Raw Materials for Archaeological Pottery from the Campania Region of Italy: A Petrophysical Characterization

We performed petrophysical analyses on 34 clayey samples of different geologicalorigin within the Campania region of Italy in order to determine possiblesources of raw materials used to produce ancient pottery. Possible raw materialsources can be grouped into high-CaO clays (HCC) and low-CaO clays (LCC).HCC are mainly represented by more recent (Miocene-Pleistocene) basinalsediments whereas LCC tend to be associated with basinal, alluvial, and pyroclasticdeposits. A chemical comparison between clayey raw materials, modernceramic replicas, and Campanian archaeological ceramics of several typologies(common ware, cooking ware, fine tableware, amphorae, and bricks) from8th century B.C. to the Middle Ages (a total of 350 ceramic samples) indicatesthat HCC were extensively used for common wares and that these were eithermixed with temper or levigated. In contrast, most of the LCC were used forthe production of cookware. We also analyzed the technological potential ofthe sampled raw materials, taking into consideration their actual and possibleuses. We observed that most HCC deposits were well suited for tableware andamphorae, whereas LCC were better for cookware and some fine tableware.