Characterization and chemometric analysis of ancient pot shards trenchedfrom Arpakkam, Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract

The chemometric method based on the EDS analysis has been utilized to classify archeological ceramic fragments from Arpakkam site (eight samples) in Kanchipuram district. EDS was used to determine their elemental composition and the results were treated statistically using two methods: factor analysis (FA) and cluster analysis (CA). This treatment revealed two main groups; the first one encompasses only the two samples (ARMP4 and ARMP8) and the second one comprises the remaining samples (ARMP1–ARMP7) (except ARMP4). Grouping of selected artifacts was carried out using the ratios of SiO₂ to Al₂O₃ concentrations because of their non-volatile nature. The mineralogical compositions of the potteries were determined by means of X-ray powder diffraction and FT-IR spectroscopy. The firing temperature and the methods were assessedby SEM, FT-IR and XRD spectroscopic analysis. The present studies evaluate the mineralogical, chemical and microstructural characteristics and the grouping of potteries. These techniques might be useful methods for the material analysis of ceramics.