DECORATED ARCHAIC POTTERY FROM THE HERACLES SANCTUARY AT THEBES: A MATERIALS, TECHNOLOGY AND PROVENANCE STUDY

Forty-seven decorated samples of Archaic pottery excavated at a Heracles sanctuary (Thebes, Boeotia) were studied through a combined surface and body approach, using non-destructive techniques. Most of the samples were archaeologically classified as Theban/Boeotian, others as Corinthian and a few as possibly Euboean. The techniques employed were optical microscopy and SEM-EDAX (micromorphology and compositional analysis of the surfaces) and XRF for the analysis of the ceramic body. The results provided information on the technological level of the collected pottery as well as on the relation of the chemistry and micromorphology of the pigments, aimed at assisting provenance studies.