A volcanic inclusions based approach for provenance studies of archaeological ceramics: application to pottery from southern Italy

This work focuses on petro-chemical characterisation of the volcanic inclusions often found within the fabric of many ceramic remains from various archaeological sites in eastern Sicily. Petrographic observations and EMP analyses revealed that volcanic glass is strongly influenced by chemical modifications during the firing process, whereas clinopyroxenes keep their original composition unaltered thus constituting an effective tool for provenance attributions. Multivariate statistical analysis of the latter can in fact unambiguously discriminate between different productive areas by comparisons with pyroxenes from volcanics belonging to distinct magmatic provinces. The method proposed here was tested on ceramic remains of different ages and typologies found in southern Italy.     

Age at death estimates for the protohistoric Arikara using molar attrition rates: A new quantification method

Dental attrition is positively related to ageing and has often been used to determine age at death of animals and prehistoric/historic humans. A newly designed molar-attrition-scoring standard was applied to a protohistoric skeletal sample, the Arikara (N = 143) from the North American Plains. Several criteria are used in producing a molar tooth crown wear (MTCW) score. These include: (i) the size of enamel wear facets, (ii) the amount of dentine and secondary dentine exposure, (iii) the height of the tooth, (iv) the enamel rim thickness, and (v) the amount of pulp-cavity exposure in the advanced stages. Age-at-death estimates were generated from ordinary least-squares (OLS) analysis, with estimated age regressed independently on the total molar attrition score (TMAS), mean molar-1 tooth crown wear (ȲM1TCW), mean molar-2 tooth crown wear (ȲM2TCW), and mean molar-3 tooth crown wear (ȲM3TCW). In all analyses (with the exception of the third molar), the coefficient of determination (r²) revealed a strong relationship between molar attrition and age. Multiple-regression analysis revealed a significant sex difference in molar-attrition rates. Besides intercept and slope differences, the female scatter showed greater molar attrition variation than the male scatter. There was no statistical difference between mean upper molar attrition score (UMAS) and lower molar attrition score (LMAS). There was no significant difference in molar attrition rates by side, and side by molar tooth.     

Detection of chloride from pottery as a marker for salt: A new analytical method validated using simulated salt-making pottery and applied to Japanese ceramics

Salt is an essential mineral in the human diet, and ancient peoples obtained salt either directly from rock salt, from salt lakes, or by concentrating saline waters from salt springs or seawater in pottery vessels. However, because sodium chloride, the major component of salt, is soluble in water, it has been thought unlikely that any trace of salt would remain in the pottery after a long period of time. A new methodology for retrieval of water-insoluble (retainable) chloride ion trapped within a pottery matrix is presented as a method for detecting previous use of the pottery for salt making. Simulated salt-making pottery was used to make salt by repeatedly boiling seawater over a fire. After chloride had been extracted with distilled water, to mimic the removal of chloride by natural waters such as rainwater and groundwater, an aqueous ammonium fluoride solution was shown to be capable of extracting chloride ions remaining in the pottery. A chloride-selective electrode was used to quantify the amount of extracted chloride in the presence of fluoride. This method was then successfully applied to excavated Japanese pottery vessels suspected of having been used for making salt. Identification of retainable chloride in pottery can offer insights into salt trading networks, which reflect the growth and affluence of an ancient society.