Proceedings of the 39 th International Symposium for Archaeometry, Leuven (2012) 251-256 251 Black- and red-slipped pottery from ancient Cassope (NW Greece): inference of provenance and production technology based on a multi-analytical approach A. Oikonomou 1 , C. Papachristodoulou 2 , K. Gravani 3 , K. Stamoulis 4 and K. Ioannides 2,4 1. Department of Protection and Conservation of Cultural Heritage, TEI of Ionian Islands, Zante, Greece, artoikon@teiion.gr 2. Department of Physics, The University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece, xpapaxri@cc.uoi.gr, kioannid@cc.uoi.gr 3. Department of History-Archaeology, The University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece 4. Archaeometry Center, The University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece, kstamoul@cc.uoi.gr, kioannid@cc.uoi.gr ABSTRACT The present work reports the results of a multi-analytical study of 90 pottery sherds recovered from the archaeological site of Cassope (mid-4 th to 1 st century BC), in Epirus (NW Greece). The elemental composition of the ceramic bodies was assessed using radioisotope-induced energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. The compositional data were statistically treated by principal component analysis and chemical groups were established, representing locally produced and imported items. Mineralogical analysis of the ceramic bodies by X-ray diffraction indicated firing temperatures in the range from 800 to 1000°C for most of the sherds, while one group consisted of over-fired items, possibly in excess of 1050°C. The morphology of the slip layers and the microstructure of the ceramic bodies were examined using scanning electron microscopy, which showed that different pottery groups exhibit surface slips of a different nature, in terms of thickness and degree of vitrification. Overall, the elemental classification combined with inferences concerning production skills and choices, shed light on different aspects of the political and socioeconomic history of Cassope. KEYWORDS Compositional analysis, multivariate statistics, pottery, provenance, technology. Introduction Cassope was a significant political and economic centre of Epirus, founded around the mid-4 th century BC as the capital of Cassopea (Dakaris 1971, Hoepfner et al. 1994). The most flourishing period of Cassope was during the times of the Epirote League (234-168 BC) and particularly around the end of the 3 rd to the beginning of the 2 nd century BC, when Cassopaea broke away from the League and became independent, issuing its own silver coinage and trading with Italy through the Ionian ports and the island of Corfu. The city declined following the conquest of Epirus by the Romans in 167 BC; partial reconstruction took place after 148 BC and a certain level of economic prosperity was sustained until 31 BC when the residents of Cassope were forced to settle to the newly-established roman Nikopolis (Fig. 1). Large amounts of pottery were recovered during the excavations conducted in Cassope between 1951 and 1955 by the “Archaeological Society at Athens” and between 1977 and 1983 by the University of Ioannina, in collaboration with the German Archaeological Institute. In the present work, a set of 90 sherds were selected and characterized by means of Energy-Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) spectroscopy, X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The study aimed primarily at identifying compositional groups of pottery and distinguishing between local and imported items. Fig. 1. A map showing the location of Cassope in ancient Epirus.