Losing your temper

Pottery from Buka Island, Papua New Guinea, was subjected to chemical characterisation studies using both the electron microprobe and PIXE‐PIGME. I report here on the problems and limits of using chemical analyses on prehistoric pottery to assess questions concerning technology and production patterns, and address in particular the problem of compensating for the chemical noise that arises when mineral inclusions are added to a clay in the manufacturing process of pottery. This chemical noise, if not taken into account, can lead to erroneous models of production and exchange. The results demonstrate that the electron microprobe is a useful tool in overcoming the problem of chemical noise and when used in conjunction with PIXE‐PIGME can also be useful in identifying whether inclusions found in a sherd were manually added or found naturally in the original clay. This allows archaeologists another dimension to identify technological changes between assemblages

Archaeology · Electron microprobe · Geography · Metallurgy · Microprobe · Mineral · Mineralogy · Pottery · Prehistory · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Cultural Heritage Materials Analysis · Geochemistry and Geologic Mapping · Materials Science · Geology

• Assessment of the technological variability in decorated Lapita pottery from Teouma, Vanuatu, by petrography and LA-ICP-MS

  Open Access•M Leclerc, E Grono et al.•Archaeological and Anthropological…•2019

  Incluir item

• Enter the Ceramic Matrix

  Helen Rosemarie Heath, Helen Heath et al.•New Perspectives in Southeast…•2017

  Incluir item

• Chapter 13

  M Golitko•Fieldiana Anthropology•2011

  Incluir item

• Do Hiccups Echo

  Gabrielius Vilgalys, Glenn Summerhayes•Asian perspectives•2016

  Incluir item

• A Multi-Analytical Archaeometric Approach to Chalcolithic Ceramics from Charneca do Fratel (Portugal)

  Open Access•Ana S Saraiva, Mathilda L Coutinho et al.•Quaternary•2025

  Incluir item

• Identifying prehistoric trade networks in the Massim region, Papua New Guinea

  Open Access•B Shaw, M Leclerc et al.•Journal of Archaeological Science…•2016

  Incluir item

• Oposisi Revisited

  Nicholas Sutton, Glenn Summerhayes et al.•The Journal of Island and Coastal…•2019

  Incluir item

• Geochemical Characterization of Lapita Ceramics From the Western Solomon Islands by Means of Portable X-Ray Fluorescence and Scanning Electron Microscopy

  Karolyn L Buhring, Clara Azemard et al.•The Journal of Island and Coastal…•2014

  Incluir item

• The natural variability of clay and its impact on provenance study of pottery in Vanuatu and further afield

  Open Access•M Leclerc•Geoarchaeology•2020

  Incluir item

• Investigating the nature of mobility patterns and interaction

  Arthur Jay Woods Grainger, Arthur Grainger et al.•Australian Archaeology•2020

  Incluir item

• Ceramic studies using portable XRF

  Open Access•Ellery Frahm•Journal of Archaeological Science•2017

  Incluir item

• Compositional Characterization of Prehistoric Ceramics

  Open Access•D J Kennett, Sachiko Sakai et al.•Journal of Archaeological Science•2002

  Incluir item

• Chemical Characterization of Micronesian Ceramics Through Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis

  Open Access•Christophe Descantes, Hector Neff et al.•Journal of Archaeological Science•2001

  Incluir item

• Uncovering Hidden Dynamics of Past Kinship and Exchange Relations on Papua New Guinea’s South Coast (650–300 cal BP) Through Scanning Electron Microscopy Automated Mineralogy Analyses of Pottery Sherds

  Open Access•Robert Skelly, Barbara Etschmann et al.•Journal of Archaeological Method…•2025

  Incluir item

• Implications of Petrographic Temper Analysis for Oceanian Prehistory

  Open Access•William R Dickinson, Richard Shutler•Journal of World Prehistory•2000

  Incluir item

• Movement of ideas not materials

  Open Access•D Wright, William Dickinson•Archaeology in Oceania/Archæology…•2009

  Incluir item

• The Statistical Analysis of Compositional Data

  Open Access•J Aitchison•The Statistical Analysis of…•1986

  Incluir item

• Ceramic Compositional Analysis in Archaeological Perspective

  Open Access•Ronald L Bishop, Robert L Rands et al.•Advances in archaeological method…•1982

  Incluir item

• Archaeological Ceramics

  Elizabeth A Slater, J S Olin et al.•Studies in Conservation•1984

  Incluir item

• The scientific analysis of ancient ceramics

  D P S Peacock•World Archaeology•1970

  Incluir item

• A simulation approach to the problem of tempering in compositional studies of archaeological ceramics

  Open Access•Hector Neff, Ronald L Bishop et al.•Journal of Archaeological Science•1988

  Incluir item

• Scientific studies in ancient ceramics

  Open Access•D P S Peacock•Journal of Archaeological Science•1982

  Incluir item

• More observations on the problem of tempering in compositional studies of archaeological ceramics

  Open Access•Hector Neff, Ronald L Bishop et al.•Journal of Archaeological Science•1989

  Incluir item

• New approaches to Papuan pottery analysis

  Owen Rye, O J Rye et al.•Journal de la Société des…•1980

  Incluir item

• [Diversity, Continuity and Change in the History of the Bismarck Archipelago] Lapita Origins, Distribution, Contemporaries and Successors Revisited

  Open Access•M Spriggs•Bulletin of the Indo-Pacific…•1991

  Incluir item

• Science and Archaeology

  Marie Farnsworth, Robert H Brill•The Classical World•1972

  Incluir item

• A Lyons Branch of the Pottery‐making Firm of Ateius of Arezzo

  Open Access•F WIDEMANN, Maurice Picon et al.•Archaeometry•1975

  Incluir item

• Applications and Potential of Electron Probe Micro‐analysis in Technological and Provenance Investigations of Ancient Ceramics

  Open Access•Ian C Freestone•Archaeometry•1982

  Incluir item

• Lapita pottery of the Bismarck Archipelago and its affinities

  Open Access•Dimitri Anson•Archaeology in Oceania/Archæology…•1986

  Incluir item

• Melanesian and Australian Exchange Systems

  Open Access•William L Rathje•Mankind•2010

  Incluir item

• The Ceramics of Kaminaljuyu, Guatemala

  Gordon R Willey, Ronald K Wetherington•Hispanic American Historical Review•1981

  Incluir item