North East Material Culture Analytical Suite (NEMCAS)

NEMCAS (North East Material Culture Analytical Suite) is the umbrella for our AHRC RICHeS facility, which provides access to advanced analytical tools for the heritage science sector.

Services

Earthslides

Earthslides is a state-of-the-art thin section facility that produces thin sections of soils, sediments and artefacts. It is equipped with a Logitech GTS1 cut off and trim saw, and Brot lapping instruments capable of producing large format slides up to 15x7 cm.

We also host an extensive collection of thin sections from archaeological sites from around the world, including Çatalhöyük, Paisley Caves, etc. and provide training and analysis for thin section micromorphology research. Earthslides integrates closely with our XR-CT facility for 3D imaging and is also closely connected to our microscopy laboratories, which are equipped with a wide range of light and polarising microscopes for analysis of thin sections.

Computed Tomography (XR-CT / Micro-CT / Xray)

Our XR-CT facility prioritises humanities and social science led research, offering access for the GLAM sector through RICHeS Access fund. We also collaborate with a wide range of users in biosciences, engineering and earth sciences. XR-CT is a non-destructive method used to visualise and quantify the internal structure of objects. We also work closely with the XR-CT lab in Engineering: X-Ray Computer Tomography - Durham University.

Our instruments are optimised for heritage materials and we have experience working with materials including: human and animal bone; teeth and dental calculus; ceramic objects and pottery, modern and archaeological plant tissues, wooden objects.

Our instruments include a Bruker SkyScan 1273 micro-CT with a large sample chamber capable of accommodating samples 300 x 500 mm. Our XR-CT facility integrates closely with the Earthslides thin section lab, for an efficient workflow combining 2D and 3D imaging. The XR-CT lab is situated adjacent to our computing lab with a suite of high-performance computers to enable users to work with CT data. Micro-CT captures a series of 2D planar X-ray images that are reconstructed into 3D models using sophisticated software.

Update 2025: We are expanding and will also have a Bruker Poseidon X4 installed by the end of the year.

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Example materials we can work on

Human teeth and bones	Animal teeth and bones	Ceramics & pottery
Thin slice rock samples	Plant tissues	Wooden objects

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Our Experts

Our experts are supported by a team of specialist technicians and research students.

Dr Lisa-Marie Shillito

Professor of Geoarchaeology and Heritage Science (Archaeology)

Research interests

• • Human-environment interactions
  • Geoarchaeology
  • Sediment micromorphology and XR-CT
  • Coprolite analysis in archaeology and palaeoecology
  • Phytolith analysis

Staff profile for Dr Lisa-Marie Shillito

Professor Karen Milek

Professor of Geoarchaeology

Karen in an experienced geoarchaeologist and sediment micromorphologist with (selected) interests in:

• • Excavation and environmental sampling methods
  • Ground-truthing of remote sensing anomalies, including multi-spectral satellite imagery
  • Microrefuse analysis
  • Space syntax analysis in archaeology
  • Human-environment-animal interactions
  • Social archaeology of houses, farmsteads, and transhumant/nomadic pastoralist sites

Staff profile for Professor Karen Milek

Riley Snyder

MicroCT Research Technician

Riley has worked on a wide range of materials and objects from Ancient Greek terracottas, to Roman concrete, and modern plant tissue.

Aimee Parker

Assistant Technician for Archaeology Labs

Aimee has experience in a wide range of sample preparation techniques, and will be training as a specialist soil thin section technician in Earthslides.

Meet Aimee Parker

Selected Publications

Chomicki, G., Metzler, D., Naikatini, A., & Renner, S. S. (2025). Compartmentalization reduces conflict in multipartner plant-insect symbioses. Science, 389(6756), 151–156. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adu8429

Kinnaird, T.C., Abellán Santisteban, J., Brandolini, F., Carlton, R., Carrer, F., Civantos, J.M.M., Duggan, M., Holcomb, J.A., Lekakis, S., Ramos Rodríguez, B., Salazar Ortiz, N., Sánchez-Pardo, J.C., Sevara, C., Snyder, J.R., Shillito, L.-M., Silva Sanchez, N., Srivastava, A., Turner, A. and Turner, S. (2025), Unearthing the Histories of Agrarian Landscapes: A Research Framework for Terraces as Sustainable Environments. Geoarchaeology, 40: e70004. https://doi.org/10.1002/gea.70004

Snyder, J.R. (2024) Beyond Urban Planning: Challenges of Resource Management in the Construction of Late Antique Capital Cities. Studies in Late Antiquity 8 (3): 380–420. https://doi.org/10.1525/sla.2024.8.3.380

Turner, O., Waite, S. (2023). Corporeal Pedagogy: Visualizing Anatomy Through Art, Archaeology, and Medicine. In: Shapiro, L. (eds) Graphic Medicine, Humanizing Healthcare and Novel Approaches in Anatomical Education. Biomedical Visualization, vol 3. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-39035-7_11

Holcomb, J. A., McDonough, K. N., Rosencrance, R. L., Shillito, L. M., & Jenkins, D. L. (2023). Frost Action during the Younger Dryas Inferred from Soil Micromorphology at Connley Cave 5, Oregon. PaleoAmerica, 9(4), 289–303. https://doi.org/10.1080/20555563.2023.2282316