Archaeometrical studies of prehistoric pottery using portable ED-XRF A. Michalowski a , P. Niedzielski b,⇑ , L. Kozak b , M. Teska a , K. Jakubowski b , M. _ Zólkiewski c a Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan ´, Faculty of Archaeology, 7 Uniwersytetu Poznan ´skiego Street, 61-614 Poznan ´, Poland b Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan ´, Faculty of Chemistry, Department of Analytical Chemistry, 8 Uniwersytetu Poznan ´skiego Street, 61-614 Poznan ´, Poland c Archaeology Centre of Adam Mickiewicz University Foundation, 46 Rubie _ z Street, 61-612 Poznan ´, Poland article info Article history: Received 28 November 2019 Received in revised form 11 March 2020 Accepted 13 March 2020 Available online 19 March 2020 Keywords: Archaeometry Pottery ED-XRF Pre-Roman Iron Age Elemental composition abstract This article presents the studies of archaeological ceramic materials from two sites located in Poland within the region called Kuyavia: Grabkowo no.7 and no. 8 yielded pottery dated to the younger pre- Roman Iron-Age and they represent two cultures and different traditions in the pottery production. This case allows to follow and analyse the differences and similarities between these materials chemical composition with the use of portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer. The knowledge of elemental composition of pottery samples have been applied in the archaeometric studies of ceramic differentia- tion. The methodology points to the possibility of identifying different pottery traditions in the produc- tion of mass archaeological material. Ó 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction The cultural situation present in the areas of Poland was partic- ularly complex at the turn of the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC. As in the whole Central Europe, also here, the entry into a completely new civilizational quality made by the communities living there can be observed. It manifested itself in the adaptation of the pat- terns of material culture and some elements of rituals which had their origins in the world of Celtic civilization. It was diametrically opposed to the cultural model that was relevant to the preceding section of history. At the same time, a significant mobility of con- temporary societies is noted. Presumably, it is its traces which in the last years became well readable in the Greater Poland- Kuyavia Lowlands, where numerous sites with some elements ‘‘foreign” to the local settlement structure were recorded. One of such complexes is represented by the sites Grabkowo 7 and 8. Two distinct stylistic horizons occur here within a relatively brief span of time, which are possible to combine with the cultural change that took place in this part of Europe at the turn of the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC [1]. The indigenous settlement of the late and Early pre-Roman Ion Age in the Greater Poland-Kuyavia Lowlands is related to the Pomeranian culture referring to the post-Hallstatt tradition. The new quality, present from the second century BC, was deter- mined by the Przeworsk culture. However, a part of the materi- als currently discovered in Poland at the sites from this historical horizon, shows stylistic references to the neighbouring zone of the Jastorf Culture. The question about their real character is more and more frequently raised in academic discussions [2]. Was it really a physical emergence of groups originating from distant areas, which added their cultural elements, or maybe we are observing the process of internal transformations of the local formations, taking place within the trend of exclusively supra-regional stylistic changes. As many of the metal artefacts may have an intercultural character and occur on a broader regional spectrum, pottery is the basic source indicating the potential continuation/discontinuation of certain traditions. The largest studied and published series of pottery that we possess comes from the Greater Poland-Kuyavia Lowlands area [1] from the site in Grabkowo and they might become vital reference materials (bench marks) for the studies on the cultural transfor- mations taking place at the turn of the Early and Late pre-Roman Iron Age in the zone of the Polish Lowlands. The use of archeo- metric methods may bring a meaningful answer in terms of the detailed provenance and cultural differentiation of the materials. This is possible due to various processes of preparation of the pottery clay and methods of vessels firing which lead to the pro- duction of unique pottery with fixed characteristics. It is the sta- bility and repeatability of the pottery characteristics that are the basis for identification of the tradition, in which the pottery was made. Thus, it is considered to be one of the most important determinants of archaeological cultures. Pottery vessels are nowadays the most common and mass archaeological source, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.measurement.2020.107758 0263-2241/Ó 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. ⇑ Corresponding author. E-mail address: pnied@amu.edu.pl (P. Niedzielski). Measurement 159 (2020) 107758 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Measurement journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/measurement