Differentiating Quilombola Ceramic Provenance Through EDXRF, GRS and Principal Component Analysis

This study applies archaeometric techniques—gamma-ray spectrometry (GRS) and energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF)—to investigate the ceramics from three Quilombola communities in Maranhão, Brazil. Ceramic and clay samples from these communities were analyzed using principal component analysis (PCA) of full-spectrum GRS and EDXRF data, supplemented by elemental scatter plots. The aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of the methodology in distinguishing samples of different origins. PCA of the EDXRF and GRS datasets clearly identified three distinct sample groups, aligning with initial expectations. Scatter plots of elemental concentrations, mainly Ca vs. Al, S, Fe, K, V, and Si, showed a separation for one group with higher Ca content. While Th/U ratios showed the same partial separation, distinguishing one group from the others, K/Th ratios did not. These results show the effectiveness of the GRS and EDXRF approach for ceramic provenance studies in similar archaeological contexts.本研究采用考古计量技术——γ射线能谱法（gamma-ray spectrometry, GRS）与能量色散X射线荧光光谱法（energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence, EDXRF），对巴西马拉尼昂州三处基隆博拉（Quilombola）社区出土的陶瓷器物开展研究。研究人员针对上述社区出土的陶瓷及黏土样品，基于全谱GRS与EDXRF数据开展主成分分析（principal component analysis, PCA），并辅以元素散点图进行辅助分析。本研究旨在评估该分析方法在区分不同来源样品时的有效性。EDXRF与GRS数据集的主成分分析结果清晰识别出三个独立的样品群组，与初始研究预期相符。以钙（Ca）与铝（Al）、硫（S）、铁（Fe）、钾（K）、钒（V）及硅（Si）的元素浓度绘制的散点图显示，一组钙含量更高的样品可实现有效分离。尽管钍/铀（Th/U）比值同样呈现部分分离效果，可区分其中一个群组与其余样品，但钾/钍（K/Th）比值则未表现出该区分能力。上述实验结果证实，GRS与EDXRF联用方法在类似考古背景下的陶瓷溯源研究中具备有效性。