Electrochemical discrimination of manufacturing types of pottery from Magna Mater Temple and Fora of Nerva and Caesar (Rome, Italy)

Abstract

The voltammetry of immobilized microparticles (VIMP) methodology is applied to a series of pottery samples from the Roman sites of Nerva's Forum (second half of 9th-early 11th A.D), Caesar's Forum (second half of 9th-early 11th A.D) and Magna Mater Temple (III century). The VIMP sampling applied to voltammetric and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements was applied by the first time to acquire archaeometric information on archaeological pottery. VIMP measurements using pressed sample pellets on gold electrodes in contact with air-saturated 0.10 M H2SO4 have permitted to detect voltammetric signals for the reduction/oxidation of Fe and Mn minerals as well as catalytic effects the mineral components on gold oxidation and oxygen reduction reaction. A consistent sample grouping was obtained using independent EIS measurements performed on microparticulate deposits of pottery samples on graphite electrodes in the same electrolyte.