From clay raw materials to ceramics: mineralogical and geochemical markers for assessing refinement technologies and provenance in north-western Tuscany (Italy)

Irene Strufaldi, Sara Longo , Simona Raneri

Understanding the provenance and selection of ceramic raw materials is essential for reconstructing past technological practices and production networks. Twenty-four clay outcrops from geological formations and deposits located near documented production sites in north-western Tuscany (Italy) were sampled, refined into experimental briquettes, and fired. The samples were characterised using a multi-analytical approach that combined thin-section petrography to examine the compositional and textural features, X-ray diffraction (XRD) for mineralogical analysis, and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) for geochemical characterisation. This workflow was validated by comparing the results with existing literature on archaeological Middle Ages ceramics, resulting in an integrated reference catalogue of raw materials for ceramic production in north-western Tuscany.