Analytical study of pottery from the archaeological site of Khirbet-Al-Batrawy (Jordan)

In 2005 “La Sapienza” Expedition to Palestine and Jordan started systematic excavations at the previously unexplored site of Khirbet al-Batrawy, in north-central Jordan, which proved to be a strongly fortified city and a caravans centre of the Early Bronze Age, with an imposing defensive system, growing from Early Bronze II to Early Bronze IIIB (3000-2300 B.C.). The present study is a multi-analytical approach for the characterization of pottery samples from this archaeological site and represents its first archaeometric study. The studied samples belong to the phase named Early Bronze IIIA and conventionally dated between 2700 and 2500 B.C. Petrographic, mineralogical and chemical investigations have been carried out in order to define the pottery composition and the maximum firing temperature. The analytical methods include Optical Microscopy (OM) petrographic study, micro-Raman Spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy coupled with Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDAX) and X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD). Macroscopic observations showed that pottery sherds present mainly a red-pink groundmass with chromatic variations along the fracture; a small group is characterized by dark groundmass and glassy coating, while ten samples were decorated with red bands, due to the occurrence of hematite as shown by the results of micro-Raman spectroscopy. The analyzed pottery samples contain mainly fragments of sedimentary and metamorphic rocks, grog and calcareous microfossils. The main identified minerals include quartz and calcite, less frequently feldspars and hematite. The occurrence of an initial stage of vitrification as shown by SEM analysis and the presence of a specific mineral assemblage indicate a firing temperature around 850°C.