Characterization and firing history determination of an ancient pottery unearted at the Capitolium of Cumae (ITALY)

During the 2005 excavation campaign at the Capitolium of Cumae, the first Greek colony on the mainland of Italy, pottery was unearthed. Pottery is considered one of the elements that set off the beginning of the Neolithic Revolution and changed the human beings’ lifestyle from hunting and gathering to agriculture and settlement. The study of the pottery production method is useful to understand the technological level reached by an ancient civilization. One of the most informative aspects is the firing history which includes the heating rate, the maximum temperature reached, the firing duration and the atmosphere in which the ceramic is fired that can be oxidising or reducing. Thanks to different experimental techniques like XRPD, XRF, SEM and FTIR, is possible to estimate the firing history, characterize the raw materials used for the pottery production and, finally, understand if these relics have been fired in the open air or closed kiln.