Estimation of Firing Temperature and Compositional Variability of Archaeological Pottery by Differential Scanning Calorimetry

摘要

Digital Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), a thermal characterization technique, can be used to rapidly obtain a rough upper estimate of the firing temperature of archaeological pottery as well as an indication of its composition. The technique involves heating a small sample (10-20 mg) of ground ceramic above the vitrification temperature, cooling and reheating. The curves of the two heating cycles are then compared. The validity of the technique was evaluated by a blind test in which 35 tiles fired at different temperatures were analyzed without knowing their firing point, and by analysis of archaeological pottery samples assumed to be local or imported based upon stylistic criteria.