X-Ray Diffraction Analysis of Prehistoric Pottery

Bibliographic Data

ID2568205
AuthorsJohn W Weymouth (University of Nebraska–Lincoln, corresponding author)
Year1973
Volume38
Issue3
Pages339-344
Publication date1973-07-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Antiquity (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0002-7316 • E-ISSN: 2325-5064
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.2307/279721
OpenAlexW2320784701
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited5

This is a preliminary report on a quantitative method for grouping prehistoric pottery using x-ray diffraction techniques. Of the various analytical methods that have been applied to the analysis of pottery, x-ray diffraction techniques have been among the least used, and then usually to obtain qualitative information. Most analytic methods measure the relative abundance of chemical elements, but diffraction patterns give information on the crystalline substances in the pottery. In this study, attention is directed to the crystalline components of the temper rather than the clays or their derivatives. The method groups pottery according to the relative concentrations of such minerals as quartz, calcite, and the feldspars. Thus, success depends on reasonable consistency in the use of tempering materials by pottery makers at one time and place. I have examined a number of sherds from different sites in Iowa and Missouri supplied by Dale R. Henning, University of Nebraska. The results so far indicate that it is possible to group prehistoric pottery by a quantitative analysis of the x-ray diffraction pattern of the temper in the pottery

Archaeology · Calcite · Diffraction · Geography · Metallurgy · Mineralogy · Optics · Physics · Pottery · Prehistory · Quartz · Building materials and conservation · Cultural Heritage Materials Analysis · Geology · Image Processing and 3D Reconstruction · Materials Science

Tools

Open DOISci-Hub