Fingerprinting Ceramics from the Chalcolithic Santa Vitória Enclosure (SW Iberia)

Abstract

The Santa Vitória Chalcolithic site (southern Portugal) prompts several questions related to the provenance and production technology of artefacts. Archaeological ceramics from two sections of Ditch 1 of the Santa Vitória site were studied by neutron activation analysis and X-ray diffraction for the first time, with the main goal of contributing to the contextualization of the artefacts and better understanding their production processes/technologies and the provenance of raw materials. The results point to a local production of ceramics, since their mineral phases reflect the geological contexts around the archaeological site. The mineralogical assemblage indicates a firing temperature below 850 °C. Iron is the better discriminator of ceramics from both sections, which could be related to the addition of different proportions of temper grains during the ceramics’ production. Although trace elements do not serve as discriminating geochemical indicators for the analyzed samples, they do imply a slightly higher heterogeneity in the composition of the ceramic paste from section 2. The negative Eu anomaly found in two samples is in accordance with the lower contents of Na2O, related to plagioclase weathering. Detailed studies on ceramics and potential raw materials are foreseen to assist in discussing the role of this Chalcolithic archaeological site at a regional level.