The Neolithic and late Iron Age Pottery from Pool, Sanday, Orkney: An archaeological and technological consideration of coarse pottery manufacture at the Neolithic and late Iron Age site of Pool, Orkney incorporating X-Ray Fluorescence, Inductively Coupled Plasma Spectrometric and Petrological Analyses.

摘要

The Neolithic and late Iron Age pottery from theudsettlement site of Pool, Sanday, Orkney, was studiedudon two levels. Firstly, a morphological and technologicaludstudy was carried out to establish a sequenceudfor the site. Secondly an assessment was madeudof the usefulness of X-ray Fluorescence Analysis, InductivelyudCoupled Plasma Spectrometry and Petrologicaludanalysis to coarse ware studies, using the Pool assemblageudas a case study.udRecording of technological and typological attributesudallowed three phases of Neolithic pottery to be identified.udThe earliest phase included sherds of UnstanudWare. This phase was followed by an assemblage characterisedudby pottery with incised decoration, whichudwas stratified below a traditional Grooved Ware assemblage.udThe change in pottery styles and manufacturingudmethods with the Grooved Ware indicated that itudevolved elsewhere. Grass tempered and burnished potteryudcharacterised the Iron Age assemblage.udPottery samples from all phases of the site wereudanalysed by XRF and ICPS. In addition, pottery fromudlate Iron Age sites in the area was analysed for comparisonudwith the Pool Iron Age pottery. XRF and ICPSudanalyses did not distinguish between either differentudphases at Pool or different Orcadian sites. This wasudattributed to the similarities in geological depositsudover much of Orkney and the variations which can occurudwithin a clay source.udA clay survey was carried out in the vicinity of theudsite, and samples taken for comparison with the Pooludpottery. Identification of rocks and minerals in thinudsection, and grain-size analysis, indicated that theudPool pottery was made locally to the site, and thatudboth primary and secondary clays were used. It wasudconcluded that petrological analysis is more suitableudthan elemental analysis in the study of coarse wares.