MICROSTRUCTURAL AND MICROANALYTICAL STUDY - (SEM) OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL POTTERY ARTEFACTS

Investigations of archaeological pottery artefacts using the potentialities of Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) along with Energy Dispersive Spectrum (EDS) provide characteristic information on the mineral composition and the percentage variation of minerals present in the tired samples of shred studied in the received state (ARS). It becomes possible to establish categorically the characteristic nature of the pottery shreds from the micrographs respectively. It is also observed that the size and shape of the particles comprising the shreds are heterogeneous in nature. The distribution of pores is not uniform and their difference in diameter in the respective shreds are indicative of the difference in the firing temperature achieved and firing conditions adopted by the artisans at the time of manufacture of the pottery products. The result showed that pottery samples AKM 1 and AKM 2 were fired in between 800-850 degrees C and AKM 3 in the range of 1050-1100 degrees C.