Ceramic Provenance Research Articles

Multi-isotope approach allows tracking the circulation of ceramics across the Andes (Argentina and Chile)

The circulation of material culture across space is a central topic in Andean archaeology and has witnessed significant growth during the last decades. Ceramics have been a part of this trend through the analysis of the abundance of chemical elements. Aiming at expanding ceramic sourcing and the study of large-scale conveyance of artefacts, we present the first multi-isotopic approach combining strontium, neodymium, and lead isotopes in South America. We explore the utility of an isoscape of bioavailable strontium for the interpretation of ceramic provenance. These first results show that this approach confidently discriminates large areas of provenance. Broadly, the sherds from styles assigned to the western Andean slope (Llolleo, El Molle, local Inka) show low strontium and lead isotope ratios with high neodymium, consistent with the young ages of underlying rocks, including samples recovered across the Andes and confirming their large-scale conveyance. Conversely, sherds assigned to eastern styles (Agrelo) display high strontium and lead ratios and low neodymium ratios. By exploring the potential of this approach to track ceramic production and conveyance, this research contributes to archaeological debates in the Andes and beyond.

A Workflow for Uncertainty Assessment in Elemental Analysis of Archaeological Ceramics: A Case Study of Neolithic Coarse Pottery from Eastern Siberia

In this study, the assessment of uncertainties introduced at different stages of the elemental analysis of archaeological ceramics has been described using the example of the Neolithic pottery sherds from Popovsky Lug (eastern Siberia). To evaluate the uncertainty introduced by sampling due to ceramic heterogeneity, three original sherds were cut into small subsamples. Powdered subsamples (250–350 mg) were analyzed using wavelength-dispersive X-ray fluorescence and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry methods, and the variations between analytical results for independent subsamples were compared with the variations introduced during the analytical process (measurement and sample preparation). It was shown that 250–350 mg of ceramic is sufficient to obtain good reproducibility (2–15%) between separate subsamples for most major and trace elements, even for the heterogeneous Neolithic ceramics included in this study. The differing behavior of concentration variations in some elements was explained by measuring the ceramic cross-sections by scanning electron microscopy and micro-X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, as well as by the theoretic modeling of the sampling error. The described workflow can be useful in finding uncertainties in elemental analysis results, which may affect the interpretation of bulk chemical composition in ceramic provenance studies.

An historical reassessment of the maritime Southeast Asian forest and marine commodities trade and its implications for archaeological investigations of Asian contact in northern Australia

This paper reassesses the maritime Southeast Asian forest and marine commodities trade from the sixteenth century to World War I. The ‘Macassan’ traders who visited northern Australia were primarily from Makassar and southern Sulawesi (including Bugis, or Bajau and Sumbawan immigrants) and the Lesser Sunda Islands (to where these ethnic groups had migrated) but also included the Indigenous Australians who accompanied them on their voyages. Research into other ethnic groups (Chinese, Makassar-Malay, Seram Laut Islanders, Solorese and Timorese mariners) also associated with both northern Australia and the maritime Southeast Asian forest and marine trade suggests that they be included in the ‘Macassan’ group. Analysis of historical sources for the late nineteenth–early twentieth century Macassan trepang (sea cucumber) industry in north Australia demonstrates that perahu spare cargo capacity was filled with additional commodities when the trepang harvest was low, ensuring voyage profitability. Comparison of the maritime Southeast Asian trade with ethnographic, archaeological, historical, and linguistic evidence in northern Australia, suggests that 20 commodities were likely to have been exported from the latter, seven of which have never before been mentioned in the literature. Mapping of the Macassan routes transporting the 20 commodities shows that northern Australia was connected to a vast network of maritime Southeast and East Asian trade with global reach. The importance of these findings for Asian contact archaeology in northern Australia is threefold: (1) archaeologists should look beyond ceramic provenance, metal, and glass to seek material and chronological evidence for the extraction and processing of a wider range of forest and marine commodities; (2) evidence for the extraction of particular commodities might be a proxy for age estimation of a site; and (3) the origins of introduced material culture will reflect its East, South, and Southeast Asian and, ultimately, global connectivity.

PIXE and FCA study on the provenance of proto-porcelain of Xia and Shang Dynasty unearthed from Erlitou and Yinxu sites, China

For a long time, due to no finding of kiln site, there has always been controversy over the provenance of proto-porcelain unearthed in Northern China. Here, PIXE was used to determine the chemical compositions of proto-porcelain of Xia and Shang Dynasty unearthed from Erlitou and Yinxu sites as well as the kiln sites in Zhejiang Province. Compared with the samples from kilns, the provenance of proto-porcelain from Erlitou and Yinxu was studied by the self-developed FCA program. It is found that proto-porcelain of Xia Dynasty unearthed from Erlitou might not origin from Piaoshan kiln in Zhejiang, and that only a small part of proto-porcelain of Shang Dynasty unearthed from Yinxu might come from Huzhou and Deqing in Zhejiang, while the vast majority should have other sources. It provided a new and reliable analytical method for studying the provenance of ancient ceramics.

Supervised learning algorithms as a tool for archaeology: Classification of ceramic samples described by chemical element concentrations

Ceramic provenance studies often use minor and trace elements to gather knowledge about the presence of local furnaces and commercial trades. There are various chemical techniques that can be used to determine the elemental composition of ceramics, either non-destructively or by requiring samples. From these data, researchers can often determine provenance, and then use multivariate analyses with geological and archaeological information to classify the ceramics. In this study, we aimed to demonstrate the potential of supervised Machine Learning techniques to classify ceramic samples based on their chemical element concentrations. We applied several supervised learning algorithms to a set of 36 fragments whose archaeological classification was already known, using chemical analysis data that had been verified through previous studies. We carried out different sets of experiments, exploiting in different ways the available data, and evaluated the performance of the adopted algorithms, to propose new tools for ceramics provenance studies in archaeology. Our results show that machine learning can be a reliable and useful tool for archaeological classification based on chemical analysis data, providing a reliable and schematic picture of archaeological findings.

Data from “Ceramic Technology and Cultural Change in Sicily from the 6th to the 11th Century AD.” PhD Thesis

This dataset presents the results of the petrographic and SEM-EDS analysis of 516 ceramic artefacts sampled from four early medieval sites across Sicily. The full database archive as well as the raw data are stored in the University of Sheffield repository. Petrographic descriptions can be found in Testolini’s thesis from page 94 to 142. These data shed new light into the ceramic provenance and technological choices in Sicily in a time of shifting power between Byzantine and Islamic rulers. The Dataset can be reused to identify other ceramic production centres and technological traditions in Sicily across time and space, as well as to challenge cultural labelling of ceramic artefacts.

Application of heavy mineral analysis for ceramic provenance research by the micromineralogical collection of the Mining and Geological Survey of Hungary – a case study

This study introduces a possible archaeometric application of the micromineralogical collection belonging to the Mining and Geological Survey of Hungary. Micromineralogical (heavy mineral) assemblage of natural clastic sediments (clay, silt, sand) can characterize the plastic ceramic raw materials typical for a delimited region (i.e. a river catchment area or a geological subunit). Heavy mineral investigation is a useful method which can complete conventional ceramic provenance studies applying microscopic petrography and instrumental chemical analyses, especially in cases of very fine-grained pottery or mature, less characteristic ceramic compositions. Using the 10th c. pottery of Edelény-Borsod (NE Hungary) as an example, we present the application of the micromineralogical collection. The study points out the difficulties with the evaluation, i.e. different sample preparation and data collecting strategy for archaeological and geological samples. Finally, the benefits of the results are formulated as conclusions on the ceramic provenance.

Lead and strontium isotopes as tracers for Early Formative pottery exchange in ancient Mexico

The sourcing of ceramics contributes to resolve questions about the nature of interactions between ancient societies. One such question concerns the primacy of the Olmec center of San Lorenzo in the development of the first unified iconographic style and its role in the early evolution of Mesoamerican civilization. Applying a combination of the isotopic systems of lead and strontium to a selection of ceramics dating to Early Formative period (1500-1000 BCE), this research evaluates the isotopic approach as an independent tool to address previously debated questions. The results demonstrate the capacity of isotopic analyses to discriminate between production centers, identify imports, relate unassigned samples to their production center and ceramics to raw material, and produce insights into production strategies (ceramics used locally versus exports). It subsequently shows how this approach can help solving existing hypotheses relying on ceramic provenance in the Early Formative period in Ancient Mexico. The findings discussed in this study more largely demonstrate that the isotopic approach constitutes a powerful tool to source ceramics and should be considered where contradictory hypotheses exist on their provenance.

Insight into the provenance and clustering of Middle Chalcolithic Ceramics from Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari, Iran: Using petrographic and ICP-OES analysis

The present study investigated the similarities in appearance and style from the Middle Chalcolithic Ceramics (MCC) (ca. 5000–3800 cal. B.C.E.) in the Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari region, Iran, to those from Khuzestan and Fars. A multi-analytical approach was used to determine whether the resemblance of painted buff ware from Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari could be distinguished from the two neighboring regions based upon their stylistic preferences, technologies, and subsequent local production or not. A total number of 32 sherds, collected from the surface of the Middle Chalcolithic (MC) sites of the Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari, Khuzestan, and Fars regions, were examined petrographically. Ten of these underwent further geochemical fingerprinting via inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The study could obtain details on manufacturing technologies or go beyond general descriptions of fabric groups and their relationships towards geological formations in the area concerned to determine their provenance. This analysis was also determined whether this kind of ceramic was native or had been imported into the area by nomads. Based on the results, ceramics had been locally produced based upon their chemical fingerprint. Moreover, metric analyses demonstrated the dispersed nature of the ceramic industry in the Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari region during the MC Age, suggesting that household production, influenced by the Susiana and Tall-i Bakün cultures was much more dominant.

ERRATUM TO M. Heydarian et al., (2020)

ArchaeometryVolume 62, Issue 5 p. 1078-1078 ErratumFree Access ERRATUM TO M. Heydarian et al., (2020) This article corrects the following: The provenance and distribution of Early Bronze ceramics in the Kolyaei Plain, central Zagros, Iran M. Heydarian, F. Abdorrahimian, S. M. A. Emami, S. I. Beheshti, Volume 62Issue 4Archaeometry pages: 694-711 First Published online: March 29, 2020 First published: 11 September 2020 https://doi.org/10.1111/arcm.12602AboutSectionsPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat In Heydarian et al. 2020, author M. Emami's name has been corrected. The online version of the article has been updated. We apologize for the error. We apologize for these errors. REFERENCE Heydarian, M., Abdorrahimian, F., Emami, M., and Beheshti, S. I., 2020, The provenance and distribution of early bronze ceramics in the Kolyaei plain, central Zagros, Iran, Archaeometry, 62(4), 694– 711. Volume62, Issue5October 2020Pages 1078-1078 ReferencesRelatedInformation

Ceramic investigation: how to perform statistical analyses

The aim of this article is to summarize and organize the methodologies used for the statistical analysis in the field of ceramic investigation and, more specifically, the study of ceramic provenance. An update and review of all related methodologies is provided during the presentation of a typical statistical analysis. The presentation is given in a step-by-step process and emphasis is on interpretation of the intermediate and final results. The analysis attempts to cover the following:

Hit and sunk: provenance and alterations of ceramics from seventeenth century Angra D shipwreck

A set of 34 archaeological ceramics, including olive jars, transparent green lead glazed, tin-lead glazed and unglazed ceramics, from seventeenth century Angra D shipwreck found at Terceira Island (Azores Archipelago, Portugal) was archaeometrically characterized by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Ceramic provenance has been established by statistical exploration of the ICP-MS chemical data, suggesting as being mainly from Seville origin (southern Spain) and, at a lesser extent, from the north of Portugal, piling up evidences to suggest a Spanish ship. Alteration and contamination effects of underwater environment in calcareous ceramics are assessed by XRD and SEM-EDS analyses, like the crystallization of zeolites, as well as pyrite.

Ceramic raw materials: how to recognize them and locate the supply basins: chemistry

Provenance studies of archaeological ceramics by analysis of their elemental composition are based on the assumption that clays can be distinguished, which were used for pottery manufacture in different workshops or production centres. The clay pastes used for the ceramic manufacture were prepared from natural raw materials extracted commonly in the vicinity of the production sites. Due to different geological contexts of local raw material sources, differences of their elemental compositions can be expected, which are propagated to elemental compositions of the ceramics. The general distinctiveness of natural raw material sources is presumed in the ‘Provenience Postulate’, which, though, has to be verified in each case study. For investigation of ceramics and raw materials potentially used for their manufacture, different practices of clay paste preparation have to be considered which might confine the direct comparison. In the present paper, the study of raw materials will be introduced as integral part of ceramic provenance studies. Issues, such as intra-source and intersource variation, elemental composition in context with clay type and accessory mineral, clay paste preparation, and methodological constraints will be discussed by means of raw material and ceramic data from Greece and the Greek islands.

Ceramic raw materials: how to recognize them and locate the supply basins—mineralogy, petrography

This tutorial paper is focused on the mineralogical-petrographic characterization of clayey raw materials with the purpose of sourcing supply basins and answering questions about the provenance of the corresponding archaeological ceramic artefacts. The first part gives general indications of how to profitably study archaeological ceramic thin sections through the polarizing microscope. Brief notes are provided on the theoretical basis of optical microscopy. A scheme is then provided for the petrographic description of ceramic samples, concerning the textural and compositional characteristics of aplastic inclusions and groundmass. Suggestions are also given for identifying any minero-petrographic marker and establishing minero-petrographic groups (MGP) aimed at archaeological ceramic provenance studies. After broadly describing the geological origin of the clay deposits, there is discussion of how to plan a field survey aimed at the location of clay sources and sampling. The importance of the ethnoarchaeometric approach in provenance studies is also underlined. The third part of the paper describes the preliminary treatments to which the clayey raw materials are subjected before reporting on a grain size analysis and how to proceed when performing experimental firing tests. Finally some suggestions are made about how to compare clay firing tests (experimental briquettes) and archaeological ceramic finds when assessing a production centre.

The provenance and distribution of Early Bronze ceramics in the Kolyaei Plain, central Zagros, Iran

Within Iran, there is little archaeological evidence for relationships between newly arrived Early Trans‐Caucasian (ETC) or Kura‐Araxes settlers and earlier inhabitants and contact with neighbouring cultures, or for their apparently abrupt end. Based on the evidence, the Iranian Kura‐Araxes was not a simple ‘copy' of the Caucasian Kura‐Araxes package. Ceramic traditions show local peculiarities, and all are elements suggesting that the Kura‐Araxes traditions went through processes of adaptation, change and re‐elaboration according to local tastes and technologies. In this study, an archaeometric approach to ceramics in the Kolyaei Plain of central Zagros contributes to the discussion of contact and exchange between indigenous communities and several cultural spheres of influence on the Early Bronze Age (beginning in the fourth millennium bce). Morphological data, as well as the mineralogical and chemical composition of ceramics, were applied to determine the major and trace elements of the pottery shards. Based on the trace element profiles, it can be suggested that all the pottery shards are in the same group and they strongly are local products. The ceramic provenance indicates the same patterns of material interactions during the ETC or Kura‐Araxes in all the sites within the Kolyaei Plain.

Recent Publications on Archaeological Ceramic Analyses and their Contributions to the Study of Ancient Pottery Technology

Recent Publications on Archaeological Ceramic Analyses and their Contributions to the Study of Ancient Pottery Technology

Non-invasive scientific studies on the provenance and technology of early Islamic ceramics from Afrasiyab and Nishapur

Non-invasive methods including micro-Raman spectroscopy (μ-Raman), micro X-ray fluorescence (μ-XRF), fibre optics reflectance spectroscopy (FORS) and environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) were used to study thirty-five ceramic shards from Afrasiyab and forty-seven potshards from Nishapur. These shards are dated from the ninth to the tenth century AD and include various types of underglaze and inglaze decoration. Non-invasive scientific studies indicated that tin oxide was employed as a white opacifier in both sites while silicates including quartz, olivine, diopside and feldspar served as opacifier in Afrasiyab shards thus demonstrating a technological connection with the pre-Islamic tradition of glaze opacification. The white slip of most of the wares excavated at Nishapur contained dehydrated pyrophyllite which may be indicative of local production. Furthermore, while a dense distribution of chromite was found in the black underglaze decoration of the so-called yellow staining black ware from Nishapur, a diluted chromite probably obtained from a different source was used in the imitated lustre wares from Afrasiyab. Mixtures with different proportions of manganese oxide and black haematite were utilised as the black colouring agents. Taking all of these findings into account, it is proposed that a consistent ceramic technology and production is represented by the entire set of the shards from Afrasiyab while different materials and technologies are evinced in the Nishapur ceramics.

Tracing the provenance of unfired ancient Egyptian clay figurines from Saqqara through non-destructive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry

A collection of Prime Cultural Heritage artefacts consisting of Egyptian late Middle Kingdom figurines (c. 1850–1700 BCE), made of unfired clay and covered in inscriptions, is kept at the Royal Museums of Art and History (RMAH) in Brussels, Belgium. Several of these hieratic inscriptions curse enemies of the Egyptian state, including Canaanite, Nubian and Libyan entities; thus providing invaluable information for Middle Bronze topography in ancient Near Eastern studies. What makes the extensive Brussels group even more exceptional, is the fact that these figurines were discovered in a closed archaeological context in Saqqara, Lower Egypt. Defining and classifying clay and ancient ceramic provenance groups in Egypt is highly complex due to variability in Nile and marl clay deposits. Chemical characterization of this figurine assemblage (n = 91) allows to effectively study the potential direct use of clays in the vicinity of Saqqara and characterize the nature of the raw materials used. Additionally, it aims to assess the validity of portable XRF spectrometry for this type of materials and its provenance resolution. Analyses show that very similar clays were used to produce the different morphological types of figurines in the assemblage. The chemical profile indicates the use of a mixed source at Saqqara rather than pure marl or Nile clays, which are common for ancient pottery production.

La arqueología desde el microscopio. Aportes interdisciplinarios de las diatomeas a las problemáticas arqueológicas

Actualmente, las problemáticas arqueológicas generaran datos no solo desde la propia de la disciplina sino también desde teorías y metodologías provenientes de otras disciplinas. La Diatomología, una disciplina que forma parte de las Ciencias Biológicas, ha demostrado ser una importante herramienta para la Arqueología. El análisis de diatomeas ha sido aplicado en reconstrucciones paleoambientales, en el análisis de procesos de formación de sitio, en material arqueológico como el estudio de procedencia de materia prima para la cerámica, en el estudio del manejo prehistórico del agua y suelos, en los restos bioarquelógicos y, por último, en la conservación del patrimonio tangible. El objetivo del presente trabajo es realizar una revisión crítica de la evolución y estado actual de los análisis diatomológicos en cuestiones arqueológicas, principalmente incluyendo los estudios latinoamericanos. Para ello se propone discutir las potencialidades y limitaciones de estos estudios, con el fin de generar un puente conceptual que sea de utilidad para investigadores interesados en trabajar con estas líneas.

Geosources for ceramic production and communication pathways: The exchange network and the scale of chemical representative differences

Abstract The main objective of this study was to provide a methodological insight in the archaeometric field of ceramic provenance and technology, through the identification of the scale of representative differences in terms of clay composition. For this purpose, a total of 78 clay specimens-representative of the three types of Daunian clayey raw materials (Sub-Apennine clays, alluvial deposits and terraced alluvial deposits)- was collected and geochemically investigated, with the aim of determining up to which geographical scale, the exclusive application of geochemical analyses can provide reliable results for the reconstruction of clayey raw materials supply. For the Daunian territory, the scale has been identified with that of a ‘riverine province’, i.e. between the local and the regional extension of the north Apulian fluvial courses. In practice, the Sub-Apennine clays can be chemically distinguished into a northern group, including the Salsola, Vulgano, Celone and Lorenzo streams and a southern group, including the Carapelle stream and the Ofanto river. Moreover, the comparison between the geochemical composition of the clay samples and that of local ceramic productions (previously investigated) has shown that the Sub-Apennine clays were either used as received (Clay 1 group) or refined through decantation (Clay 2 group), before being shaped into fine wares or building materials; conversely, both the alluvial and the terraced alluvial deposits were used “as received” for the production of coarse wares. Furthermore, for the first time, the geospatial network analysis was further applied to the investigation of ancient raw materials exploitation. This analysis was performed in order to reach a reasonable reconstruction of both routes and travel times linking supply areas with production and distribution sites. Surprisingly, the results have shown that, at small distances, the transportation of clayey raw materials is not only reliable but rather highly likely, especially in those sites where Sub-Apennine clays are not readily available.