A multidisciplinary investigation on archaeological excavation in Messina (Sicily). Part I: a comparison of pottery findings in “the Strait of Messina area”

Abstract

About 47 pottery samples, representative of different ceramic classes, have been investigated using X-ray diffraction, Fourier transformed infrared absorption, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and chemical analysis. The obtained results have also been compared with analysis performed on clays and gravels in the surrounding area of Messina (Gravitelli, Annunziata) where the pottery was excavated. The experimental data allowed the authors to establish the quantity and quality of the characteristic components of each ceramic class, confirming that many of them were made at the local factory in Messina.