Browsing by Author "Sartori, Mario"
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Item A critical account on the automated SEM-EDS usage in ceramic analyses giving the example of prehistoric pottery from the site of Petit-Chasseur, Western Switzerland(2022) Carloni, Delia; Šegvić, Branimir (TTU); Zanoni, Giovanni (TTU); Sartori, Mario; Besse, MarieThis paper discusses the pros and cons of the application of automated SEM-EDS analysis to the characterization of pottery findings by means of a thorough discussion of the basics of its technology as well as its use in archaeometric research. An in-depth investigation of coarse prehistoric pottery (42 thin sections) from the Petit-Chasseur necropolis (3100-1600 BC, Southwestern Switzerland) provided the perfect testing ground for automated SEM-EDS analysis and resulted in a complete and updated reflection on the capabilities and limitations of this method. An opportunity to produce a quick, reliable, automated, and in-depth petrographic characterization of archaeological ceramics in the form of detailed phase maps stands as a unique feature of automated SEM-EDS technology. Indeed, the information on the composition of aplastic inclusions and clayey groundmass along with the insights on void distribution offer a great resource enabling inferences on raw material choices/provenance and manufacturing technology. However, the present study exposed there are more disadvantages than the ones reported by the literature. A phase identification ignoring crystallographic particularities whatsoever is potentially alarming for mineral sorting, whereas the simplification of lithoclast’s internal texture hampers the lithological classification of aplastic inclusions. Notwithstanding listed limitations, the use of automated SEM-EDS in archaeometric research of pottery offers a wealth of useful data which will secure its place in any future investigation of archaeological materials, alongside with the more traditional techniques such as optical petrography, regular scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction.Item Raw material choices and material characterization of the 3rd and 2nd millennium BC pottery from the Petit-Chasseur necropolis: Insights into the megalith-erecting society of the Upper Rhône Valley, Switzerland(2021) Carloni, Delia; Šegvić, Branimir (TTU); Sartori, Mario; Zanoni, Giovanni (TTU); Moscariello, Andrea; Besse, MarieOwing to its well-preserved and long-lasting archaeological record, the necropolis of Petit-Chasseur in the Upper Rhône Valley (3100–1600 BC) showcases the economic, social, and ideological changes of 3rd and 2nd millennium BC Europe excellently. An in-depth investigation of pottery artifacts was carried out using multiple spectroscopic and microscopic techniques. Nine types of ceramic fabrics were identified based on the variety of temper and natural inclusions; however, the mineralogy and phase chemistry of the ceramic matrix showed the paste to be primarily illitic or muscovitic, irrespective of the inclusion type. Muscovitic clays were likely procured from the fluvioglacial, glaciolacustrine, colluvial, and till sediment abundantly available at higher altitudes of the Upper Rhône Valley, whereas illitic clays were acquired from pedogenized loess horizons or the Rhône River alluvium. Different raw material choices and paste preparation practices suggest distinct ceramic traditions that likely existed in the valley during the 3rd and 2nd millennia BC. This, along with the hypothesized provenance of the raw material, is likely in favor of various prehistoric communities gathering at the megalithic necropolis from close and distant parts of the valley using the Petit-Chasseur site as a place of assembly.