Caracterización textural con análisis de imagen: Aplicación en cerámicas prehistóricas de Mallorca (1750-50 a.C.)

Abstract

Textural analyses of ceramic pastes are essential to the study of the technological choices carried out by potters in the past. In this paper, we focus on defining the significance of textural studies for the characterization of ceramics and we briefly review some of the different methodologies which have been applied to undertake textural analysis. We also present a case study of the textural characterization through image analysis of 132 vessels from several archaeological sites from Mallorca dated to the Bronze and Iron Ages. Statistical analysis allowed us to classify the ceramic assemblage in various textural groups that are closely related to different technological choices. A diachronic analysis of these groups indicates that the textural differences found using this technique must be related to changes in paste recipes and technological traditions over the course of the prehistory of the Balearic Islands.