A bench-top laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) system has been used in the examination of pottery, jewelry and metal artifacts found in archaeological excavations in central and eastern Crete, Greece. The objects date from the Middle and Late Minoan periods (ca. 20th-13th century B.C.) through Byzantine and Venetian to Ottoman times (ca. 5th-19th century A.D.). The spectral data indicates the qualitative and often the semi-quantitative elemental composition of the examined materials. In the case of colored glazed ceramics, the identity of pigments was established while in the case of metal and jewelry analysis, the type of metal or metal alloy used was determined. The analyses demonstrate the potential of the LIBS technique for performing routine, rapid, on-site analysis of archaeological objects, which leads to the quick characterization or screening of different types of objects. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V All rights reserved.