LOCAL POTTERY PROVENIENCE STUDIES: A ROLE FOR CLAY ANALYSIS

Abstract

This article deals with a problem of pottery provenience in which Neutron Activation Analysis was employed to establish chemical ‘fingerprints’. Because of the special nature of the problem, it was necessary to collect clays systematically to reveal the compositions of pottery that would have been made in the vicinity. By so doing, it was possible to ascertain the local provenience of a range of common household wares. Large numbers of vessels were analysed, making possible a meaningful application of statistics in the evaluation of the data.