Spectroscopy investigation of Greek ceramics artefacts

The aim of the present work is the characterization of ceramics artefacts coming from Locri Epizephiri, in order to understand the area of production and the baking temperatures. The macroscopic investigation, performed from an archaeological and chronological point of view, permitted the classification of the studied samples into two different groups: the former was constituted of amphorae fragments used for transport, characterized by a mixture of medium-fine grain, and the latter was constituted of tiles fragments with a mixture of coarse grain. All the samples date back to a period between the V and the IV century BC and present similar mineralogical–compositional characteristics. The ceramic samples were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. XRD spectroscopy allowed us to identify the present crystalline substances. In particular, both in the amphorae and in the tiles, the main mineral is quartz. Furthermore, larger quantities of calcite, hematite and illite are present in the amphorae rather than in the tiles, while a larger amount of K-feldspar is present in the tiles rather than in the amphorae, finally gehlenite is definitively absent in the tiles. The FT-IR investigation was performed both at low and high frequencies. From all the obtained results it was possible to conclude that the provenance area of the ceramics was the Calabro–Peloritano one. The compositional variations could be attributed to the presence of the different workshops in the same zone and to the existence of several quarries of clay materials.