Archaeometric analyses on pottery from archaeological excavations in Messina (Sicily, Italy) from the Greek archaic to the Medieval age

In the present paper we report for the first time all the results obtained through a multidisciplinary investigation on some of the most representative ceramic classes (cooking pottery, tiles, banded, Corinthian B, ionian-massaliote and pseudo-chian amphorae, Zanele type cups, Chalcidian, Attic, banded and a immersione wares, ionian banded 82, black-glazed vessels and a arula sherd) coming from archaeological excavations in Messina, covering a period from Greek archaic to Medieval age. The aim of the present work is to characterize the pottery's production centers in Messina and to distinguish the local products from the imported ones; this will help us to get further information on the commercial network involving the Strait Area. The samples were analysed by mineralogical-petrographic and chemical-physical techniques. In particular, X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), thin section analysis by Optical Microscopy (OM), Fourier Transform Infrared Absorption (FTIR), X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF), Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectroscopy (ICP-MS), Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES), and Scanning Electron Microscopy coupled with X-ray Energy Dispersion (SEM-EDX) were employed. The obtained results have evidenced the local production of the coarse potteries (cooking pottery, tiles), contrary to the ionian-massaliote and pseudochian transport amphorae that result to be imported products from Locri and, in some cases, from a non located site in Campania; the production of the Corinthian B type amphorae can be attributed both to a Greek (Corfu) and to a colonial magno-Greek (Sibari) imported production center. Finally, for what concerns the fine pottery, the Chalcidian, banded, ionian B2, a immersione and Zancle potteries result produced in the Strait area, whereas the Attic ceramics are imported from Greek production centers.