Recently, efforts to determine the origins of archaeological ceramics have been successfully reported using XRF analysis. These methodologies have focused on quantification and comparison of minor and trace elements in the study of archaeological ceramics (pottery). Unfortunately, when those methodologies are applied to architectural ceramics, such as bricks and terracotta, the results are inconclusive. A likely culprit is the heterogeneous composition and rudimentary manufacturing processes of historic bricks. Many of the common elements (Al, Fe, Mg, and Mn) found in architectural ceramics showed poor correlation between measurements on a given sample.<br/>Certain trace elements (Nb, Y, Sr, Zr, and Rb) are commonly used by geologists to study the petrogenesis of rocks. Their method was applied to the analysis of architectural bricks to determine if there was a correlation between geological trace elements and fired ceramics. It was believed that these elements would not be drastically altered during manufacturing and thus would be able to be compared to clay pits to confirm origins.<br/>The project aimed to verify if the trace elements found in volcanic deposits were sufficient to determine regional similarities between ceramics. Handheld XRF was chosen for this study due to its ability to be used both <i>in situ</i> as well as in a laboratory environment. Building off of previous work, this study used comparative analysis of architectural ceramics from archaeological sites as well as extant structures. Work was done with minimal preparation to mimic field conditions. Ultimately, it was determined that the ratio of the geological elements provided a correlation between specific regions of clay and bricks.

Tracking architectural ceramic provenance using trace element analysis with handheld XRF

251st National Meeting (2016)

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