Archaeometric study of ceramics from the site of Tell el-Farah North

Abstract

Abstract: An integrated multi-analytical approach has been performed to ceramic fragments from the archaeological site of Tell el-Far‘ah North, West Bank, dated back to the Early Bronze Age IB (3300-3100/ 3000 BC). The main objective of this thesis is to make a comparison between Um Hammad ware and common wares through the investigation of mineralogical and chemical composition, technological aspects and the provenance of raw materials. Mineralogical, petrographic and chemical analyses are applied by means of Optical Microscopy (OM), X-Ray Powder Diffraction (XRPD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy Coupled with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR) and Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). The application of mineralogical and chemical analyses indicate that the ceramics were produced using calcareous clays with inclusions of sedimentary calcareous rock fragments, calcite, iron oxides and quartz. Two basic fabrics, A-calcite and B-calcareous, have been identified according to the presence or absence of coarse and angular calcite crystals. Moreover, two different clays, clay α and clay β, have been identified based on the presence or absence of microfossils. The optical activity of the matrix and the presence of calcareous inclusions indicate a maximum firing temperature lower than 850 °C and in the range 700–850 °C for those ceramics showing an initial decarbonation process of calcareous inclusions. The pictographic results suggested that the nature of the inclusions supports a local supply of raw materials. In line with this, the ICP-MS analysis highlights that the same concentrations of the trace elements Zn, Cu, Ni, Co, and Ba from the samples are related to same sources of calcareous clay raw materials utilized. Moreover, the comparison between the Um Hammad and common wares type of ceramic materials shows that there is a distinctive mineralogical composition difference between the two types in addition to the morphological and ornamentation difference.