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Neutron Activation Analysis of Later Prehistoric Pottery from the Western Isles of Scotland

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 February 2014

Patrick G. Topping
Patrick G. Topping*
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology, 19 George Square, Edinburgh
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Abstract

The pottery of the later prehistoric period in the Western Isles of Scotland displays a variety of decorative styles and forms not found elsewhere on the Scottish mainland. Traditional approaches have attempted to define stylistic sequences or to identify wares to which chronological and cultural labels may be attached. In this study neutron activation analysis was utilized to examine if the distinctions which had been drawn were mirrored by chemical composition. Analysis of clay beds had indicated that the analytical and statistical techniques which were employed were sensitive enough to identify patterns which existed within the data. The results for the later prehistoric ceramics indicated that pottery was probably locally produced and locally distributed and that the clays involved in the manufacture of metalworking moulds and crucibles were different in terms of source or method of preparation from those employed in the manufacture of the more mundane range of domestic vessels.

Type
Research Article
Information
Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society , Volume 52 , Issue 1 , 1986 , pp. 105 - 129
Copyright
Copyright © The Prehistoric Society 1986

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