04/01/2026
By Amanda Vozzo
Date: Thursday, April 2, 2026
Time: 12:30 – 1:30 p.m.
Location: University Crossing 158 and via Zoom
Coffee and cookies with the Speaker from Noon to 12:30 p.m. in UCrossing 158
Demetrios Anglos, Professor, Department of Chemistry at University of Crete, Heraklion, Crete, Greece will give a talk on “Exploring some bio-archaeological questions via atomic and molecular spectroscopy tools”
Abstract: Analytical spectroscopies have been proven capable of illuminating aspects of complex diagnostic problems encountered in the course of studies of archaeological findings, heritage objects and monuments by probing the compositional profile of materials from various perspectives. In this context, selected examples will be presented, which demonstrate how elemental or molecular spectroscopy and associated custom-made or standard instrumentation contribute to the compositional analysis of archaeological samples or objects and to our understanding of their origin, use and or preservation.
Laser-Induced Breakdown [Plasma] Spectroscopy (LIB[P]S), implemented through an appropriately designed optical microscope, hence defined as micro-LIBS, has facilitated fast elemental mapping of marine shell cross-sections. The data produced, 2D elemental maps (Mg/Ca) of the aragonite growth layers reveal patterns which upon analysis are found to provide a reliable seasonally resolved view of temperature fluctuations that can be related to environmental factors or used to trace activities of coastal communities.
Raman spectroscopy has been investigated regarding its potential to assess the protein content of ancient teeth, which in turn can act as an indirect indicator for the degree of preservation of archaeogenetic material. The relative organic content in the cementum of the teeth, expressed as a spectral ratio of the amide-to-phosphate bands, (Am/P), was found to exhibit a weak to medium correlation with the amount of endogenous DNA (independently determined via ancient DNA analysis). This analysis facilitates satisfactory screening of samples with low content of endogenous DNA versus those with high content and appears to provide the means for a valuable assessment of the preservation of biogenic matter preservation in teeth and/or bones.
Bio: Demetrios Anglos is a Professor at the Department of Chemistry, University of Crete (UoC) and Associated Researcher at the Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas (IESL-FORTH), where he leads the Applied Spectroscopy Laboratory (since 2001). He holds a B.Sc. in Chemistry (1986) from the University of Athens, Greece and a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry (1994) from Cornell University, USA.
The activities of his research group focus on a) the study of photophysics in molecules and novel nanomaterials with potential sensing applications and b) the applications of laser spectroscopic techniques (LIF, LIBS, Raman spectroscopy) in the analysis of materials, with particular emphasis on the development of mobile, field-deployable instrumentation.
He is teaching Physical Chemistry (Molecular Spectroscopy) in the Chemistry Department, UoC, an advanced laboratory course on modern laser-based research for Chemistry majors and a graduate course on Laser Spectroscopy. He has supervised several undergraduate and graduate research thesis projects (30 diploma, 20 MSc, 8 PhD) while he has been in the evaluation boards of PhD theses in several European Universities. In the period of 09.2022 – 07.2024, he served as the Head of the Department of Chemistry.
Demetrios is hosted at the UML, as a Fulbright scholar, carrying out his research in the laboratory of Prof. Noureddine Melikechi at the Department of Physics and Applied Physics focusing on the use of novel laser-based spectrochemical techniques combined with advanced machine learning tools towards the development of efficient diagnostic methodologies.