Non-destructive Method for the Identification of Ceramic Production by Portable X-rays Fluorescence (pXRF). A Case Study of Amphorae Manufacture in Central Italy, Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports (2016), pp. 253-262 (original) (raw)
Related papers
Provenance Study of Prehistoric Ceramics from Sicily: A Comparative Study between pXRF and XRF
The 1964 archaeological exploration of the Ognina islet near Syracuse, Sicily, has provided evidence suggesting a long-term prehistoric occupation from the Neolithic to the Middle Bronze Age. Maltese style ceramics were found in Early and Middle Bronze Age layers. A small group of imports belonging to the Thermi Ware culture was found in connection with the local Castelluccian Ware (EBA), and Maltese style Borġ in-Nadur wares were recovered with local Thapsos ceramics (MBA). During fieldwork in 2012, large amounts of ceramics were recovered including new examples of Thermi and Borġ in-Nadur wares as well as large amounts of Castelluccian and Thapsos pottery. In order to ascertain whether the Maltese type pottery was imported from Malta, a program of archaeometric analyses was established. Diagnostic samples belonging to both Maltese-like and Sicilian pottery classes were analyzed with destructive thin sectioning and X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) and subsequently analyzed with non-destructive portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (pXRF) together with a sample of Sicilian clay taken from a clay source close to the islet. The analyses demonstrated that the two Thermi Ware samples were locally produced and three out of four Borġ in-Nadur pieces had a Maltese provenance while one of the four being produced in Sicily. 1 pXRF or XRF that is the Question? The chemical characterization of archaeological materials has played an important role in the study of prehistoric exchange networks. In particular, the use of a portable or hand-held X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (pXRF) has become increasingly more popular in ceramic sourcing studies in recent years due to a number of advantages that include the ability to non-destructively analyze ceramic materials on location such as at excavations or at museums and the overall affordability in analyzing a large number of artifacts within a relatively short period of time. While these advantages are attractive to researchers, it is important to note that non-destructively analyzing ceramic surfaces has a technical disadvantage compared to homogenized powder samples. However, a number of non-destructive ceramic studies have been performed taking into account the heterogeneous nature of clay types, surface treatment such as the
Lusitanian Amphorae: Production and Distribution, 2016
This paper presents the first results of a new phase of study concerning the Roman amphorae produced in the Quinta do Rouxinol workshop, in terms of classification, definition of ceramic fabrics, quantification and statistical analysis, enhancing the methodological approach initiated in the 1990s. The methodology and presentation of results will be detailed for major local amphora productions – Almagro 51c, Almagro 50 and/ or Keay 16 and Lusitana 9 – for which a Minimum Number of 753 Individuals (MNI) was recorded, based on rim fragments, and 713 if only bases are considered. The results are consistent in these two subgroups, demonstrating the dominance of Almagro 51c, which only drops from the second quarter of the 5th century AD, due to a higher proportion of Almagro 50 and/or Keay 16 and the shift from fish-product containers to Lusitana 9 wine amphorae. In addition to the general considerations about the collection that has been studied, some of the results obtained from the analysis of the Almagro 51c subset are fully detailed, which led to the identification and characterization of three typological groups of rims and four types of bases, two of them with variants.
Dept. of Art and Archaeology, Princeton Univ. in Associagion with Princeton University Press, 2014
A portable Niton 592Y EDXRF spectrometer was utilized to obtain geochemical characterization of 3rd-century BCE through 1st-century CE ceramics from Morgantina. This nondestructive technology allows ceramic artifacts to be studied without compromising their state of preservation. In addition to EDXRF, optical petrography and magnetic susceptibility were obtained for most materials that were investigated geochemically. Various materials were studied to acquire a baseline geochemical and petrographic library of the site and its environs. These materials included local and non-local outcroppings of sedimentary and igneous rocks, unconsolidated sediments, known production site materials, slag, kiln wasters, kiln construction materials such as mortar and brick, roof tiles, house bricks, ceramic water pipe, and ceramics. Representative collections of ceramics from excavations at Morgantina, along with comparative imported ceramics, were studied to determine provenance. Compelling evidence for the Morgantina fabric type and place of manufacture was revealed when the data were plotted in triangular and cross-plot scattergrams using elemental data in parts per million.
Applied Physics A, 2010
Renaissance lustred majolica shards from Gubbio and Deruta (Central Italy) were investigated in order to point out differences in chemical and mineralogical composition between these two very similar Italian potteries and furthermore to find correlations with the local raw clay materials probably used for their production. Chemical and mineralogical analysis on the ceramic body were performed by ICP-OES (inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy) and XRD (X-ray diffraction), respectively. Investigation of the ceramic body revealed significant differences on calcium content indicating that it could be used as a marker for the two different productions.
Materials, 2021
Combined analysis methods such as optical microscopy (OM), cathodoluminescence (CL) microscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy–energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEM–EDX) have made it possible to obtain the first physico-chemical data of Dacian potsherds, exhumed at the archeological site of Ocnița-Buridava, Romania; the samples were provided by the “Aurelian Sacerdoțeanu” County Museum Vâlcea, dating from the 2nd century BC to the 1st century AD. The mineralogical and petrographic analyses revealed two types of ceramic pastes, taking into account the granulometry of the inclusions and highlighting the choice of the potter for fabricating the ceramic either by wheel or by hand. All samples showed an abundance in quartz, mica (muscovite and biotite), and feldspars. These observations were confirmed by cathodoluminescence imagery, revealing heterogeneous pastes with varied granulometric distributions. The XRD patterns indicated the presence of the mineral...
This work is focused on the petro-archeometric characterization of the fine pottery production of the archaeological site of Gela (Sicily). Thirty-five samples coming from three Archaic and Hellenistic kilns and five coming from an Hellenistic house, were investigated by means of optical microscopy, XRD and XRF analysis. With the exception of some ceramics which are undoubtedly imported, all the samples have similar petrographic features, but on the basis of chemical composition, we can distinguish two different groups. The presence of two local productions is confirmed by the comparison with locally outcropping sediments and with archaic and modern bricks of sure Geloan production. This result is particularly significant for the definition of reference groups of this wealthy polis that played an important trading role in the Mediterranean area.
Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry, 2016
A complete visual, mineralogical, textural, chemical and statistical study is presented of thirty ceramic specimens recovered from various Roman archaeological sites in central Spain (Ávila). Therefore, the novelty of this work is that we report the first complete study of pottery fragments in the Ávila region (Castile and Leon, Spain) dating back to the Roman Empire. Potential/local raw materials were characterised, in order to classify ancient pottery samples by origin. The presence of firing minerals in the ancient ceramic samples was studied, to investigate the technology used in their manufacture. Another innovation of this article is that the statistical study has established links between ceramic samples, shedding further light on knowledge of manufacturing techniques in this region during the Roman Empire. Similar materials were identified in most of the ceramic pieces from the archaeological sites, all present in the local geological environment, which underlines their autochthonous origin. The raw materials were initially chosen on the basis of the final use of the sample (typology of the samples: Terra sigillata hispanica, common pottery and tegulae). The samples were manufactured within three different temperature ranges (temperature > 900Cº, between 900 – 800ºC and between 800– 600ºC) and under three different redox environments (oxidizing, reduction and irregular conditions). Non-plastic inclusions were added, intentionally or otherwise, to the initial clay, depending on the final typology of the sample
Science & Technology of Archaeological Research. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/20548923.2017.1329918., 2017
This exploratory study focuses on the elemental analysis by p-XRF (portable X-Ray Fluorescence Analyser) of 62 samples of coarse wares, consisting of Bronze Age handmade burnished ware, so-called Impasto, and of Cooking ware (dated from the Roman period to Modern times). All wares originate from the site of San Vincenzo, Stromboli, and Aeolian Islands. The question addressed here is whether it is possible to differentiate between local (Aeolian) and imported (non-Aeolian) fabrics with the use of the p-XRF; 42 of the 62 samples were also subjected to petrographic analysis as a way of testing our hypothesis. Our results show that p-XRF analysis can clearly assist in distinguishing between Aeolian vs. non-Aeolian wares. Analyses can take place in the field and large quantities of sherds can be processed as a result. We suggest that no further demands should be made of the technique in providing answers to more detailed provenance questions. This is because finer separation in subgroups (as achieved recently by combined petrographic and EPMA analysis on select samples) is not possible given the nature of coarse pottery and the limitations of the technique in measuring key light elements (Na, Mg). Furthermore, for some elements (e.g Cr) accuracy is below acceptable levels in which case results for these particular elements are considered semi-quantitative.