Preliminary examination for revealing the provenance dependency of the lattice spacing of biotite for the provenance estimation of Atamadai-type pottery (2500–1500 BC) by XRD

Abstract

A total of 77 pottery shards originating from the Middle Jomon period (2500–1500 BC) were excavated from the Hinoki site in Tochigi, Japan. Fifty-nine of the shards were Atamadai-type pottery in which fragments containing biotite were mixed during the manufacturing process. For the provenance estimation of the biotite temper in the Atamadai-type pottery pieces, the reliance of the biotite's lattice spacing on the samples’ origin was verified using X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements of seven biotite-containing rocks possessing the different provenances. Three samples showed significant differences in the lattice spacing of biotite 001. The remaining samples indicated no significant differences. In addition to lattice spacing, the clarification of the provenance dependency also requires the measurement of the solid-solution ratio (Mg/Fe).