New Archaeometric Characteristics for Ancient Pottery Identification

Abstract

The paper presents new achaeometric characteristics determined through electron microscopy scanning coupled with energy dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy and microFTIR. We studied, by comparing average chemical composition and Si/Al and Ca/Mg ratio, a number of 47 genuine antique pottery items (Liniar Pottery, Pre-Cucuteni and Cucuteni culture pottery) and 20 new items made of clay extracted from the neighbourhood of the archaeological sites, with properties and chemical contents similar to those used by antique potters, but considered fakes. Those characteristics were used to differentiate between a fake and an original artifact, to establish authenticity attributes in the patrimonial revaluation and to select the pottery fragments during coherent structural reintegration and restoration processes.

Keywords

• Neolithic and Chalcolithic pottery
• archaeometric characteristics
• SEM-EDX
• microFTIR
• authentication