Complex Analysis of Thasos Amphorae and Stamps Fabrics According to Phase and Elemental Composition Data

Abstract

The paper presents the results of studying of the Thasian amphorae fabrics of the second quarter of the 5th — end of the 4th century BC, whose belonging to the island’s products was established on the basis of morphological features of vessels and, in some cases, due to the presence of stamps. A complex approach was used to study amphorae fragments, including the methods of integral (X-ray phase analysis, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry) and local (electron microscopy) characterization of the structure and composition. The proven set of methods made it possible to obtain reliable data on the mineral (phase), basic and trace chemical composition of the samples, as well as to study the composition of the fabric base of the samples ceramic body, excluding the influence of mineral impurities and leaners. The analysis of the experimental results allowed to group the objects into separate groups in accordance with the features of the mineralogical and elemental composition. Based on the comparison of the characteristics of these groups with geological and archaeological information about the island of Thasos, the authors advance a hypothesis with a clarification of the origin of Thasos amphorae, namely, their manufacturing in workshops on the eastern and southern coasts of the island.