Archaeometric constraints by multidisciplinary study of Richborough 527 amphorae and yellow clays from the C.da Portinenti pottery workshop (Lipari Island, Italy)

During the archeological excavations carried out from 1993 to 1995 at C.da Portinenti, at Lipari Island, a pottery workshop dated
to Roman age—including a kiln dump containing both Richborough 527 type amphora wastes and ceramic shreds—was
discovered. The Richborough 527 amphorae had been used to transport local volcanic and hydrothermal products throughout
the Roman Empire. Here, we present the results of a multidisciplinary archaeometric study carried out with the aim to shed light
on the provenance of the raw materials used in the production of the Richborough 527 amphorae. To achieve this goal, amphora
wastes and a sample of yellow clays stored in the archeological excavation area have been analyzed, and the data were compared
to those available for clays coming from Lipari and from the Messina Province. The overall results indicate that (i) a volcanic
sand from Portinenti Valley was used as temper in the ceramic mixture; (ii) the geochemical features and the fossils present in the
ceramic paste are compatible with marine Pleistocene clayey deposits of the Messina Province and incompatible with the clays of
Lipari island; (iii) the yellow clays found in the excavation area were not used to produce the Richborough 527; and (iv) the
analyzed wastes are the results of a poorly controlled firing temperature during the ceramic artifact production.