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The calcareous skeletal remains of various microscopic organisms such as foraminifera and ostracods are a striking feature of thin sections of many archaeological ceramics from the Aegean Bronze Age. While the presence of these calcareous microfossils in pottery has been noted for some time, attempts to utilize them to further the aims of ceramic compositional analysis have been few in number. In the following paper, we take a first detailed look at the occurrence and utility of calcareous microfossils in archaeological ceramics. By presenting selected case studies from the Bronze Age of Crete, we demonstrate the potential of calcareous microfossils, especially the extremely small ‘nannofossils’ and the highly contextual geological information that they contain, in terms of the characterization and grouping of ceramics, the determination of their provenance and the reconstruction of ancient technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies a set of wall-paintings of the Late Bronze Age (c. 1650bc) initially decorating the internal walls of the third floor of the edifice called ‘Xeste 3’, excavated at Akrotiri, Thera, whose restoration is now in progress. It deals with the methods used for the drawing of the geometrical figures appearing in these wall-paintings. It is demonstrated that most of the depicted configurations correspond with accuracy to geometrical prototypes such as linear spirals and canonical polygons. It is pointed out that the steady lines of the figures, their remarkable repeatability, the precision of the geometrical shapes and their even distribution in the wall-paintings indicate a very distinctive use of the ‘Xeste 3’ third floor, which is now investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ayia Triada Cave excavations revealed multiple human burials and evidence for feasting in Early Bronze Age (EBA) Greece. Associated pottery was subjected to gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) to investigate feasting in ritual contexts. Reported here are the first organic residue results from 69 sherds. Abundant residues were preserved, revealing heavy vessel use and multi‐resource mixtures, and echoing domestic consumption patterns. This research also identifies possible functions and associated products of certain EBA vessel types, for example, sauceboats. The linking of ordinary foods and vessels to an important rite of passage, like death, reinforces daily food practices, social relationships, and collective identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The formation of reference groups comprises an important procedure in chemical provenance studies of archaeological pottery. Material from ancient kilns is thought to be especially suitable for reference groups, as it comprises a definite unit of past production. Pottery from the Late Minoan IA kiln excavated at Kommos, Crete was analysed in order to produce a reference group in this important area of Minoan ceramic production. The samples were characterized by a combination of techniques providing information on the chemistry, mineralogy and microstructure of the ceramic body. Initially, the study was unable to establish, in a straightforward manner, a chemical reference group. Different ceramic pastes and a range of selective alterations and contaminations, affected by variable firing temperatures and burial environment, were shown to be responsible for the compositional variability. Procedures are described to compensate for such alterations and the perturbations in the data that they produce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]