Archaeometric investigation of iron age ceramics uncovered in nevşehir ovaören excavations

The aim of the present study was to perform archaeometric characterization for representative ceramics of the Iron Age found in Ovaören (Nevşehir, Türkiye). For this purpose, X-ray diffraction (XRD), portable X-ray fluorescence (p-XRF) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope (SEM) together with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy methods were used. The results showed that the Iron Age ceramics were almost half separated from each other in terms of raw materials. The analytic data indicated a diversity in Iron Age ceramics, and in a sense, suggested that imported products may also be in the sample set and/or the use of alternative raw materials. The mineralogical content and microstructure features indicated firing temperatures ranging between 700-1000oC for the ceramics.