Grouping Ceramic Variability with pXRF for Pottery Trade and Trends in Early Medieval Southern Tuscany. Preliminary Results from the Vetricella Case Study (Grosseto, Italy)

Abstract

The characterization of archaeological ceramics according to their chemical composition provides essential information about the production and distribution of specific pottery wares. If a correlation between compositional patterns and local production centers is assumed, pottery manufacturing and trade and, more generally, economic, political, as well as cultural relations between communities and regions can be investigated. In the present paper, the combined application of portable XRF and statistical analysis to the investigation of a large repertory of ceramic fragments allowed us to group the assemblage by identifying geochemical clusters. The results from the chemical and statistical analysis were then compared with reference ceramic samples from the same area, as well as with macroscopic and petrographic observations to confirm, coalesce or sub-divide putative sub-divisions. The study of 141 samples from different sites located within a wide area spanning across the Colline Metallifere and the coast (Monterotondo Marittimo, Roccastrada, Donoratico, and Vetricella) provided new clues for a new interpretive archaeological framework that suggests that there was a well-defined organization of pottery manufacturing and circulation across southern Tuscany during the early medieval period.

Contribution of X-ray Fluorescence Techniques in Cultural Heritage Materials Characterization

“…Portable instrumentation was also used in [2,3]. In the former paper, a mandolin by Antonio Stradivari has been investigated for the first time by non-invasive reflection Fourier transformed infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) on different areas previously selected by UV-induced fluorescence imaging.…”

“…The combined spectroscopic approach allowed us to hypothesize original materials and finishing procedures similar to those used in violin making, and XRF results proved to be essential to support FT-IR findings and to detect possible iron-based pigments in the finishing layers. The paper by Fornacelli et al [3] presents a provenance study on ceramic sherds by means of portable XRF instrumentation coupled with statistical analysis. Indeed, the combined application of this kind of analytical technique and statistical analysis to the investigation of a large repertory of ceramic fragments allowed for the grouping of the assemblage by identifying geochemical clusters.…”

Combination of Total-Reflection X-Ray Fluorescence Method and Chemometric Techniques for Provenance Study of Archaeological Ceramics

“…Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry [ 7 , 9 ] and micro X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (µXRF) [ 10 ] can be used for separate analysis of the clay component and inclusions in the ceramic cross-section. Non-destructive characterization of bulk ceramic composition is possible using portable XRF [ 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ].…”

“…The most popular XRF instruments for archaeological tasks are energy dispersion instruments [ 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 ], including portable XRF instruments [ 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ]. These devices offer reliable determination of major elements, but do not provide information about the contents of impurities and trace elements, which, in the context of archaeological research, can be more informative.…”

Position-Sensitive Bulk and Surface Element Analysis of Decorated Porcelain Artifacts

“…Most studies on porcelain artifacts are being made with surface-confined analytical techniques, such as portable XRF [ 8 , 9 ], Raman [ 10 ], or PIXE/PIGE. [ 11 ] In this paper, we focus on contrasting the elemental compositions at the surface and in bulk and on the methodology to collect such information.…”