Mineralogical, Petrographic, and Chemical analyses on small perfume vases found in Messina and dated to VII century B.C.

Abstract

The archaeological excavations carried out in the area of the Messina harbour and in other urban sites during 1926 have brought to sight, among other materials, some small fictile vessels, perfume containers (aryballoi or lekythoi) and exemplars of open forms (VII century B.C.) till now considered to be a Greek production. All the samples have been subjected to a non-destructive X-ray fluorescence analysis (EDXRF). The obtained data, presented in the form log (element/Zr), have allowed the identification of a samples group which presents, with one only exception (sample C3), homogeneous chemical characters. This has been accomplished by using both binary correlations and a multivariate cluster analysis. Furthermore, in order to identify the production centres of such materials, till now only supposed on a historical and archaeological basis, petrographic, mineralogical and geochemical analyses have been carried out by means of optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction and Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) measurements. The results have put in evidence the presence of different petrographic features. Nevertheless, the samples are enough homogeneous from the chemical point of view with the usual only exception of the sample C3 as already found by EDXRF measurements. The obtained data by means of petrographic and trace-elements analyses have been compared with those reported in the literature and concerning pottery productions both from Messina and the Greek-Corinthian area.A noticeable relationship between the main group of ceramics and the Messina Strait productions has been found, while the sample C3 may be considered, even if with a poor tie, as belonging to the Greek-oriental ceramics group.