Petrographic and Chemical Characterization of Pottery of Phoenician Tradition from Early Tartessian Centers

Abstract

This paper presents the preliminary results of a study of wheel-thrown ceramics from three archaeological sites located in western Andalusia: El Carambolo, Huelva (La Joya) and Setefilla, combining X-ray fluorescence spectrometry and thin-section petrography. The analysis undertaken provides useful data to define clay matrix, temper and elemental composition of local Phoenician style ceramics. The first results indicate a link between archaeological sites and the elemental composition of the analyzed sherds. This study shows that the ceramic wheel-thrown pottery gathered from the investigated sites is not homogeneous and presents a variability of petrographic and chemical properties.