Ancient potteries found at Ban Muang Bua, located in northeastern Thailand, associate with Thung Kula Ronghai culture. Most of them are products used in daily life and grave goods. The potsherds were examined using techniques based on X-ray spectroscopy. Elemental composition and morphology were analyzed using proton-induced X-ray emission spectroscopy (PIXE) and scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). Three-dimensional analysis was performed using X-ray tomographic microscopy based on synchrotron radiation (SR XTM). Irregular plate-like particles of composites with a wide range of size distribution were found in the potsherds. The major (O, Si, and Al), minor (C, Fe, Ca, and K), and trace elements (P, S, Ti, Na, Mg, and Zn) which were observed can provide the information about raw materials and production of pottery. The 3D tomographic images show the internal feature of these samples. The combination of SEM-EDS, PIXE, and SR XTM is a powerful tool for archaeological research especially in terms of composition and internal structure. The results imply that the raw materials of pottery were sandy soil derived from marine sands, clays, and salt deposits that were mostly iron-rich-kaolin clay. The production was carried out with low firing temperatures (~600–900 °C) in open-air kilns.
The goal of this research is to build a database for the ancient glass beads from U-Thong excavation site (Dvaravati Period, 6th to 13th centuries). We can compare the chemical properties among the ancient glass beads from different sites in order to learn about the ancient trading route of those glass beads. The 30 samples and 12 colors (translucent to opaque and various colors) were collected from U-Thong archaeological site, Suphanburi Province, Central Thailand. The ancient glass bead samples were studied about the physical and chemical characteristics as well as the surface features. The glass beads were analyzed by the scanning electron microscope coupled with energy dispersive x-ray spectrometer (SEM-EDS), Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR) and Atomic Force Microscope (AFM). The chemical composition of the dark blue bead for example contained 2.25 wt% MgO, 90.98 wt% SiO2, 1.26 wt% K2O, 4.17 wt% CaO and 0.59 wt% CuO. The FTIR spectrum of ancient glass beads is rarely to interpret their molecular vibration. The AFM allowed us to see the glass corrosion in nano scale on the surface. This research can help Thai archaeologists to identify the characteristics of ancient glass bead in the Central Thailand.
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