Flint, or chert, sources in the Rhine-Meuse delta are generally distinguished based on macroscopic characteristics such as fossil inclusions, colour variations, and translucency. Previous studies on chemical characterisations of flint sources proved challenging due to the variation and overlap between different sources. Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (ED-XRF) analysis, therefore, cannot, in our view, be used as an alternative to these traditional sourcing methods. Nevertheless, in this paper, we demonstrate that X-ray spectrometry can be used as a viable method when used in tandem with traditional methodologies. Macroscopically, Spiennes and Lanaye flints, notably Rijckholt flint, cannot be distinguished based on variations in colour, texture, and microfossil content. In the present study, we used a non-destructive portable ED-XRF to distinguish Spiennes, Rijckholt, and eluvial Lanaye flints. While it proved impossible to distinguish between different Lanaye sources, it is possible to distinguish between Spiennes and Lanaye flints based on the higher phosphorus concentrations in Spiennes flint. The archaeological implications have been studied using material derived from four Neolithic Vlaardingen Culture (3400–2500 BC) sites in the Rhine-Meuse delta. We demonstrated that Spiennes and Lanaye flints were present at all sites. Proximity to either of these sources was not a decisive factor in procurement strategies. Flint was exchanged both via the Meuse (leading to the Lanaye flint sources) and the Scheldt (leading to Spiennes). The four selected Vlaardingen Culture sites are located at the intersection between these exchange routes. This favourable location provided good access to high-quality exotic flint at these sites.

Museums and culture heritage institutions seek affordable, comparative, non-invasive imaging and analytical techniques to identify and study ancient materials and support their conservation. This study presents a multimodal research approach to assess the art-historical value of an isolated ancient Egyptian polychrome wooden coffin fragment from the KU Leuven archaeological collections, dating to the Third Intermediate Period (ca. 945–656 BCE). In a first step imaging techniques (standard even and raking photography, visible-induced luminescence, visible imaging spectrometry, white light and multispectral multilight reflectance imaging, narrow band multispectral imaging) were applied on the coffin’s surface to document its state, to identify and differentiate original and restored areas, and to select spots for more in-depth spectroscopic molecular and elemental analysis (fibre optics reflectance spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy). These allowed pigment identification, characterisation of mixtures and provided a deeper understanding of the object’s condition and used painting techniques. All applied methodologies can be used in situ. The resulting datasets are curated into a multilayered IIIF Mirador 3 viewer, presenting all results in a complete and user-friendly environment.

Between 300 CE and 1550 CE, the Isthmo-Colombian Area had one of the highest concentrations of stone artisans. This is reflected in the decorated metates that extend from Honduras to northern Colombia. The Chontales department, in central Nicaragua, plays an important role due to its geographic location between different cultural regions. In fact, archaeological investigations point to a strong tendency towards a local ethnic identity due to the style of its standing stone sculptures. However, the production of decorated metates appears to share similarities with broader regional styles from northern areas of the Isthmo-Colombian Area. Considering that most of the decorated metates were collected throughout the early half of the 20th century and belong to museums where no or limited information on their original context is contained, the study of these materials must rely mostly on alternative lines of evidence such as archaeometric studies. In this research, we explore the relationship between artisanal production and the selection of (volcanic) raw material sources in the Chontales archaeological landscape. In this paper, we present the (1) non-destructive characterization of the collection and (2) explore the correlation between geochemical sources and stylistic characteristics. Contrary to previous assumptions, the study finds that a wide variety of volcanic material sources were used in decorated metate manufacturing and may, in fact, have been widely circulated. Furthermore, the study suggests that specific sources were used for particular tasks. These results may provide insight into our understanding of persistent crafting traditions and intergroup interactions in Central Nicaragua.

The differentiation between various fine-grained and clay-rich materials, also described as argillaceous inclusions, specifically mudstones and grog, presents considerable challenges in the analysis of archaeological ceramics. These difficulties arise from overlapping characteristics and the mineral uniformity of raw materials in certain environments. This study addresses these challenges by developing an interpretative framework to identify robust characteristic features to distinguish between mudstone and grog as well as recurring pitfalls. To this end, we constructed an experimental reference set comprising 26 testbars, which are analyzed using thin section petrography and SEM-EDS to examine the features of mudstone, grog and clays. The materials derive from the Kur River Basin in Southwest Iran, as this is an area with evidenced presence and use of extensive argillaceous inclusions through time. Additionally, we studied thin sections from a variable selection of archaeological ceramics (n = 11) with argillaceous inclusions from the same region that date from the Banesh to Late Bronze Age periods (ca. 3500 to 900 BCE) for comparison. The aim of this research was threefold: (1) assess optical identifiable characteristics of the argillaceous materials, (2) determine the compositional variability in the mudstones and grog fragments in this region and (3) document and test the potential of mudstone analysis for characterization and provenance purposes. Our findings indicate that distinguishing features are influenced by the granularity of the grog and sintering process. Notably, characteristics associated with mudstone inclusions comprise a compact, fine-grained texture, homogeneity with few to no constituents, solid or polygonal cracking, higher roundness, variability in particle sizes, and a pronounced likelihood of birefringence at lower firing temperatures where sintering has not yet occurred. The differentiation challenges intensify once sintering develops at higher firing temperatures, particularly when fine grog is present. In such cases, the angularity of the inclusions emerges as the primary criterion. SEM-EDS analysis further corroborated the established criteria, demonstrating a consistent chemical difference between grog and mudstone, aside from one overlapping type. Moreover, it supports a typological approach for determining these characteristics in thin section petrography and highlights a potential for provenance determinations of mudstone within a regional framework. Finally, analysis of the argillaceous inclusions in the archaeological ceramics suggests that no grog was used in these ceramics and that an intra-basin variability of mudstone was present that allows for higher resolution provenance studies.

This paper addresses technological dynamics revealed through raw material analyses of Late Hallstatt (seventh–fifth centuries BCE) ceramics from the famous Heuneburg site (Herbertingen-Hundersingen, SW Germany). The study combines, for the first time, separate sets of thin-sections produced over the last 50 years in order to provide a comprehensive and consolidated characterisation of technological changes in ceramic production taking place at the site during the Hallstatt phases D1 to D3. It provides significant new insights into the relation between raw material procurement and preparation, on the one hand, and changes in ceramic typology and production methods, on the other hand (i.e. the introduction of the potter’s wheel). The results reveal a shift from a broad spectrum of fabrics tempered with grog, sand or crushed calcite in phase Hallstatt D1, to the increasing use of non-calcareous, grog or sand-tempered fabrics. The new wheel-turned pottery (appearing from phase Hallstatt D3) is exclusively produced using a non-calcareous clay, often tempered with fine sand, indicating a specialisation in raw material selection alongside the introduction of novel shaping techniques. Evidence of continuity between the fabrics used in phase Hallstatt D1 and the new wheel-turned pottery suggests craft specialists drew upon established technological knowledge to integrate the potter’s wheel. The adoption of the potter’s wheel was likely also stimulated by the increased demand for new vessels to accommodate the consumption of fermented drinks such as grape wine, fruit wine or beer.

This paper presents the first archaeometrical data on colonial glazed wares (taches noires) imported in Haiti (Fort Liberté). The analysis evidenced the exclusive presence of Italian taches noires products, dated before 1820 and related to the colonial era. The presence of English wares next to colonial materials demonstrated continuity in the use of landscape after the Independence and the establishment of international trade relationships between the state of Haiti and the British Empire. Results are an important step forward in the understanding of production and movement of the Taches noires ware, which were exported globally between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

A total of 119 middle to late second millennium bce pottery samples from six sites in the Kur River Basin (Fars, Iran) were examined to characterize these ceramics and reconstruct their manufacturing technology and the origin of the primary materials. For this, a combined study of handheld XRF and thin-section petrography was performed. The geochemical signatures of these ceramics were defined and interpreted in their archaeological and geological framework, resulting in the determination of different production processes and clay types used for four ceramic wares (Middle Elamite, Qaleh, Shogha and Taimuran) and the identification of possible outcrops used for Shogha–Taimuran production.

A collection of Prime Cultural Heritage artefacts consisting of Egyptian late Middle Kingdom figurines (c. 1850–1700 BCE), made of unfired clay and covered in inscriptions, is kept at the Royal Museums of Art and History (RMAH) in Brussels, Belgium. Several of these hieratic inscriptions curse enemies of the Egyptian state, including Canaanite, Nubian and Libyan entities; thus providing invaluable information for Middle Bronze topography in ancient Near Eastern studies. What makes the extensive Brussels group even more exceptional, is the fact that these figurines were discovered in a closed archaeological context in Saqqara, Lower Egypt. Defining and classifying clay and ancient ceramic provenance groups in Egypt is highly complex due to variability in Nile and marl clay deposits. Chemical characterization of this figurine assemblage (n = 91) allows to effectively study the potential direct use of clays in the vicinity of Saqqara and characterize the nature of the raw materials used. Additionally, it aims to assess the validity of portable XRF spectrometry for this type of materials and its provenance resolution. Analyses show that very similar clays were used to produce the different morphological types of figurines in the assemblage. The chemical profile indicates the use of a mixed source at Saqqara rather than pure marl or Nile clays, which are common for ancient pottery production.

The introduction of the Corded Ware Culture (3000–2500 BCE) is considered a formative event in Europe's past. Ancient DNA analyses demonstrate that migrations played a crucial role in this event. However, these analyses approach the issue at a supra-regional scale, leaving questions about the regional and local impact of this event unresolved. This study pilots an approach to ceramics that brings this small-scale impact into focus by using the transmission of ceramic technology as a proxy for social change. It draws on ethno-archaeological studies of the effects of social changes on the transmission of ceramic production techniques to hypothesise the impact of three idealised scenarios that archaeologists have proposed for the introduction of Corded Ware Culture: migration, diffusion, and network interactions. Subsequently, it verifies these hypotheses by integrating geochemical (WDXRF), mineralogical (petrography), and macromorphological analysis of ceramics with network analysis. This method is applied to 30 Late Neolithic ceramic vessels from three sites in the western coastal area of the Netherlands (Hazerswoude-Rijndijk N11, Zandwerven, and Voorschoten-De Donk). This study concludes that the introduction of Corded Ware material culture is a process that varies from site to site in the western coastal area of the Netherlands. Moreover, the introduction of the Corded Ware Culture is characterised by continuity in technological traditions throughout the study area, indicating a degree of social continuity despite typological changes in ceramics.

The colors of copper alloys are of particular interest in archaeology and can be characterized quantitatively and systematically. The CIELAB color system can determine different color parameters such as a* b* and L* by means of a spectrophotometer that describes the surface color. Additional information such as C* and h values can be calculated from these parameters which allows one to build a set of color-composition diagrams that connects chromaticity and alloy composition. With such data it is possible to estimate the color of prehistoric metal artifacts with similar chemical composition. A better understanding of the association between metallurgical composition and color will aid the research of prehistoric metalwork because choices in production and use of metal were likely influenced by this particular quality of metal.

Analytical ceramic studies offer the opportunity to determine cultural development and change on the basis of origin and use of raw materials. In this particular study, an archaeometric approach on ceramics in central Pisidia contributes to the discussion of contact and exchange between indigenous communities and several cultural spheres of influence on a long-term timescale (eighth to second centuries bce). Morphological data as well as mineralogical (optical microscopy; n = 273) and chemical composition (by ICP-OES/MS; n = 122) of ceramics and raw materials show distinct resource zones for the production and distribution of ceramics in this connecting region of Anatolia. The use of trace element profiles (REE, HFSE, LILE and TTE) in particular is regarded as instrumental in detailing high-resolution provenancing of ceramics. The ceramic provenance indicates different patterns of material interactions during the Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic periods. A significant increase in regional interaction occurs coinciding with the development of pottery activities at Sagalassos.