Micro-Raman spectroscopic study of pottery fragments from the Lapatsa Tomb, Cyprus, ca 2500 BC

Micro-Raman spectroscopy was applied to the mineralogical characterization of Bronze Age Cypriot ceramic fragments from the Lapatsa Tomb collection of the Ringling Museum of Art. Micro-probing was carried out on the surface and the results were compared with those of micro-probing from the cross-section of the two samples studied. Significant statistics were collected from 500 locations on each sample. Various phases were identified: quartz, albite, calcite, ilmenite, anatase, rutile, hematite and maghemite. It was determined that the different red coloration of both pieces is due not only to different hematite concentrations, but also to different grain sizes. The presence of low-temperature albite and anatase suggests low firing temperatures. The presence of hematite suggests firing in an oxidizing atmosphere. Copyright (c) 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.