CERAMIC TECHNOLOGY AND RAW MATERIAL PROVENANCE AT NIKSAR CASTLE: EVIDENCE FROM MULTI-ANALYTICAL ARCHAEOMETRY
KRATKIE SOOBSHCHENIYA INSTITUTA ARKHEOLOGII, cilt.2026, sa.283, ss.466-486, 2026 (ESCI)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 2026 Sayı: 283
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.25681/iaras.0130-2620.283.466-486
- Dergi Adı: KRATKIE SOOBSHCHENIYA INSTITUTA ARKHEOLOGII
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI)
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.466-486
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Ancient ceramics, Ceramic technology, Niksar Castle, PED-XRF, Petrographic analysis
- Ondokuz Mayıs Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
This research presents an archaeometric study of a pottery assemblage recovered from the 2023 excavations at Niksar Castle, aiming to investigate its technological characteristics and raw material composition. From the overall collection of finds, 52 glazed and unglazed ceramic samples were selected for a multi-analytical investigation. The analyses performed include petrography of thin sections under cross-polarized light (XPL), geochemical analysis using Polarized Energy-Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (PED-XRF), and color measurement in the CIE Lab* color space. Petrographic results enabled the identification of the mineralogical composition, the type and size of inclusions (aggregate), and the textural characteristics of the ceramic paste. Based on these indices, the samples were classified into eight distinct petrographic groups (Gr1-Gr8). The PED-XRF data determined the bulk oxide composition of the bodies, allowing for intra-group and inter-group comparisons. Furthermore, the color analysis results revealed quantitative differences in the lightness (L*) and color components (a* and b*), which served as complementary indices for examining surface characteristics and firing conditions. The integration of these multi-analytical results demonstrates that the studied ceramics exhibit significant diversity in terms of raw materials, production technology, and visual properties. The simultaneous application of petrographic, geochemical, and colorimetric data provides a comprehensive picture of the technological structure of this assemblage, offering a suitable framework for comparison with other contemporary sites in the Pontus and Central Anatolia regions.