Τhe Case of the Mycenaean Site of ‘Kastrouli’ Near Delphi; Characterization of Pottery and Clay Material: A First Assessment of the Results through XRF and XRD Analyses

Τhe theme of this prototype research concerns the analysis of selected pottery fragments (K1-K81) derived from the first excavation period of the prehistoric site"Kastrouli" in the neighboring area of Delphi. Analyses were performed on the samples by the methods XRF and XRD (along with Munsell color system) in order to identify the chemical and mineralogical elements that lead to the characterization of the clay used for the manufacture of ceramics. Moreover, analyzes were performed in clay soil samples (DS1-2-3-4), collected from surface survey in the neighboring areas of Agia Irini, Limnos and Meteles in order the local raw material to be examined. In this paper, are presented the results obtained from the analysis that focus on the chemical composition of both the clay and the raw materials. The results concern the characterization and the provenance of the pottery under study, along with the raw materials manufactured. The contribution of this study leads to the identification of the pottery and the long-term interpretation of the technology, applied by the potters at this Mycenaean site, concerning the technical level and the origin of the clay.

Keywords: Mycenaean pottery, clays, XRF/XRD methods, Prehistoric site, cluster analysis.