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The article focuses on the supposed presence of chocolate in Cahokia, exploring the evidence of Theobromide residue in ancient pottery and its implications for cultural connections with Mesoamerica. Topics include the initial excitement over the discovery, subsequent skepticism from scientific analyses, and the ongoing debate surrounding the existence of North American chocolate consumption.

This paper presents the application of five analytical methods to analyze ceramic fragments excavated in the archaeological sites of Sambaqui do Bacanga (SB), Sambaqui da Panaquatira (SP), and Rabo de Porco (RP) located on the Brazilian Amazon coast. It is a region that presents evidence of one of the oldest ceramic productions in the Americas. Characterization of ceramics from the three sites led to the identification of the production processes, technological acquisition and choices, and the origin of the raw materials. The analytical methods employed in this study were EDXRF, PIXE, Mössbauer spectroscopy, XRD, and computed radiography. It was concluded through the Mössbauer and XRD Spectroscopy analyses that the firing temperature range used on the ceramics was 750–900 °C, performed in an oxidizing environment. Fragments from the three archaeological sites were grouped into two groups through multivariate statistical analysis. The first group was composed of SB and SP samples, and the second of RP samples, indicating that different groups were manufactured with different clays. The result of the cluster analysis indicates that the clay used in the manufacture of the RP site fragments came from the bank of the Bacanga River. The ceramic fragments' internal structures, observed by computed radiography, revealed the presence of various sizes and types of temper in the fragments, showing different production technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several studies have been performed so far for the effective recovery, detection and quantification of specific compounds and their degradation products in archaeological materials. According to the literature, lipid molecules are the most durable and widespread biomarkers in ancient pottery. Artificial ageing studies to simulate lipid alterations over time have been reported. In this review, specific lipid archaeological biomarkers and well-established sampling and extraction methodologies are discussed. Although suitable analytical techniques have unraveled archaeological questions, some issues remain open such as the need to introduce innovative and miniaturized protocols to avoid extractions with organic solvents, which are often laborious and non-environmentally friendly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterogeneous sherds were collected from 10 archaeological sites located in the Kur River Basin (KRB) in southern Iran. They have been analysed through routinely standard microscopic approach, including momentous cathodoluminescence microscopy in order to characterize the pottery fabrication and diversities in raw material and firing behaviour between different pottery production from the eighth to third millennium BCE. Cathodoluminescence interpretations identify the diverse properties of the sherds from the KRB material. Conversely, their microfabrics are essentially conceded to a not tightly packed fabrication. Characterizing the raw material, additives and initial vitrification texture were identified through petrography and SEM. The effect of heating in such heterogenous body was essentially characterized by cathodoluminescence microscopy. Combining these methods demonstrates the advantages of multimicroscopical methods for studying insights among diverse raw materials and heat gradient from the surface into the core of ancient pottery, which led to display selective experimental pottery production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent excavations at the ancient site of Falak ol-Allak fort in Khorramabad, showed an evidence of the existence of a fortress which is based on the representative cultural materials. such as "genre Ltiristail pottery and architectural evidence. It is revealed that the fortress belongs to the period of Babajan III (9th-8th centuries BO in the region. This evidence. and in particular the genre Lm-istan pottery, has been attributed to the Ellipi kingdom. According to the Assyrian texts this kingdom at that time ruled over Pish-i Kuh of Luristan in western Iran. The name of Ellipi has been mentioned in the period of Assyrian kings' campaigns from the ninth century to the seventh century BC, notably in a campaign of Sargon H. the Assyrian king to the west of Iran, in 713 BC. The present paper. by examining the archaeological evidences. the Assyrian texts and the geography of the region, suggests that the evidence of the castle discovered in the lower layers of Falak 01-Ailak castle of Khorraniabad is a castle belonging to the Ellipi period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comparable to Drieu et al.'s viewpoint, we argue that it is possible to identify ancient Eurasian grape wine by current biomolecular methods, but only in conjunction with the relevant archaeological, archaeobotanical, and other natural and social scientific data. Additionally, we advocate an inductive–deductive working hypothesis model, which is appropriate for the "historical science" of archaeology. We focus on two key deficiencies of Drieu et al.'s argumentation: (1) the assumption that Guasch-Jané et al. (2004) extracted their ancient samples with potassium hydroxide before testing for tartaric acid/tartrate, and (2) the supposition that 5000-year-old yeast DNA would not be preserved in the hot climate of Egypt but rather represents modern contamination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review article examines seventy years of research and methodological approaches to the analysis of Mesolithic and Neolithic pottery in Sudan. It begins with the studies done by A. J. Arkell at the end of the 1940s, leading to the definition of the Khartoum Mesolithic and Khartoum Neolithic ceramic traditions. The article then discusses the application of the concepts of ware, fabric, decorative technique, and chaîne opératoire to the analysis of pottery and the use of new classification tools and archaeometric methodologies. The implication of the concepts of cultural encounter and the communicative role of material culture for ceramic studies and the insights that ceramics can provide for understanding the interrelationships between humans and the landscape are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A particular type of ancient Greek vessel has a distinctive inward and downturned rim that forms an interior hollow ring. Because of the unique rim formation, various proposals have been suggested as to the purpose and name of this vessel, including a cup (kothon), an incense burner (thymiaterion), an ointment box (smegmatotheke), a ritual vase for the Eleusinian Mysteries (plemochoe), a floating-wick lamp (stilbe), and the currently prevailing identification as a perfume pot (exaleiptron). It is my opinion that only the identification of the shape as a lamp fully explains the strongly inturned rim. In this contribution, I revisit the material record, addressing issues of form, function, and decoration, as well as relevant representations in vase painting, in an effort to better understand the use of this particular vessel.1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemical analysis of archaeological artefacts is used with increasing regularity to understand how wine was produced, traded, and consumed in the past and to shed light on its antiquity. Based both on an extensive review of the published literature and on new analyses, here we critically evaluate the diverse range of methodological approaches that have been used for wine identification. Overall, we conclude that currently none of the proposed chemical 'biomarkers' for wine provide unequivocal evidence. Nevertheless, valid interpretations may be offered if systematically supported by additional contextual data, such as archaeobotanical evidence. We found the extraction and detection method to be particularly crucial for successful identification. We urge the use of controls and quantification to rule out false positives. DNA sequencing offers potential for identifying wine and provides much higher taxonomic resolution, but work is needed to determine the limits of DNA survival on artefacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The "Pots Project" documents and studies modern pottery workshops in Sudan, in the area of el-Zuma and Karima, which is the core area investigated by the Early Makuria Research Project (EMRP) of the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology University of Warsaw (PCMA) researching the beginnings of the Kingdom of Makuria. This interim presentation discusses observations from two modern workshops in El-Dahasyra and Karima, among others, both making traditional handmade pottery. Documentation of the processes involved, including telltale traces on vessel surfaces, like impressed textile patterns on bottoms and pebble-beating, have already given insight into ancient pottery production techniques. A comparison of these results with the recorded evidence from an abundant assemblage excavated by the EMRP Project in the tumulus tombs of el-Zuma enables the authors to point out and discuss similarities and differences between ancient and modern vessels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Combining historical, archaeological and experimental data, traditional and archaeological ceramics, from the Santarém district, with different chronology and functions have been studied. Our aim is to understand ancient pottery technology and to evaluate whether ceramic production followed similar principles in the Middle Ages (from the Islamic to the Christian domination) and Modern times. Moreover, traditional ceramics, knowing the productive process, have been used as a tool to interpret ancient pottery technology. We considered different utilitarian ceramic groups, namely fire, table and food-liquid container wares. Through the combination of optical microscopy (OM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF) with physical and mechanical tests, it has been possible to collect valuable information regarding pottery manufacturing, considering the age and the object function. Moreover, it is also considered the effect of raw materials mixing and ceramic paste preparation on ceramics final characteristics. Our results indicate that both during the Middle Ages and in Modern times, technical expertise played, and still play, a fundamental role in the creation of a specific object. In this specific case, behavioural and socio-cultural factor drove ceramists' decision when selecting between different technological solutions, and every decision or technical choice is/was taken depending on the functional and performance characteristics desired for a specific artefact. This happened during the Middle Ages, and is still happening nowadays for the production of traditional ceramics in the district of Santarém, Portugal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses a distinctive class of Athenian figure-decorated vases consisting of a few black-figure and red-figure cups and some phialai that are dated to the sixth and fifth centuries BCE. All are large, and some are huge, with diameters varying between about 35 and 56 cm. After tracking the shift in the distribution of these vessels from the late sixth century on, from Greek contexts to a concentration in southern Etruria, the article examines several case studies based on reconstructed material assemblages from Etruscan sanctuaries and graves in order to better understand the part played by the purchasers in the local reception and use of these monumental Athenian vases. I attempt to go beyond earlier explanations that see these objects as exchange gifts reflecting the prestige of the aristocratic owners and to demonstrate how this distinctive class of pottery responded to a variety of indigenous needs, practices, and interpretations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper describes the detailed petrographic analysis of a sample of 25 pottery sherds from the settlement area of Newgrange. The principal fabric types are identified and compared with the petrographic investigations undertaken by Prof. James Brindley at Knowth. The provenance of the clast constituents that define the fabric groups is compared with the solid and drift geology of the Boyne region. The detailed typology of the sherds was not presented when they were sent for analysis by Prof. M.J. O'Kelly in 1964, and the petrographic study attempts to identify their typological classification from the fabric groups described. Finally, the paper discusses the importance of the fabric groups within the context of the Boyne Valley and their possible wider application in Ireland. It is suggested that these fabric groups, particularly the type defined by mafic igneous clasts, are the product of careful selection on the part of the potters, whereby factors other than those of practical expediency may have governed the selection of temper in the pottery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fifteen tile samples from archaeological digs in central Italy were analyzed for trace element content using comparative neutron activation analysis. To accommodate the simultaneous irradiation of a large number of samples and standard reference materials, we designed a custom sample holder for the Penn State Breazeale Reactor 2″ × 6″ tube and characterized the thermal and epithermal neutron flux across all sample locations. Analysis of sample irradiation data produced concentration values for 14 elements. Statistical analyses of the data set using agglomerative hierarchical clustering indicated that the samples are from two distinct sites, which was confirmed by provenance information received after analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small angle neutron scattering measurements have been carried out in order to investigate, in microdestructive way, the mesoscopic structure of a variety of potteries of relevance to cultural heritage coming from different Sicilian (Southern Italy) archeological sites belonging to the “Strait of Messina” area and dated back to 7th–3rd century B.C. Data have been compared with the mesoscopic parameters extracted for two series of clayey sediments typical of the Strait of Messina area and fired under controlled conditions. The observed agreement between the features of reference and archeological samples allowed us to estimate the maximum firing temperature of the latter. Information on the pore sizes was obtained by the use of the concept of fractal surface, and compared with porosimetry results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ancient (archaeological) and modern potsherds sourced from Deccan basaltic soils and sediments at selected sites in the Bhima and Godavari river basins of the western Maharashtra, India, show characteristic mineral magnetic properties. High magnetic susceptibilities (xlf) for the Deccan-sourced sherds enable their distinction from other sources in the region. The modern pottery sourced from Deccan soils shows significant lower x lf than ancient pottery in the region, which further shows lower x lf than the associated soils (/sediments) due to successive removal of detrital grains as a function of improvement in the preprocessing techniques. The ancient and modern potteries show higher superparamagnetic content that is otherwise absent in the source, suggesting its neoformation during firing. High hematite content in modern pottery relative to ancient pottery further indicates higher oxidative firing in the former. Based on close examination of Isothermal Remanence Magnetization (IRM) acquisition rates, we suggest the ratios: IRM1.8 mT/IRM0.3-0.025 mT and HIRM/SoftIRM along with other routine mineral magnetic parameters to estimate the relative degree of oxidative heating, source discrimination and the levels of pre-processing of raw material amongst the Deccan-sourced pottery. The present approach being rapid and economic, a large quantitative database can be generated from the potsherds for detailed characterization of these archaeological materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents two pottery assemblages exposed in 2017 at Tel Beth-Shemesh, in the Level 3 Iron IIA Judahite administrative centre that replaced the Iron I Canaanite villages of Levels 7–4. The assemblages contribute to the study of the typological-chronological development of Iron IIA pottery in Judah. Both date to the mid-/late Iron IIA, i.e., the first half/mid-9th century BCE. Two storage jars in the assemblages bear finger impressions. Contrary to recent suggestions that these impressions testify to early Iron IIA Judahite or Israelite centralised administration, we understand them as a Bronze Age phenomenon affiliated with the Canaanite population of the Shephelah and the northern valleys that reached its apogee during the late Iron I/early Iron IIA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2015 the KongoKing research project team excavated the Bu, Kindu and Mantsetsi sites situated in the Kongo-Central Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). All are part of the Kay Ladio Group. This is the first detailed publication on this cultural group, to which no contemporary ones can currently be linked, either from the Atlantic coast of Congo-Brazzaville or from along the Congo River and its tributaries upstream of Kinshasa. Dated to between cal. AD 30 and 475, these settlements mark the presence of what are so far the oldest known iron-producing communities south of the Central African equatorial forest. Evidence for metallurgy is associated with remants of polished stone axes, which were perhaps being used for ritual purposes by this point in time. The charcoal remains found at the sites indicate a savanna environment that was more wooded in Kindu and Mantsetsi than in Bu. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fine-Paste Ware (FPW) was an evidence of trade routes connecting maritime Southeast Asia during 13th to 14th centuries. Beyond the present-day Thailand and Indonesia, FPW artifacts were also found at Otein Taung in Bagan in central Myanmar. Microscope images reveal fine cross-sectional texture of sample from such archaeological site. As a comparison, Coarse-Paste Ware (CPW) shreds of the approximately similar historical age from Tamil Nadu in southern India and Nakhon Si Thammarat in southern Thailand exhibit rough clusters with pores. In additions, the CPW samples from Thailand contain exceptionally high amount of carbon up to 36% suggesting the ash glazing in the manufacturing process. Iron contents in potshreds from Otein Taung in Myanmar are higher than that from Tamil Nadu in India, supporting the hypothesis that earthenware in Southeast Asia were locally produced and independent from the dominant India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In geochemical studies on ancient pottery, different methods have been attempted to assess the firing temperature. One of the most successful methods has involved studying mineral phase transformation sequences produced during firing despite the imprecise results usually obtained. The most commonly used methods assess the mineral composition of samples and thermal analysis. In this work, we used optical microscopy, X-Ray Diffraction, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and thermal analyses to assess the firing temperature of a particular type of pottery from Mesopotamia. The Middle Uruk phase in Mesopotamia (3600–3500 BCE) has been characterised by the massive production of the so-called bevelled rim bowls (BRB). They are very similar in shape in Mesopotamia and surrounding areas but their production method is unknown, including the little knowledge about their firing temperature although short recent studies have shown that they were probably fired at mild temperatures. We have studied samples from archaeological sites of this period in the Middle Euphrates Valley in Syria. Results indicate very similar mineral composition, probably due to the use of the same raw materials and very similar mineral sequences that can be attributed to the same firing temperature probably below 500–650 °C and below 900 °C for some isolated samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excavations at the Kynos settlement, a Homeric site and the home of an early school of key Greek pictorial pottery painting, revealed extensive remains of several chronological horizons which continuously span the period from Middle Helladic (~2100 BC) to Byzantine times (330AD onwards), along with thousands of decorated sherds. The scope of the present study is the exploration of the technological traits of this pottery, which would contribute substantially to the archaeological understanding of the site. Samples from a sizeable assembly of decorated sherds were studied by means of analytical techniques, i.e., scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX) analyzer, micro X-ray fluorescence (µXRF), and portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF). Results indicate that the dark decorations have been achieved by versions of the iron reduction (IRe) technique using mostly materials identical to those of the red decorations, while for the white decorations contrast-enhancing Ca-Mg-enriched clays were used. All coexisting red and dark hues reflect similar compositions while the color difference is due to the thicker application of the darker decorations, which are thus not affected by the last oxidative firing stage of the IRe technique. X-ray fluorescence analysis focusing on several clay-origin markers shows that only a minority of samples is of non-local character and continuity in Kynos pottery tradition, at least as far as raw materials is suggested. Some of the local body-clays exhibit a puzzling enhanced level of Ni, Cu, and Zn at a nearly fixed ratio. Finally, we find that XRF may provide valuable nondestructive analysis in the case of fine pottery decorative layers of cultural significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potentiality of isotope analysis has largely been explored in archaeological sciences to date objects, attribute their provenance and depict ancient human dietary habits. However, the potential of this technique for provenance studies of ancient ceramics has barely been explored, due to the fact that the ceramic process often involves the selection of different raw materials and, consequently, different sources of radiogenic isotopes. In this paper, 87 Sr/ 86 Sr and 143 Nd/ 144 Nd isotope ratios were measured on raw materials (clays and volcanic temper) that were exploited in antiquity for producing pottery in the Campania region of Italy and, for the first time, on experimental ceramic materials that replicate archaeological pottery. To validate the method, Sr and Nd isotope ratios were also measured on selected archaeological pottery from Cuma. The results of this pioneering approach clearly show that the synthetic mixtures used for the ceramic replicas plot exactly on the theoretical mixing curve between the clay and volcanic temper end-members. On the other hand, technological processes employed during pottery manufacturing such as firing and levigation induce no significant variations in Sr and Nd isotope ratios. Isotope characterisation represents an effective fingerprint of pottery that strictly depends on the geochemical affinity of the raw materials, thus providing a better discrimination among different ceramic productions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a new method for axis detection of discrete thin-walled axially symmetric surfaces is presented. This method is based on the property of thin-walled axially symmetric surfaces that the minimum path of a point on the external wall to the internal wall is on a straight line passing through the axis. This working principle, since it does not require the evaluation of differential geometrical properties, makes the method robust to noise. The proposed method has been applied in a very critical application area: axially symmetric archaeological pottery fragments, for which the evaluation of the axis is complex because of manufacturing error and of modification of the surface properties due to the action of time and weather. The trueness of the proposed method is compared with those of the five methods presented in the literature in the analysis of real sherds of various dimensions and conditions. The proposed method demonstrates greater robustness than these methods and is shown to be promising to improve the number of sherds that can be successfully analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the analysis of organic residues preserved in the fabric of twelve pottery sherds (two Bronze Age and ten Iron Age) excavated from three sites: Jneneh, Sahab and Tell Abu al-Kharaz. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used for separation and identification of organic constituents. Conventional solvent extraction was used for the extraction of residues preserved in their fabrics. The analysis showed that five sherds out of the twelve preserve significant organic constituents derived from plant and animal sources. The results inform that plant oil (most likely olive oil) could have been introduced into four Iron Age vessels (three from Jneneh and one from Tell Abu al-Kharaz) while animal fat of unknown source could have been introduced into one Iron Age vessel from Sahab. Evidences of the availability and exploitation of plant materials, such as oils and animal fats during the Iron Age were also presented in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel, portable spectrometer, combining two analytical techniques, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, was developed with the aim to provide an enhanced instrumental and methodological approach with regard to the analysis of pigments in objects of cultural heritage. Technical details about the hybrid spectrometer and its operation are presented and examples are given relevant to the analysis of paint materials. Both LIBS and diffuse reflectance spectra in the visible and part of the near infrared, corresponding to several neat mineral pigment samples, were recorded and the complementary information was used to effectively distinguish different types of pigments even if they had similar colour or elemental composition. The spectrometer was also employed in the analysis of different paints on the surface of an ancient pottery sherd demonstrating the capabilities of the proposed hybrid diagnostic approach. Despite its instrumental simplicity and compact size, the spectrometer is capable of supporting analytical campaigns relevant to archaeological, historical or art historical investigations, particularly when quick data acquisition is required in the context of surveys of large numbers of objects and samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The figure-decorated and black-glazed Attic pottery of the Archaic and Classical Periods were possibly amongst the most famous and successful pottery productions of the ancient world. The great demand to these vases on overseas markets triggered imitative productions on elsewhere. The emerging of black-glazed pottery production outside Athens have usually been connected to the immigrant potters who had to leave their homes because of the economic difficulties in Athens at the end of the Peloponnesian Wars. Those immigrant potters were likely to take active part in the diffusion of the firing technology which enabled the production of the Attic black-glazed pottery and some supporting technological instruments such as the trial pieces assisting to control the firing process. The main objective of this study is to give a preliminary insight of the beginning of the Atticising black-glazed pottery production in Eastern Thrace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reduction of metal precursors within the molten glaze is a rather complex route to obtain coloured glaze. “ Sang de bœuf ”, “ pigeon blood ” or “ flammé ” first discovered glazes by the Chinese potters of the Song Dynasty (10th c.) are produced by atmosphere controlled firing of copper-containing glaze on porcelain and stoneware body. Lustre pottery, an Abbasid potters’ innovation (9th c.), offers to the eyes of the connoisseur an iridescent reflection, which is only visible at specular position. For centuries connoisseurs’ interest in these objects has been continuous and the development of transmission electronic microscopy (TEM) associated with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (TEM-EDX) allows us an in depth study of the micro and nano-structure of these objects. A porcelain with red “ pigeon blood ” decor made by the late famous French-American potter Fance Franck, and lustre stonewares made by the French potter Eva Haudum, have been investigated by TEM-EDX and nanochemical analysis in order to better understand the key parameters controlling the microstructure and the colour of glazes. Although some authors assigned the red colour of pigeon-blood to Cu 2 O, our results clearly demonstrate that the colour only arises from Cu° nanoparticles. Phase separation of the glassy phase was observed close to the surface. Concerning the lustrewares, analysis confirmed that the alternating reducing and oxidising conditions during the firing lead well to the formation of metal-free/metal-rich alternate layers in the lustre decor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chemical characterization of the black gloss on ancient pottery is, since several years, the object of different scientific investigations. Among the different typologies of black gloss, the Attic one is the most refined, because it is prepared by using a fine suspension of an illitic clay applied on the surface of the clay body so that, after an oxiding-reducing-oxiding firing cycle at high temperature (800-950°C), it reaches the typical shiny black aspect. Red figure vases were largely produced in South Italy often reaching a high artistic level. This is the case of the Sicilian red figure vases, sometimes called 'Sicelioti', whose production began in Sicily around the end of the fifth century BC and continued until the beginning of the third century BC. The aimof this work is to submit and compare a selection of data related to the chemical composition of the surface black gloss of some Attic and Sicilian red figure vases: This has been investigated, and a chemical-based discrimination has been proposed. The non-destructive particle-induced X-ray emission-alpha portable spectrometer was used. The results, carried out in situ at the 'Paolo Orsi' Archaeological Museum in Syracuse (Sicily), together with the ones recently obtained in similar analyses at the Archaeological Museum of Catania University, confirmed the compositional stability of Attic vase black gloss and indicated that in a well-defined time period, the chemical composition of the Sicilian black gloss decorations is very stable and superimposable with that of the contemporary Attic artifacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The estimated firing temperature and atmosphere in which a piece of pottery was produced can be identified by comparing the concentration of Fe 3 + between the piece of pottery and clay with a similar chemical composition that were subjected to identical thermal treatments. This procedure was applied to modern pottery donated by indigenous people and to a set of archaeological pottery. The modern pottery that was used for cooking for two years exhibited higher Fe 3 + concentrations than the clay that was fired at any temperature; thus, the parameters of production were not identified in this pottery. The same procedure can be used to identify the use of a piece of pottery as a pan. Of the set of 14 pieces of archaeological pottery examined in this study, 12 were able to have their production parameters identified, and 2 fragments were identified with Fe 3 + concentrations that were higher than that of the fired clay, suggesting that these pieces were used as pans. The results of this study indicate that the concentration of Fe 3 + can be used to determine if a piece of pottery was used for cooking; additionally, if a piece of pottery was not used for cooking, then the proposed method can identify the parameters of the piece of pottery's production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]