A field investigation conducted among potters in Hebron (Palestinian Territories) revealed the use of salt in clay pastes to produce white ceramics. An initial study (Teodorescu et al., 2022) sought to understand and explain this phenomenon. In addition to the visible whiteness, the potters also emphasised other qualities, such as porosity. This research aims to explore how the addition of salt influences the material's properties to meet both the aesthetic and functional criteria valued by the potters. At the outset, raw materials and finished products were sampled directly from workshops in Hebron. A series of test briquettes were then produced in the laboratory following a protocol that allowed for precise control of both salt concentration and firing temperatures, based on the raw materials used by the Hebron potters. The goal was to assess the role of temperature and salt concentration in the development of the material's pore structure. Firing temperatures were estimated from the reflectance spectral response obtained in the short-wave visible range (400-800 nm) and the infrared range (1000-2500 nm), using a hyperspectral camera (HSI). At the same time, the material's porosity was examined through X-ray micro-tomography. The results indicated an increase in porosity with increasing temperature. More significantly, the addition of salt led to a redistribution of pores, favouring the formation of macropores. Furthermore, the results revealed that hyperspectral imaging is a highly promising non-destructive tool for estimating the firing temperature of ancient ceramics.

This study investigated the Chupícuaro ceramic production in Formative Mesoamerica through geochemical and petrographic examinations of a large set of Chupícuaro ceramic vessel sherds. The results are consistent with local domestic production using locally available resources, both for clays and for pigments of the painted decorations. Several production sites with their own sources of raw materials would have co‐existed in the Acámbaro Valley, capable of great technical and stylistic mastery and uniformity. This production has evolved in the diachrony. In particular, the study reveals a change in the sources of raw materials between the two successive periods Chupícuaro and Mixtlan.

This study investigates the application of terahertz frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) imaging for the non-destructive inspection of a historical enamel plate, using both reflection and transmission modes. A 300 GHz FMCW radar system was employed to capture high-resolution images of the plate’s internal and surface structures. Through optimized data acquisition and processing, the system successfully revealed subsurface features such as fractures, as well as surface-level textural variations linked to the decorative glazes. Although pigment differentiation remains a challenge, contrast variations observed in THz images suggest correlations with material composition. The results highlight the potential of FMCW terahertz imaging as a compact, rapid, and non-contact diagnostic tool for cultural heritage analysis. Its practicality and adaptability make it particularly suitable for in situ inspections in museums or restoration contexts.

The circumstances and chronology of the emergence of lead-glazed pottery in the Late Hellenistic and Roman Mediterranean remain heavily debated. This article presents a multidisciplinary discussion of pottery provenance and glazing technology based on the analysis of 94 samples from three sites: Mytilene, Athens, and Ostia. Through a critical review of published data and comparisons with other glazed ceramics, we discuss the emergence of lead- glazed pottery against the background of a highly interconnected, "global" world. We argue that mainland Greece played an important but hitherto unrecognized role in this development.

In this paper, we present the potential of Terahertz Time-Domain Imaging (THz-TDI) as a tool to perform non-invasive 3D analysis of an ancient enamel plate manufactured by Longwy Company in France. The THz data collected in the reflection mode were processed using noise filtering procedures and an advanced imaging approach. The results validate the capability to identify glaze layers and the thickness of ceramic materials. To characterize the nature of the pigments, we also use with X-ray images, visible near-infrared hyperspectral imaging spectroscopy, and p-XRF (portable X-ray fluorescence) to qualitatively and quantitively identify the materials used. The obtained information enables a better understanding of the decoration chromogens nature and, thus, to determine the color palette of the artists who produced such decorative object. We also establish the efficiency of a focus, Z-tracker, which enables to perform THz imaging on non-flat samples and to attenuate artifacts obtained with a short focus lens. Then, 3D images are extracted and generated, providing a real vision. We also report the evaluation of the internal damage state through the detection of fractures.

Glazed ceramics are a common material analyzed through geochemistry, whether in the form of table-ware collected during excavations or tiles observed as part of architectural features. Within the framework of these studies, measuring the thickness of the transparent glaze is one of the useful variables available for the characterization of the ceramic, contributing to searches for provenance as well as serialization. However, this task often requires invasive methods performed in the laboratory, which may not always be possible. This paper develops a non-invasive and portable on-site system for measuring the thickness of ceramic glazes. Based on the depth from focus technique, this method makes use of a classical camera, a macroscopic lens, a translation stage, and a laptop for system control. In this article, we test this method through the measurement of glaze for ten samples as compared to results obtained for sections through scanning electron microscopy.

We report on further development of terahertz systems for measuring the thicknesses and the detection of fracture in art science. Analysis of time-domain data is described and the results of measurements made on ancient enamel plate are presented. We also show X-Ray images and hyperspectral visible and infrared images to identify the pigments used. We also test the Z tracker developed by Teraview Ltd and demonstrate the possibility to perform THz imaging on non-flat samples.

During the second half of the 19th century, the production of ceramic pieces decorated with relief polychrome glazes occupied a prominent place in French factories of white earthenware. It is through the example of the Vieillard and Co Manufactory (Bordeaux, France, 19th century) that we will approach the technical study of this ceramic decoration process. A corpus of seven fragments of glazed earthenware from archaeological excavations, that took place in the waste dumps of the Vieillard and Co manufactory, has been studied. A multianalytical study (SEM-EDS, PIXE-PIGE, and hyperspectral imaging) was carried out in order to characterize both the clay support and the colored glazes. A second part of this research concerns the development of optical techniques based on reflectance spectra and hyperspectral imaging. This non-invasive method is intended to characterize colored glazes and more specifically, to identify the type of pigments used. All the data obtained made it possible to better understand the nature of the decoration chromogens and thus, to establish the color palette of the artists who produced this type of decorative objects. Therefore, one of the aims is to build a preliminary database established on hyperspectral imaging, which will then be used when studying ceramic objects that can not be sampled.

The Ychsma society was one of the most important civilizations developed between 900 and 1532 CE in Lima, the present Peruvian capital, situated on the central coast of Peru. The Ychsma territory included the lower basin of the Rimac and Lurin valleys in the current city of Lima (Peru). Around 1470 CE, the Ychsma region was conquered and placed under the control of the Inca Empire, which ruled the region until the Spanish conquest in 1532 CE. Despite this, the Inca rule allowed local elites to maintain their position and control of the population. The archaeological site of Armatambo was an important administrative center of the Ychsma society. This site was actively occupied during the Middle Ychsma (1250-1350 CE) and Late Ychsma (1350-1532 CE) phases, and as the capital of the Sullco Curacazgo controlled a large part of the lower Rimac valley. During excavations at this site, many materials associated with ceramic production were found. One aspect crucial to the study of ceramic materials is the reconstruction of ceramic production and distribution networks, which allows us to obtain information linked to the social and economic interaction between communities. To determine the local or non-local origin of the materials found at Armatambo, 61 samples were analyzed using ICP-MS, Petrography, and SEM. The results were compared with archaeological and geological data from the Rimac valley to determine whether or not production there was local or non-local and to identify possible sources of raw materials.

In this paper, we focus on the industrial production of porcelain in the Bordeaux area (France) in the 19th century. Our main objective is to assess the evolution of production technology of the same manufactory over a period of more than 40 years. A multi-analytical approach was used to investigate glazes and bodies of thirty-four sherds of biscuit and porcelain found in an archaeological context. The microstructural, chemical, and mineralogical characterization was performed using a combination of scanning electron microscopy, coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), particles induced X-ray and gamma emission (PIXE-PIGE), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Results obtained on the characterization of the ceramic production technologies and on the chemical modification over time contributes to investigate this industrial production, which is not well documented by the written archives. The examination of the biscuits, rare artifacts, showed that the porcelain bodies were produced by mixing kaolinitic clays, quartz, and potassium feldspars. The mineralogical analysis of the ceramic supports allowed hypotheses to be put forward on the temperatures of the biscuit firing (around 950 °C) and the second firing (over 1200 °C). Furthermore, the treatment of the compositional data, including both glazes and bodies, using multivariate statistical analysis, revealed different types of production corresponding to the different chronological periods of production at Bordeaux throughout the 19th century. These results will enable us to consider the possibility of authenticating non-stamped and undecorated pieces.

The aim of this research is to investigate the influence of NaCl on the colours and chemical composition of Ca-rich ceramic bodies. The addition of salt to ceramics is a practice that has been observed in several potter communities where the addition of salt is explicitly intended to whiten ceramics. In order to conduct this research and characterize the physico-chemical properties induced by the presence of salt, raw clay material and pot sherds were collected from the modern production at Hebron. Experimental bricks were made using two clayed sediments: one with a low CaO content (<10%) and one with a higher CaO content (20–25%). Different proportions of NaCl were added (up to 5%) to clay pastes which were fired at different temperatures. Mineralogy (petrography, XRD), chemistry (SEM-EDX) and colour analyses were carried out on raw clay materials, pot sherds and experimental (lab-made) bricks. SEM imagery offered the possibility to monitor the evolution of the mineralogical transformations, the pore system with increasing firing temperature and salt content. Results confirm the role of salt as a catalyst in the transformation reaction of calcium silicates during the firing process and its influence on the colour of the finished object.

We present a multimethod analysis of 97 lead-glazed tablewares from the so-called Frankish Area at Corinth, at the time of the transition from Frankish feudalism to an administration by powerful Florentine bankers, then the Despotate of the Morea in the late 13th to early 15th century a.d. This sector of the medieval city appears to have been continuously occupied after the Catalan raid of 1312. The results shed new light on the late years of the Corinthian Sgraffito ware industry, and on the role of northern Italian trading cities and their possessions overseas as production and distribution centers of lead-glazed pottery, including imitations of Zeuxippus and other Byzantine wares using specific glaze recipes and pigments.

Combined analysis methods such as optical microscopy (OM), cathodoluminescence (CL) microscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy–energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEM–EDX) have made it possible to obtain the first physico-chemical data of Dacian potsherds, exhumed at the archeological site of Ocnița-Buridava, Romania; the samples were provided by the “Aurelian Sacerdoțeanu” County Museum Vâlcea, dating from the 2nd century BC to the 1st century AD. The mineralogical and petrographic analyses revealed two types of ceramic pastes, taking into account the granulometry of the inclusions and highlighting the choice of the potter for fabricating the ceramic either by wheel or by hand. All samples showed an abundance in quartz, mica (muscovite and biotite), and feldspars. These observations were confirmed by cathodoluminescence imagery, revealing heterogeneous pastes with varied granulometric distributions. The XRD patterns indicated the presence of the mineral phases, indicating a firing temperature below 900 °C. The wheel-made ceramics have a fine, compact matrix with very fine inclusions (<40 µm). On the other hand, the hand-made ceramics present a coarse matrix, with inclusions whose granulometry reaches approximately 2 mm. The difference between these two types of ceramics is also confirmed by the mineralogical and chemical analysis. The wheel-made potsherds are more abundant in MgO, Al2O3, and CaO contents.

This paper aims to apprehend evolution of ceramic manufacture strategy in the Johnston-Vieillard manufactory (Bordeaux, France), which produced white earthenwares between 1835 and 1895. Glazes of fragments of 76 sherds, dated from different periods of the 19th century and found in excavations were characterised thanks to combined chemical and mechanical analysis. A comparative study was carried out for the determination of boron content in glazes by LA-ICP-MS and ion-beam analyses (PIGE). In addition, an innovative study of the mechanical characteristics of the glazes by nanoindentation experiments was carried out in order to see whether or not the evolution of the glaze recipes was accompanied by an evolution of their mechanical properties.

ou non, émanant des établissements d'enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés.

A common approach in provenance studies of ceramic materials is to compare the elemental composition of raw materials with that of archaeological artefacts. However, alteration problems remain neglected. This study thus proposes a first comparison between ceramic materials and unfired potsherds found in the same archaeological context from the late Iron Age. Our results highlight the importance of proper analysis of compositional data and the relevance of the methodological advances following J. Aitchison’s (1986) work. This approach makes it possible to identify post-depositional processes, such as those related to pedogenesis, that do not affect clays and ceramics in the same way. Differential alteration depending on the nature of the materials suggests caution in the strict application of the provenance postulate when comparing archaeological and geological materials.

In this paper, we focus on the industrial production of white earthenware in the Bordeaux area (France) in the 19th century. Our main objective is to assess the evolution of production technology. A multi-analytical approach was used to investigate bodies of 150 fragments found in archaeological context. The microstructural, chemical and mineralogical characterization was performed using a combination of Scanning Electron Microscopy coupled with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), Proton Induced X-Ray Emission (PIXE) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). The results showed that the ceramic bodies were produced by mixing high-Al clays, calcined flint and possibly feldspar. Moreover, the combined use of calcined flint, kaolinite clay and sometimes Co-rich colorant for the preparation of the ceramic bodies highlighted the importance of the whiteness aspect of bodies. Furthermore, the treatment of the compositional data using multivariate statistical analysis revealed different groups of production corresponding to the different chronological periods of production at Bordeaux throughout the 19th century.