Non-destructive structural studies of ceramic fragments of ancient tribes of Kazakhstan

Abstract

The phase composition of several fragments of the ancient ceramic of the early medieval settlement of Asusay and burial ground Eleke Sazy in the modern Republic of Kazakhstan has been studied using neutron diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. The quartz, calcite, and feldspar minerals are dominant phases in the studied ceramic fragments. The fractions of those phases were obtained. The spatial arrangement of inner components inside volumes of fragments was determined using neutron tomography. The pores in the ceramic fragments were segmented, and the porosity for each sample was obtained. The phase composition and internal pores are discussed within the framework of the structural indicators of local clay sources and features of ancient pottery technologies.