Characterization of Archaeological Artefacts Using Methods Specific to Materials Science: The Case Study of Dacian Ceramics from 2nd c. BC to 1st c. AD

Abstract

Combined analysis methods such as optical microscopy (OM), cathodoluminescence (CL) microscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy–energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEM–EDX) have made it possible to obtain the first physico-chemical data of Dacian potsherds, exhumed at the archeological site of Ocnița-Buridava, Romania; the samples were provided by the “Aurelian Sacerdoțeanu” County Museum Vâlcea, dating from the 2nd century BC to the 1st century AD. The mineralogical and petrographic analyses revealed two types of ceramic pastes, taking into account the granulometry of the inclusions and highlighting the choice of the potter for fabricating the ceramic either by wheel or by hand. All samples showed an abundance in quartz, mica (muscovite and biotite), and feldspars. These observations were confirmed by cathodoluminescence imagery, revealing heterogeneous pastes with varied granulometric distributions. The XRD patterns indicated the presence of the mineral phases, indicating a firing temperature below 900 °C. The wheel-made ceramics have a fine, compact matrix with very fine inclusions (<40 µm). On the other hand, the hand-made ceramics present a coarse matrix, with inclusions whose granulometry reaches approximately 2 mm. The difference between these two types of ceramics is also confirmed by the mineralogical and chemical analysis. The wheel-made potsherds are more abundant in MgO, Al2O3, and CaO contents.

Material Evidence of Sediments Recovered from Ancient Amphorae Found at the Potaissa Roman Fortress

“…High-resolution SEM microscopy coupled with an energy-dispersive spectroscopy module (EDS) is a powerful tool able to investigate complex structures containing mineral and organic phases [ 33 , 34 ], and it is very specialized in detecting trace elements in organic matter [ 35 , 36 ]. Therefore, SEM and EDS analysis was structured in three steps: the first step is focused on the investigation of resting soil ( Figure 6 ), followed by a detailed view of the mineral particles, and the chasing of the organic particles.…”

Interdisciplinary Research on Medieval Fresco Subjected to Degradation Processes in the Corbii de Piatră Cave Church

“…A single sample was taken, with a minimum volume, which was used for all the analyses performed. The characterization of the fresco fragment was carried out by: optical microscopy [8][9][10][11][12][13][14]; cathodoluminescence [13,[15][16][17][18][19][20]; atomic force microscopy [21,22]; scanning electron microscopy with an energy dispersive fluorescence spectroscopy mode for elemental chemical analysis [8][9][10][11][12]23,24]; and X-ray diffraction [12,[25][26][27][28][29].…”

“…The qualitative phase analysis [24,27,28] was carried out using the PDXL2 program (Rigaku) and the PDF4+ 2022 database (International Center for Diffraction Data).…”