Composition of Roman period pottery from Jerusalem revisited

A study of the L'MLK jar handles based on neutron activation analysis reported an average chemical composition of Roman period pottery excavated in Jerusalem. Evidence was presented supporting the idea that the pottery, made of Motza clay, was made in Jerusalem or vicinity. Recently, the validity of the group composition as well as its assignment to Jerusalem as the origin of this composition was questioned. In this article, I present the unpublished data for individual pot shards comprising the chemical group and take a new look at the data on which the reported average composition was based. It is shown that the reported group composition is valid and that the suggestion that the group represents Hebron and not Jerusalem is not convincing but commends further exploration.

Automated summary

This article studies the chemical composition of Roman period pottery excavated in Jerusalem and provides a reexamination of the origin of the pottery. The study confirms the validity of the composition but suggests further exploration on whether the pottery was made in Jerusalem or not.