Papers by Frederick S Pirone
The Maltese archipelago is home to megalithic structures of extraordinary interest for archaeo-as... more The Maltese archipelago is home to megalithic structures of extraordinary interest for archaeo-astronomy. Some of those impressive prehistoric complexes have revealed significant architectural and topographic features reflecting a certain knowledge of the celestial bodies and astronomical phenomena by their ancient builders. While previous archaeo-astronomical studies of these Neolithic structures were primarily based on traditional methods, this paper presents an innovative approach for the case study of the Bor in-Nadur site. Through an ensemble of techniques, such as terrestrial laser scanning, aerial and terrestrial digital photogrammetry and 3D modeling, the prehistoric remains have been 3D digitized and inserted in a virtual environment to test archaeo-astronomical hypotheses via computer simulation.
The Maltese archipelago is home to megalithic structures of extraordinary interest for archaeo-as... more The Maltese archipelago is home to megalithic structures of extraordinary interest for archaeo-astronomy. Some of those impressive prehistoric complexes have revealed significant architectural and topographic features reflecting a certain knowledge of the celestial bodies and astronomical phenomena by their ancient builders. While previous archaeo-astronomical studies of these Neolithic structures were primarily based on traditional methods, this paper presents an innovative approach for the case study of the Bor in-Nadur site. Through an ensemble of techniques, such as terrestrial laser scanning, aerial and terrestrial digital photogrammetry and 3D modeling, the prehistoric remains have been 3D digitized and inserted in a virtual environment to test archaeo-astronomical hypotheses via computer simulation.
The insular nature of the Maltese archipelago provides a unique opportunity to explore trade and ... more The insular nature of the Maltese archipelago provides a unique opportunity to explore trade and cultural change from the Neolithic to the Bronze Ages in the central Mediterranean. I hypothesize that, during the period in which the Maltese islands were experiencing a form of isolation—owing either to their distance from Sicily and other populated regions, to the collective formation of an inwardly-focused culture, or to a combination of these factors—it is unlikely that pottery played a significant role as either an import or export in the archipelago’s exchange relationships with other communities in the central Mediterranean. I accordingly propose that ceramics were only significant in the interaction networks between Malta and its neighbors during periods when the archipelago was culturally connected to Sicily.
Except for a limited number of archaeometric studies (Barone et al. 2015; Molitor 1988; Mommsen et al. 2006), analysis of similarities among ceramic wares produced in Malta and elsewhere that allow archaeologists to draw conclusions about the nature of Malta’s connectivity to other communities has been based on macroscopic observation. The present study builds on the few archaeometric studies by determining the provenance of ceramic samples based on their trace elemental composition. Included in this study were both clay samples and ceramic artifacts representing each of Malta’s chronological phases from the Neolithic to the Bronze Ages.
Specifically, in order to address the question of the role that pottery played in the prehistoric trade of the Maltese islands, 392 Maltese ceramic sherds were analyzed using a Bruker III-V handheld portable X-ray fluorescence device, which revealed the relative abundance of six trace elements, namely thorium, rubidium, strontium, yttrium, zirconium, and niobium. The trace elemental composition of the Maltese pottery was compared with that of 18 Sicilian ceramic sherds and clay samples from both Malta and Sicily.
The results of this research support my hypothesis in part, suggesting that neither ceramics nor raw clay materials played a significant role in overseas trade during Malta’s period of cultural isolation, which extended from the Ġgantija phase to the end of the Tarxien phase. On the other hand, ceramics played a more active role in Malta’s interaction networks during periods of connectivity with Sicily, for instance in the Neolithic Age. This study also provides the first chemical evidence that Malta exported pottery to Sicily during the Bronze Age and that Malta’s contact with Mycenaeans was indirect in nature. The findings presented here thus contribute to understanding Malta’s role in trade and interaction networks from the Neolithic to the Bronze Ages and point to new approaches to exploring the cultural change that becomes apparent in the Maltese Temple Period.
The archaeological exploration of the Ognina islet, near Syracuse, Sicily, carried out in 1964 pr... more The archaeological exploration of the Ognina islet, near Syracuse, Sicily, carried out in 1964 provided the evidence of a long term prehistoric occupation between the Neolithic and the Middle Bronze Age. Maltese style ceramics were found in the Early and Middle Bronze Age layers. The small group of imports, belonging to the Thermi Ware, was found in connection with the local Castelluccian Ware (EBA), while the Borġ in-Nadur ware, also Maltese in style, was related with local Thapsos ceramics (MBA). In 2012, during a fieldwork, a large amount of ceramics were recovered, among which were some new examples of Thermi and Borġ in-Nadur wares, as well as large amounts of Castelluccian and Thapsos pottery. In order to ascertain whether the Maltese type pottery was imported from that small island, a program of archaeometric analyses was established. Diagnostic samples belonging to both Maltese-like and Sicilian pottery classes were analysed with destructive thin sectioning and X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) and subsequently with nondestructive pXRF together with a sample of Sicilian clay taken from the source closest to the islet. The analyses demonstrated that the two Thermi Ware samples were locally produced, while three out of four Borġ in-Nadur pieces were produced in Malta and one was produced in Sicily.
L’esplorazione archeologica dell’isolotto di Ognina, Siracusa, effettuata nel 1964 ha fornito la prova di un’occupazione preistorica a lungo termine tra il Neolitico e l’Età del Bronzo Medio. Le ceramiche maltesi sono state trovate negli strati dell’età del Bronzo Antico e Medio. Il piccolo gruppo di importazioni, appartenente alla Thermi Ware, è stato trovato in connessione con il locale Castelluccian Ware (EBA), mentre gli esemplari Borġ in-Nadur, anch’esso in stile maltese, era in relazione con la ceramica locale di Thapsos (MBA). Nel 2012 è stata recuperata una grande quantità di ceramiche, tra cui alcuni nuovi esempi di articoli di Thermi e Borġ in-Nadur, nonché grandi quantità di ceramica di Castelluccian e Thapsos. Per accertare se il tipo di ceramica maltese fosse importato da quella piccola isola, fu stabilito un programma di analisi archeometriche. Campioni diagnostici appartenenti a classi ceramiche siciliane e siciliane sono stati analizzati con sezioni sottili distruttive e X-ray fluorescence spectrometry tradizionale (XRF) e successivamente portatile e non distruttivo (pXRF) insieme a un campione di argilla siciliana prelevato dalla sorgente più vicina all’isoletta. Le analisi hanno dimostrato che i due campioni di Thermi Ware sono stati prodotti localmente, mentre tre su quattro pezzi Borġ in-Nadur sono stati prodotti a Malta e uno è stato prodotto in Sicilia.
The aim of this research was to determine the provenance of Maltese ceramics and to determine the... more The aim of this research was to determine the provenance of Maltese ceramics and to determine the role pottery played in Maltese prehistoric trade and interaction networks. This study involved 236 Maltese ceramic samples, 19 geological clay samples from Ġnejna Bay & Selmun along with 18 ceramic samples from Ognina, Sicily, and four Sicilian clay samples from the outskirts of Siracusa that were non-destructively analyzed using a portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) spectrometer in order to determine their trace elemental compositions (Th, Rb, Sr, Y, Zr and Nb). The results of this analysis were statistically analyzed using principal component analysis in order to ascertain relationships in the chemical compositions among the samples. The results of this analysis indicate that the majority of all the Maltese ceramic samples have a local Maltese provenance and that pottery played a more significant role in defining the nature of Malta's trade relationships during the Bronze Age. The following study has provided new insights into Malta's role in trade and interaction networks from the late Neolithic to the Bronze Age and has allowed for new ideas in explaining the cultural change observed from the Temple Period to the Bronze Age.
The 1964 archaeological exploration of the Ognina islet near Syracuse, Sicily, has provided evide... more The 1964 archaeological exploration of the Ognina islet near Syracuse, Sicily, has provided evidence suggesting a long-term prehistoric occupation from the Neolithic to the Middle Bronze Age. Maltese style ceramics were found in Early and Middle Bronze Age layers. A small group of imports belonging to the Thermi Ware culture was found in connection with the local Castelluccian Ware (EBA), and Maltese style Borġ in-Nadur wares were recovered with local Thapsos ceramics (MBA). During fieldwork in 2012, large amounts of ceramics were recovered including new examples of Thermi and Borġ in-Nadur wares as well as large amounts of Castelluccian and Thapsos pottery. In order to ascertain whether the Maltese type pottery was imported from Malta, a program of archaeometric analyses was established. Diagnostic samples belonging to both Maltese-like and Sicilian pottery classes were analyzed with destructive thin sectioning and X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) and subsequently analyzed with non-destructive portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (pXRF) together with a sample of Sicilian clay taken from a clay source close to the islet. The analyses demonstrated that the two Thermi Ware samples were locally produced and three out of four Borġ in-Nadur pieces had a Maltese provenance while one of the four being produced in Sicily. 1 pXRF or XRF that is the Question? The chemical characterization of archaeological materials has played an important role in the study of prehistoric exchange networks. In particular, the use of a portable or hand-held X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (pXRF) has become increasingly more popular in ceramic sourcing studies in recent years due to a number of advantages that include the ability to non-destructively analyze ceramic materials on location such as at excavations or at museums and the overall affordability in analyzing a large number of artifacts within a relatively short period of time. While these advantages are attractive to researchers, it is important to note that non-destructively analyzing ceramic surfaces has a technical disadvantage compared to homogenized powder samples. However, a number of non-destructive ceramic studies have been performed taking into account the heterogeneous nature of clay types, surface treatment such as the
The archaeological exploration of the Ognina islet, near Syracuse, Sicily, carried out in 1964 pr... more The archaeological exploration of the Ognina islet, near Syracuse, Sicily, carried out in 1964 provided the evidence of a long-term prehistoric occupation between the Neolithic and the Middle Bronze Age. Maltese-style ceramics were found in the Early and Middle Bronze Age layers. The small group of imports, belonging to the Thermi Ware, was found in connection with the local Castelluccian Ware (Early Bronze Age), while the Borġ in-Nadur Ware, also Maltese in style, was related with local Thapsos ceramics (Middle Bronze Age). The interpretation of the Maltesetype artifacts as imports resulted in the Ognina islet being considered a Maltese "colony" in Sicily, a controversial hypothesis never dismissed.
Conference Presentations by Frederick S Pirone
Presented here are results from the non-destructive portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) analysis o... more Presented here are results from the non-destructive portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) analysis of ceramic artifacts in Italy, Malta, and Croatia, dating to the Neolithic, Chalcolithic, Bronze, and Iron Ages, with a focus on the advantages and limitations of this method of analysis in identifying local vs. non-local pottery, and their “history” of mobility and socioeconomic significance. While providing opportunities for conducting analytical research in museums and other places where borrowing or sampling the artifacts is not permitted, pXRF users must be aware of its limitations, including detection limits, which elements can be measured, potential heterogeneity of the material being tested, and comparison with analytical data from other studies. Unlike obsidian, for which all Mediterranean sources can be distinguished, there are limitations in the use of pXRF on ceramics when compared with regular XRF, INAA, and LA-ICP-MS. Most of this is the detection limits of the pXRF, so that trace elements in very low ppm or in ppb are not measurable, and thus limiting the data to fewer elements for statistical analysis. On the positive side, the spot size analyzed by pXRF is substantial, and multiple spots may be tested quickly for any heterogeneity. Elemental analysis was conducted on 2500 ceramic samples from more than 25 archaeological sites, using a Bruker III-SD, with settings of 120 seconds for each spot tested, and using a filter that provides quantitative data for trace elements Th, Rb, Sr, Y, Zr, and Nb, along with major elements Ca, Ti, Mn, and Fe. Analyses were done on both inside and outside surfaces, and on broken edges, to address any issues of heterogeneity. Quantitative values in ppm were produced using widely shared calibration software for these elements, and principal components analysis of the data used to identify production groups and non-local items. While these analytical results are combined with ceramic type, decoration, and context for making interpretations, petrographic thin section analysis was not allowed due to its destructive nature, an increasingly common situation in many countries. In some cases, raw clay samples were also analyzed. Examples to be presented on the success - and challenges - of pXRF on ceramics include the ability to separate Neolithic pottery from different parts of Croatia and the Tavoliere; distinguishing multiple production groups in the Siracusa region of southeast Sicily, and confirming Late Bronze Age Aegean imports; identifying multiple ceramic groups within Malta, and exports to Sicily; and differences between local and city-center production at Etruscan sites for coarse and fine wares.
Poster presented at the 116th Annual Meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America, January 8-11, New Orleans, LA. Abstract published in Archaeological Institute of America 116th Annual Meeting Abstracts 38: 88.
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Papers by Frederick S Pirone
Except for a limited number of archaeometric studies (Barone et al. 2015; Molitor 1988; Mommsen et al. 2006), analysis of similarities among ceramic wares produced in Malta and elsewhere that allow archaeologists to draw conclusions about the nature of Malta’s connectivity to other communities has been based on macroscopic observation. The present study builds on the few archaeometric studies by determining the provenance of ceramic samples based on their trace elemental composition. Included in this study were both clay samples and ceramic artifacts representing each of Malta’s chronological phases from the Neolithic to the Bronze Ages.
Specifically, in order to address the question of the role that pottery played in the prehistoric trade of the Maltese islands, 392 Maltese ceramic sherds were analyzed using a Bruker III-V handheld portable X-ray fluorescence device, which revealed the relative abundance of six trace elements, namely thorium, rubidium, strontium, yttrium, zirconium, and niobium. The trace elemental composition of the Maltese pottery was compared with that of 18 Sicilian ceramic sherds and clay samples from both Malta and Sicily.
The results of this research support my hypothesis in part, suggesting that neither ceramics nor raw clay materials played a significant role in overseas trade during Malta’s period of cultural isolation, which extended from the Ġgantija phase to the end of the Tarxien phase. On the other hand, ceramics played a more active role in Malta’s interaction networks during periods of connectivity with Sicily, for instance in the Neolithic Age. This study also provides the first chemical evidence that Malta exported pottery to Sicily during the Bronze Age and that Malta’s contact with Mycenaeans was indirect in nature. The findings presented here thus contribute to understanding Malta’s role in trade and interaction networks from the Neolithic to the Bronze Ages and point to new approaches to exploring the cultural change that becomes apparent in the Maltese Temple Period.
L’esplorazione archeologica dell’isolotto di Ognina, Siracusa, effettuata nel 1964 ha fornito la prova di un’occupazione preistorica a lungo termine tra il Neolitico e l’Età del Bronzo Medio. Le ceramiche maltesi sono state trovate negli strati dell’età del Bronzo Antico e Medio. Il piccolo gruppo di importazioni, appartenente alla Thermi Ware, è stato trovato in connessione con il locale Castelluccian Ware (EBA), mentre gli esemplari Borġ in-Nadur, anch’esso in stile maltese, era in relazione con la ceramica locale di Thapsos (MBA). Nel 2012 è stata recuperata una grande quantità di ceramiche, tra cui alcuni nuovi esempi di articoli di Thermi e Borġ in-Nadur, nonché grandi quantità di ceramica di Castelluccian e Thapsos. Per accertare se il tipo di ceramica maltese fosse importato da quella piccola isola, fu stabilito un programma di analisi archeometriche. Campioni diagnostici appartenenti a classi ceramiche siciliane e siciliane sono stati analizzati con sezioni sottili distruttive e X-ray fluorescence spectrometry tradizionale (XRF) e successivamente portatile e non distruttivo (pXRF) insieme a un campione di argilla siciliana prelevato dalla sorgente più vicina all’isoletta. Le analisi hanno dimostrato che i due campioni di Thermi Ware sono stati prodotti localmente, mentre tre su quattro pezzi Borġ in-Nadur sono stati prodotti a Malta e uno è stato prodotto in Sicilia.
Conference Presentations by Frederick S Pirone
Poster presented at the 116th Annual Meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America, January 8-11, New Orleans, LA. Abstract published in Archaeological Institute of America 116th Annual Meeting Abstracts 38: 88.
Except for a limited number of archaeometric studies (Barone et al. 2015; Molitor 1988; Mommsen et al. 2006), analysis of similarities among ceramic wares produced in Malta and elsewhere that allow archaeologists to draw conclusions about the nature of Malta’s connectivity to other communities has been based on macroscopic observation. The present study builds on the few archaeometric studies by determining the provenance of ceramic samples based on their trace elemental composition. Included in this study were both clay samples and ceramic artifacts representing each of Malta’s chronological phases from the Neolithic to the Bronze Ages.
Specifically, in order to address the question of the role that pottery played in the prehistoric trade of the Maltese islands, 392 Maltese ceramic sherds were analyzed using a Bruker III-V handheld portable X-ray fluorescence device, which revealed the relative abundance of six trace elements, namely thorium, rubidium, strontium, yttrium, zirconium, and niobium. The trace elemental composition of the Maltese pottery was compared with that of 18 Sicilian ceramic sherds and clay samples from both Malta and Sicily.
The results of this research support my hypothesis in part, suggesting that neither ceramics nor raw clay materials played a significant role in overseas trade during Malta’s period of cultural isolation, which extended from the Ġgantija phase to the end of the Tarxien phase. On the other hand, ceramics played a more active role in Malta’s interaction networks during periods of connectivity with Sicily, for instance in the Neolithic Age. This study also provides the first chemical evidence that Malta exported pottery to Sicily during the Bronze Age and that Malta’s contact with Mycenaeans was indirect in nature. The findings presented here thus contribute to understanding Malta’s role in trade and interaction networks from the Neolithic to the Bronze Ages and point to new approaches to exploring the cultural change that becomes apparent in the Maltese Temple Period.
L’esplorazione archeologica dell’isolotto di Ognina, Siracusa, effettuata nel 1964 ha fornito la prova di un’occupazione preistorica a lungo termine tra il Neolitico e l’Età del Bronzo Medio. Le ceramiche maltesi sono state trovate negli strati dell’età del Bronzo Antico e Medio. Il piccolo gruppo di importazioni, appartenente alla Thermi Ware, è stato trovato in connessione con il locale Castelluccian Ware (EBA), mentre gli esemplari Borġ in-Nadur, anch’esso in stile maltese, era in relazione con la ceramica locale di Thapsos (MBA). Nel 2012 è stata recuperata una grande quantità di ceramiche, tra cui alcuni nuovi esempi di articoli di Thermi e Borġ in-Nadur, nonché grandi quantità di ceramica di Castelluccian e Thapsos. Per accertare se il tipo di ceramica maltese fosse importato da quella piccola isola, fu stabilito un programma di analisi archeometriche. Campioni diagnostici appartenenti a classi ceramiche siciliane e siciliane sono stati analizzati con sezioni sottili distruttive e X-ray fluorescence spectrometry tradizionale (XRF) e successivamente portatile e non distruttivo (pXRF) insieme a un campione di argilla siciliana prelevato dalla sorgente più vicina all’isoletta. Le analisi hanno dimostrato che i due campioni di Thermi Ware sono stati prodotti localmente, mentre tre su quattro pezzi Borġ in-Nadur sono stati prodotti a Malta e uno è stato prodotto in Sicilia.
Poster presented at the 116th Annual Meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America, January 8-11, New Orleans, LA. Abstract published in Archaeological Institute of America 116th Annual Meeting Abstracts 38: 88.