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Archaeometry at OSU’s Radiation Center |
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Steps in establishing provenance for ceramics: |
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1. Sample and analyze ceramic artifacts.
2. Identify samples that share a similar trace-element signature and that potentially represent products from the same clay source.
3. Sample raw clays and/or production debris and compare their composition with ceramic groups defined above to relate artifacts to the natural landscape. |
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Frequently, the number and distribution of clay sources available to prehistoric potters is poorly known. As a result, many ceramic provenance studies begin by characterizing the artifacts, rather than the raw clays. |
