Our project targeting clay sources in the province of Chania was largely inspired by previous work carried out in the area with a variety of scales and approaches. We expanded the size of the sample area and previous methodology. We surveyed large areas with natural sedimentation with an emphasis in the wider regions of major archaeological sites from both the Minoan and post-Minoan periods.  Samples were from modern quarries, road cuts, and riverbeds, including red alluvial sediments and white marls. The analytical methodology that will be applied involves not only thin-section petrography but also a series of geochemical and mineralogical techniques in order to: (a) investigate the nature and extent of raw materials (clays and tempering agents) available for pottery manufacture across the province of Chania; (b) assess potential regional geochemical and mineralogical variation within materials of similar nature (e.g., red clays); and (c) create a “compositional map” for these materials that will be available for comparative purposes to researchers doing archaeometric analyses on ancient pottery.

This project has as its starting point the sites of Huaca Amarilla and Huaca Grande (north coast of Peru), excavated since 2015 by the Franco-Peruvian team of the "Desert Archaeological Program of Sechura" the material culture found at Huaca Amarilla and Huaca Grande are clearly associated with neighboring cultural traditions Lambayeque (850-1300 AD), Chimú (850-1470 AD) or Inca (1470-1532 AD) , paleteada: From 500 AD. J.-C., this stylistic type appears massively on the northern coast of Peru. The ceramic paleteada is notably made by beating. The technique of threshing has been attested in the Andes of southern Ecuador since at least 100 BC. J.-C. Several different scenarios of the ceramic manufacture are explored concerning both movement of potters and transportation of materials.

A multianalytical work for revisting Venice back in the 7th and 8th centuries before the foundation of San Marco.

Our project targeting clay sources in the area of Pheneos was largely inspired by previous work carried out in the area with a variety of scales and approaches.

This research focuses on clayey raw materials related to known pottery production areas in East Aegean islands and the coast of Asia Minor from Prehistory to the Byzantine Period. In the first phase the respective areas (Rhodes, Kos, Samos, Chios, Lesvos, Lemnos and Asia Minor) will be systematically surveyed and adequate raw material deposits will be sampled. The samples will be investigated for their petrographic, mineralogical, geochemical composition as well as their physical properties in order to assess inter-deposit and intra-deposit compositional variation and unveil technological aspects allowing to build a reference database for clayey raw materials in the region. The analytical data will be compared with available archaeological ceramics of the studied area, fabricated from Prehistory until the Byzantine Period. The present study is expected to provide new data on pottery provenance within the Mediterranean trading networks as well as on technology in view of preferences in raw material selection and clay paste processing. 

The study is oriented to Patras, the major city of the Province of Achaea, placed on a geographically important location, along the axis of Eastern and Western Greece and the naval western gateway.  The establishment as a Roman colony by the Emperor Augustus in 14 BC, defined its acme in the Imperial Roman period. The research has been divided into four parts, each viewing archaeological data from a different perspective. The first part deals with the present state of knowledge within archaeologically attested testimonies. The evidence ranges from data and sites, to  architectural structures and installations of pottery production in the Augustan colony of Patras. The second part  regards the geo-prospection and an  in depth understanding of our subject  areas, the ceramic workshops, highlighting their spatial representation. The next part deals with an archaeometric approach for examining and analyzing pottery artefacts with an ever-increasing precision. The repertoire incorporates samples from the interior of kilns or their surrounding area within the workspace. The study of the petrographic, mineralogical characteristics of ceramic samples allowed us to determine the provenance of their raw materials . While these ceramics are from different workshops, the petrographic analysis complementary with the powder patterns, indicate that the same different clays are in use and these clay sources derive from the local  geographic region and lithology .

The evaluation of the prehistoric stone artefacts from Vathy using non-invasive analytical methods (Near Infrared Spectroscopy—NIR), in combination with the mineral-petrographic characterization of the main lithological formations of the island has provided important information about raw material procurement and possible exchange networks. The geological study of the island combined with the analytical methods applied to the archaeological artefacts and the geological samples led to the identification of both local and allogenic materials, by means of a portable microscope and NIR spectroscopy.  Based on the mineralogical and petrographic characterization of the stone artefacts, a first attempt is made to evaluate the possible raw material sources and to identify potential intra-island modes of stone exploitation.

The present research deals with the characterization of a ceramic assemblage from the Late Mycenaean (Late Helladic III) settlement of Kastrouli, at Desfina near Delphi, Central Greece using various analytical techniques. Kastrouli is located in the strategic position supervising the Mesokampos plateau and the entire peninsula, and is related to other nearby coeval settlements. Experimental briquettes made from clayey raw materials collected in the vicinity of Kastrouli, were fired under various temperatures (700, 900 and 1050oC) in oxidizing conditions aiming to compare them with the ancient ceramics. In total 22 ceramic sherds and 8 samples of the local clays were analyzed through mineralogical, petrographic and microstructural techniques.

The project is in collaboration and supervision of Prof. Ioannis Liritzis (Distinguished professor of Achaeometry and interdisciplinary arppoaches to Archaeology, cultural heritage and paleoenviroment at Henan University, China. https://liritzis.eu/ )

The aim of the project is to investigate the ceramic technology of a large and varied body of archaeological materials that have been recovered from the site of San Angelo Vecchio.  SAV is located at Metaponto, a Greek colony in southern Italy.  What is of particular interest at SAV is the complex of kilns that date from the 4th to the 1st c. BCE.  In short, there is the chance to bring together the study of the remains of the kilns (already at an advanced stage) with the analysis of local raw materials (used for making ceramics) and petrographic, chemical, and physical studies of the ceramic products themselves.  The project at Metaponto proposes to integrate multiple approaches (two of which are pioneering) to ceramic analysis in seeking answers to questions regarding exploitation of natural resources, ceramic technology, industrial organization, mercantile exchange, and even the religious practices of the ancient inhabitants of Metaponto. 

The Helike Project's excavations in the northwestern Peloponnese, Greece have revealed a vast collection of remains from an Early Helladic (EH) II-III settlement. Among the recovered artifacts from the excavated structures are an extensive array of pottery items that exhibit a diverse range of shapes and designs. These include serving utensils and cooking vessels, with a noteworthy number of complete pots, as well as transport and storage jars, including exceptionally large pithoi that were primarily used for long-term storage of agricultural products. The technological diversity of these typological groups is a crucial element for understanding the local social and economic structure, particularly when considering their architectural context. Our objective was to characterize serving and storage vessels, painted ware, thick jars dating to the EH III period, as well as light-colored tableware from the EH II period, using petrographic and chemical methods, such as optical microscopy and ICP-MS analysis. The outcomes of these provided insight into the technological decisions made by ancient potters in response to the needs of their consumers and the availability of raw materials in the study area.

Our aim is to illustrate our current understanding of the dynamic relationship between natural potting resources and potting practices on Kos. To achieve this goal, we used two principal approaches: (a) Geological prospection for the identification and collection of the potential sources for ancient potting materials; and (b) Experimental processing of raw clays and rock tempers. This part of our work was essential for the careful preparation of a wide joint program of petrographic and chemical analysis of Koan ceramics from both Italian and Greek excavations, which represents the fifth and forthcoming step of our study.

The cave of Daraki-Chattan (in Rewa river, India) bears important palaeolithic rock art (petroglyphs), while the environs is exceptionally rich in stone tools, mostly of the Acheulian. The field survey and excavations in the area found cupule panel fragments almost down to bedrock; Acheulian industry to Oldowan-like industry including several hammerstones. Early work demonstrated that at least some of the petroglyphs were of the earliest documented occupation of the region. Exfoliated pieces and boulders from the rock surface were found in the sediments, some bearing cupules and grooves. Here a detailed methodological procedure is enacted consisting of luminescence dating reinforced by mineralogical issues, where the latter secures credibility of the former. Surface patina and intrusion of (Fe, Mn) aluminosilicate weathering solution was examined in both luminescence profiles, properly dealt with issues of X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy–Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (SEM–EDS), X-Ray Florescence-Energy Dispersive mode (XRF/ED), Cathodoluminescence, stereomicroscope, thin sections optical microscopy (OM) and microdosimetry. Analytical petrographic results aided interpretation of luminescence data obtained.

In the context of the activity of our laboratory, the archeometric study in the cemetery of Lithovunios, Makrynias is included.  The aim of this study is to identify the origin of the ceramics found after the excavations carried out at this site.  Thus, we will be able to understand the economic situation as well as the commercial transactions that developed in this area, contributing to the work of the archaeological study.

In this project we had attempted to analyze the petrography (through assessment of thin sections) and the trace-element chemistry (through instrumental neutron activation analysis) of the earliest roof-tiles in Rome. Traditionally, the study of early architectural terracottas and roof-tiles has been based on the classification of the material according to types, often with a focus on iconography and style12 -in other words, the work of the art historian, as C. and O. Wikander note in their reflections on 30 yearrs of experience in central Italy. Such an approach has both its strengths and its weaknesses: on one hand, it fosters a well-developed sense of appreciation of the material in aesthetic terms and places emphasis on chronology; on the other, what may be missing is a more integrated and functional orientation to early tiled roofs as complex matters of production and construction. There are, of course, exceptions, notably the work of the Wikanders at Acquarossa, where attention is paid not only to working out the clay sources but also to developing a more quantitative framework for thinking about the materials and the work required for roofing a given building (or buildings) in an early town. This is the first of several planned attempts on the connection between the clay beds in the Velabrum and the production of early roof-tiles in Rome.

This study examined possible sources of clayey raw materials, outcropping in the territory of the northern Peloponnese, which were potentially used for ceramic production during antiquity and also to provide a detailed characterization and comparison as to their compositional and technological properties. This was accomplished by the systematic sampling of Holocene, Plio-Pleistocene and Pliocene clayey raw materials extending from the region of Aigialeia to the region of Corinth. In the case of the ceramic material, our selection was constrained by the recent important discoveries in the site of ancient Helike. The Early Bronze Age material unearthed therein highlights its significant role since then and possibly indicates one of the earliest ceramic productions attested in the area. The ceramic analysis aims to provide a characterization mean for their comparison with the clayey raw materials sampled throughout the area and will help us unveil the early ceramic technology in the area and to make provenance inferences.

The project offers new insights into the local ceramic productivity and economic complexity in the Region of Patras. The city’s role as a production center in the trading networks, supplementary to its self-sufficiency of ceramic products is ought to be underlined. We deal with the present state of knowledge within archaeologically attested testimonies in an effort to record documented evidence, ranging from data and sites, to architectural structures and installations of pottery production in the Augustan colony of Patras. We managed to document almost 50 ceramic workshops and more than 70 archaeologically attested kilns, dated to 1st – early 3nd c. AD. 

In our effort to shed light onto processes inextricably linked with the ceramic production and sociocultural issues, we could not neglect ethnographic data and ethnoarchaeological research in the area of Patras. We were oriented towards the ceramic heritage of the last centuries, endeavoring to correlate contemporary pottery activities with pottery production of the past societies.

A new handwritten twenty pages’ manuscript of initiation to the Greek secret “friendly society” organization which was formed beginning of 19th century and essentially established the Greek independence against the Turks has been investigated. Historical accounts, spectroscopy analysis using Raman, X Ray Fluorescence and Near Infrared, for paper and ink characterization, as well as radiocarbon dating, and fractal of Minkowski Dimension algorithm of 5-lines and full-page handwritten text to identify number of scribers, and a novel preprocessing RGB color analysis of ink and paper identification have been applied. The investigation and results verify the dating of this manuscript to 1819, identify five types of iron gall inks, characterize the pulpwood and identify five different paper lots and four scribes from the ink content and handwritten styles of the compact five lines text and whole text pages. The results are mutually corroborated.