Abstract
In the present work the advantages of punctual approaches are discussed in the discrimination of black wares from the Sanctuary of Venus Fisica (Pompeii, Italy), dated between the 2nd and 1st century BC. Black-gloss ware and "bucchero" samples are analyzed by a multi-analytical approach including optical microscopy (OM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), scanning electron microscopy with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) and electron microprobe analysis (EMPA) to investigate the mineralogical and petrographic features of these artefacts. Grain size, firing conditions and potter’s expertise influenced the final appearance of the superficial decorative black layer. In addition, punctual chemical analysis was fundamental to verify the archaeological indication of specific production sites.
Highlights
In Greek and Roman Antiquity metallic objects were considered renown goods, symbol of wealth.This is true for rich metals and for iron and bronze artefacts used for weapons, vessels and ornamentation which had a symbolic meaning
The combined application of optical microscopy (OM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), scanning electron microscopy with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), and electron microprobe analysis (EMPA) gave an exhaustive picture about the general production technology as well as the different technological knowledge related to the superficial decorations
The optical microscopy analysis evidenced that only a few samples show rare calcareous inclusions, the calcium oxide amount recorded by means of EMPA is from 4.74 to 12.98 wt.%, suggesting the clay raw material used for the studied ceramics were calcareous clays with finely dispersed calcium carbonate
Summary
In Greek and Roman Antiquity metallic objects were considered renown goods, symbol of wealth This is true for rich metals and for iron and bronze artefacts used for weapons, vessels and ornamentation which had a symbolic meaning. As at present, people who could not afford such production loved having goods that could give the illusion of wealth, of belonging to the upper class. In this background, connected to the need of gratifying the aspirations of a large slice of buyers, the production of black-gloss ware and "bucchero" is included, their aesthetic value being due to the shiny black color of their surfaces [1,2]. “bucchero”, produced in Etruria, Latium, and Campania since the mid-7th century BC, and later attic black-gloss ware, since the end of the fifth century BC, originally imposed themselves on the Mediterranean markets in replacement of metal artefacts, following the crisis in the metal manufacturing especially of the Elba island, on the coast of Vetulonia and Corsica [3,4]
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