Attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FT-IR) analysis of 100 adhesive samples from different prehistoric composite artefacts, pottery, and amorphous lumps across Eastern Europe and Urals were conducted with the aim to establish a fast analytical screening method for adhesive assignment. The ATR-FT-IR analysis allowed the identification of major chemical components of the adhesive samples that were assigned to three main groups: birch bark tar without major additives, birch bark tar with additives, and minor/non-birch bark tar samples. ATR-FT-IR spectra were further analyzed using principal component analysis (PCA)-based discriminant analysis (DA) that allowed additional refinement of adhesive classifications. The ATR-FT-IR results and the DA classification were confirmed by analyzing a selection of samples with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). Results demonstrate that ATR-FT-IR coupled with DA classification allows fast and reliable preliminary identification of the major components in archaeological adhesives and their further classification. As such it is a considerable and faster alternative to more laborious GC–MS analysis, especially in the case of very small samples.