Chemical and mineralogical alteration of ceramics from a Late Bronze Age kiln at Kommos, Crete: the effect on the formation of a reference group

The formation of reference groups comprises an important procedure in chemical provenance studies of archaeological pottery. Material from ancient kilns is thought to be especially suitable for reference groups, as it comprises a definite unit of past production. Pottery from the Late Minoan IA kiln...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Buxeda i Garrigós, Jaume, Kilikoglou, Vassilis, Day, Peter M.
Format: article
Status:Versión aceptada para publicación
Publication Date:2001
Country:España
Institution:Universidad de Barcelona
Repository:Dipòsit Digital de la UB
OAI Identifier:oai:diposit.ub.edu:2445/33857
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/2445/33857
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Ceràmica grega
Química arqueològica
Arqueometria
Edat del bronze
Kommos (Grècia : Jaciment arqueològic)
Minoics
Greek pottery
Archaeological chemistry
Archaeometry
Bronze age
Kommos Site (Greece)
Minoans
Description
Summary:The formation of reference groups comprises an important procedure in chemical provenance studies of archaeological pottery. Material from ancient kilns is thought to be especially suitable for reference groups, as it comprises a definite unit of past production. Pottery from the Late Minoan IA kiln excavated at Kommos, Crete was analysed in order to produce a reference group in this important area of Minoan ceramic production. The samples were characterized by a combination of techniques providing information on the chemistry, mineralogy and microstructure of the ceramic body. Initially, the study was unable to establish, in a straightforward manner, a chemical reference group. Different ceramic pastes and a range of selective alterations and contaminations, affected by variable firing temperatures and burial environment, were shown to be responsible for the compositional variability. Procedures are described to compensate for such alterations and the perturbations in the data that they produce.

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