Neutron activation analysis of Hellenistic pottery from Boeotia, Greece

A set of 122 ceramic vessels found mostly in Hellenistic tombs in Boeotia, Greece, has been analysed using neutron activation analysis. The samples had been found during excavations of ancient cemeteries in the towns of Akraiphnion and Aliartos situated, respectively, at the eastern and south-western shores of the ancient lake of Copais (north-western part of Boeotia), as well as at Tanagra and Thebes in the eastern part of the same region. The analyses resulted in a clear separation between the Copaic and eastern samples. Several of the samples also showed compositions already found among Bronze Age samples from the same region indicating a local origin. Especially with regard to the samples from the Theban tombs, the results point to an import from different origins, in some cases as distant as Asia Minor.