The Provenance Study of the Raw Materials of the Ancient Terracotta Found near the Crimean Bridge: Natural-Science Approach

Abstract: The paste of a series of ceramic products from the Black Sea and Mediterranean regions have been studied at the National Research Centre “Kurchatov Institute” (NRC KI) and the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) in order to identify the provenance of the ancient terracotta found in the Kerch Bay; the results are compared with the data in the literature. A classical approach was applied: the ceramic paste morphology was analyzed by optical and scanning electron microscopy, and the phase composition was studied by powder and single-crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD). The elemental composition of ceramic inclusions was determined using energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis, and trace impurities in the ceramics were detected by neutron activation analysis (NAA). The decisive geomarkers of the terracotta ceramic paste were found to be jacobsite and titanium augite (pyroxene) admixtures. A multivariate statistical analysis of the obtained geochemical characteristics has been performed, and the likely provenance region of the terracotta ceramic raw material was determined to be the Latium region (Central Italy).