Archaeometric characterisation of the Neolithic pottery discovered at Alba Iulia-Lumea Noua archaeological site (Romania)

A set of 21 Neolithic painted pottery fragments belonging to the Lumea Noua culture (5th millennium B.C.) and discovered at Alba Iulia Lumea Noua (Romania) settlement were investigated in order to elucidate some aspects concerning the manufacturing technique used for the ancient pottery production. The chemical, microstructural and petrographic features of the ceramic bodies were determined by X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction and optical microscopy. The preliminary obtained data were used to make inferences concerning the pottery's technology in terms of type of raw clays and firing temperatures.