. A random test set of 55artefacts was selected, classified according to spectral signature and divided into categoriescorresponding to different geological materials. The same test set was analyzed with EnergyDispersive X-Ray Fluorescence (ED XRF) to validate the classification. The entire dataset of lithicscollected on the site was then classified applying a SIMCA model. The distribution of items onthe site was visualized in a 3D GIS platform according to their geological characteristics tohighlight patterns that could indicate different use of the space and dynamics of raw materialssupply over time.

The paper proposes a methodology based on near‐infrared (NIR) spectrometry for studying stratigraphy and depth profiles in archaeological excavations. The NIR spectra can be used to describe and complement the wet chemical analysis. Soil samples were collected from a 0.8 m deep stratigraphy of a Neolithic site that were analyzed by three different NIR instrumentations. Phosphate‐ and magnetic susceptibility and inductively‐coupled plasma mass spectrometry measurements were also conducted as reference analysis.

Principal component analysis on the data from three different NIR instrumentations gave useful score plots that allowed grouping of the samples. The results from the lab spectrometer were most useful, although the hyperspectral NIR camera was the fastest method to obtain spectra of many samples from one image. The paper shows how the NIR spectral data can be used for multivariate analysis to get meaningful conclusions on archaeological soils and sediments, especially in terms of understanding site development/phases and soil formation.