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Abstract: The systematic and scientific study of artifacts reflects technological development and civilizations during the past. The importance of pottery artifacts as indicators of the artistic and technological advances reached by the ancient culture is investigatedby a number of techniques. Spectroscopic studies have been performed on recently excavated archaeological pottery samples from Thiruverkadu, Tamilnadu, India. The clay mineral type and its structural deformation due to firing have been studied from their Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra. The maximum firing temperature attained during baring, firing conditions (open/reduced atmosphere) and iron mineral phase changes is well established. X-ray diffraction (XRD) is used to identify minerals in the potsherds. Further scanning electron microscope (SEM) studies on potsherds pave the way to microstructural analysis and trace the subsequent development of virtification stages, thereby firing temperature is being confirmed. The results obtained from the different techniques provide the information for understanding the technological conditions implemented for the production of pottery and are found to give useful information about the analytical composition of potteries. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: An attempt has been made in the present work to estimate the firing temperature of the archaeological pottery shreds excavated from the three archaeological sites namely Maligaimedu, Thiruverkadu and Palur in the state of Tamilnadu in INDIA. The lower limit of firing temperature of the Archaeological pottery shreds were estimated by refiring the samples to different temperatures and recording the corresponding FT-IR spectrum. The firing methods and conditions of firing were inferred from the characteristic absorption positions and the bands observed due to the presence of magnetite and hematite in the samples. In addition, the Scanning Electron Microscopic analysis were carried out to study the internal morphology, vitrification factor and the upper limit of the firing temperature of the potteries fired at the time of manufacture. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]