A multidisciplinary approach in pottery analyses: PW - Ware

Pottery provenance studies are a key aspect of archaeological research, often resulting in new information about the relationships and interactions between ancient cultural societies. The main focus of this project is to establish multidisciplinary cooperation between VIAS (Vienna Institute for Archaeological Sciences = Forschungsplattform VIAS) and the Department of Geological Sciences (University of Vienna), which opens the laboratory installations for such a task, serving for future archaeometrical research. The methodological research shall be undertaken by a petrologically trained person (PhD candidate), which has already experience in the application of the methods. The first target is to develop methods for pottery and for clay analyses. It is important to understand the regional geology of the presumed provenance-areas, in order to localize the ancient pottery-producing manufactures, beside the characteristics of the ceramics. Cyprus, with its unique geological framework and its nearly distinctive petrologic features, is an excellent candidate to prove this new method, therefore the Cypriot pottery group of Plain White Wares (PWW) shall be the subject for the task. Several methods will be applied to locate the origin of the clay sources on the island of Cyprus. In the last years, the increasing application of analytical techniques like ICP- MS, LA-ICP-MS and EPMA opens new perspectives in studying ceramics. To study not only the geochemistry of the whole-material system but also the single component chemistry, which contains probably the most accurate information, would be an effective and representative approach in characterising ceramics and analogue material. The methods which shall be used are: Petrography, X-Ray Diffractometry (XRD), X-Ray Fluorescence Analysis (XRF), Inductive Coupled Plasma Mass-Spectrometry (ICP-MS) for analysing whole-material chemistry; Electron Probe Microanalysis (EPMA) to allow the chemical characterization of the matrix and of the included minerals by using defocused beam technique to estimate the composition of the matrix and X-ray mapping in combination with BSE (Back Scattered Electrons) images, furthermore Laser Ablation ICP-MS (LA-ICP-MS) and Thermal Ionization Mass-Spectroscopy (TIMS). To manage the huge quantity of data, which arises from analytical work, statistical methods will be applied. The second target, based on the analytical study, is to obtain a clear picture of the production centres, and to follow up the distribution path of the PWW (Plain White Handmade, Plain White Wheelmade Ware). Within Cyprus, this seems highly necessary as, within an overall island-wide ceramic tradition, there are distinctive differences in the pottery from Northern or Eastern coastal areas to the southern regions, before the island started to adopt an island- wide material culture during Late Cypriot I. Ceramic material will be provided by international cooperation with archaeological missions and Museums. The results of this project are important for further studies in the methodological field of material investigation, as well as for our archaeological knowledge on the island of Cyprus during the Late Bronze Age.

Pottery provenance studies are a key aspect of archaeological research, often resulting in new information about the relationships and interactions between ancient cultural societies. The main focus of this project is to establish multidisciplinary cooperation between VIAS (Vienna Institute for Archaeological Sciences = Forschungsplattform VIAS) and the Department of Geological Sciences (University of Vienna), which opens the laboratory installations for such a task, serving for future archaeometrical research. The methodological research shall be undertaken by a petrologically trained person (PhD candidate), which has already experience in the application of the methods. The first target is to develop methods for pottery and for clay analyses. It is important to understand the regional geology of the presumed provenance-areas, in order to localize the ancient pottery-producing manufactures, beside the characteristics of the ceramics. Cyprus, with its unique geological framework and its nearly distinctive petrologic features, is an excellent candidate to prove this new method, therefore the Cypriot pottery group of Plain White Wares (PWW) shall be the subject for the task. Several methods will be applied to locate the origin of the clay sources on the island of Cyprus. In the last years, the increasing application of analytical techniques like ICP- MS, LA-ICP-MS and EPMA opens new perspectives in studying ceramics. To study not only the geochemistry of the whole-material system but also the single component chemistry, which contains probably the most accurate information, would be an effective and representative approach in characterising ceramics and analogue material. The methods which shall be used are: Petrography, X-Ray Diffractometry (XRD), X-Ray Fluorescence Analysis (XRF), Inductive Coupled Plasma Mass-Spectrometry (ICP-MS) for analysing whole-material chemistry; Electron Probe Microanalysis (EPMA) to allow the chemical characterization of the matrix and of the included minerals by using defocused beam technique to estimate the composition of the matrix and X-ray mapping in combination with BSE (Back Scattered Electrons) images, furthermore Laser Ablation ICP-MS (LA-ICP-MS) and Thermal Ionization Mass-Spectroscopy (TIMS). To manage the huge quantity of data, which arises from analytical work, statistical methods will be applied. The second target, based on the analytical study, is to obtain a clear picture of the production centres, and to follow up the distribution path of the PWW (Plain White Handmade, Plain White Wheelmade Ware). Within Cyprus, this seems highly necessary as, within an overall island-wide ceramic tradition, there are distinctive differences in the pottery from Northern or Eastern coastal areas to the southern regions, before the island started to adopt an island- wide material culture during Late Cypriot I. Ceramic material will be provided by international cooperation with archaeological missions and Museums. The results of this project are important for further studies in the methodological field of material investigation, as well as for our archaeological knowledge on the island of Cyprus during the Late Bronze Age.