Nondestructive compositional analysis of ceramics

Ancient pottery plays an important role in the investigation of past civilizations; it provides archaeologists with specific details of life in ancient times. Compositional analysis of the ceramic material can identify the manufacturing techniques employed by ancient potters, and pinpoint distribution patterns of ceramic goods throughout the ancient world. Nevertheless, this vital information usually comes at a considerable cost because most compositional analyses require the partial or total destruction of the ancient artifact, resulting in the loss of irreplaceable cultural heritage. A new technique employing dual energy computed tomography (DECT), developed at Macquarie University, Australia, provides comparable results to conventional analyses, but in stark contrast the DECT technique is totally nondestructive, thereby preserving cultural heritage for future generations.