Synchrotron induced x-ray fluorescence (SIXRF) is proving very useful as a nondestructive tool for applications such as bulk elemental analysis for provenance studies, microanalysis of ancient alloys, etc. The SIXRF station at INFN Frascati operates with tunable X lines in the range 3-35 KeV, produced by a crystal monochromator. In testing on tin matrixes and in vacuum a minimum detection limit was found of 0.6 nanograms for elements observed by K lines and 6 nanograms for those observed by L lines. Finally, the paper considers the advantages of the method over neutron activation analysis, and compares it with other analytical techniques, such as particle-induced x-ray emission and scanning electron microscopy, applied to archaeometric research.