PIXE contribution for a database of Phoenician pottery in Lebanon

Abstract

The study the ancient Phoenician cult place of Kharayeb, in the rural hinterland of Tyre, southern of Lebanon, dated to the Iron Age and Hellenistic periods is particularly helpful in evaluating the complexity and variability of the so called “Hellenism” and of “Greek cultural influences” in the Phoenician world. The PIXE analytical technique was used to characterize the elemental composition of several artefacts from this archaeological site, mainly figurines and some artisanal objects, with an attempt to analyze geological samples that could be potential clay sources in the area. Furthermore, the PIXE information about the composition of the studied objects helped to understand if the figurines were locally produced or imported from the coast and how was the process of production connected to the sanctuary. Hence, particle induced X-ray emission technique PIXE was used to determine the elemental composition of about 57 excavated fragments of figurines and pottery from Kharayeb site, as well as from two another archaeological sites, Jemjim and Tyre which is the prestigious city of antiquity, located on the eastern Mediterranean coast. Then, PIXE analyses with multivariate statistical methods were used to compare and to reveal characteristic groups. Finally, PIXE technique contributed to establish a first database of chemical composition of Phoenician pottery, which will broaden the existing database currently related only to archaeological pottery from coastal sites in Lebanon. Therefore, this work will probably be used for any future archaeological study on Phoenician pottery in the Phoenician colonies in the Mediterranean basin.