Archaeometry and analysis of ceramic materials from Ávila (Spain): Late-vetton evidence

Abstract

From the archaeological excavations carried out during 2019/2020 in the walled Ávila city (Spain), numerous ceramic fragments of different chronologies have appeared that have allowed us to find settlement sequences in this city that place its beginnings before Romanization. The latest interventions allow us to know that the wall of Ávila has a Roman origin, and it was developed on an indigenous nucleus from the 1st century BC that received the Romanizing influence during the 1st century AD. In addition, it was possible to establish that the materials used for their preparation are consistent with the materials of the geological environment, which suggests a local origin. This paper presents the study of a set of ceramic samples using XRD, ICP/MS, SEM/EDX, and linescan analysis. A statistical analysis of the samples using the minor elements concentrations has suggested that even though the local origin, there were several production centers within painted ceramics that until now were always included as a single set. Finally, due to the importance of the “late-Vetton” or “late Iberic” ceramics (mid-1st century BC—middle of the 1st century AC) from the archaeological aspect, for the first time, these ceramics are studied in detail from chemical and mineralogical tests. It was discovered that these samples had been made in an oven that had not exceeded 800◦C due to the persistence of different phases after cooking.