GEOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF ANCIENT POTTERY FROM BETHSAIDA, ISRAEL USING X-RAY FLUORESCENCE

In order to determine if the clay used to make pottery has a common provenance, elemental analysis was conducted on thirty-three clay pottery samples using a handheld X-Ray fluorimeter (XRF). At Bethsaida, Israel, it is thought that common pottery were produced locally at one of three known pottery manufacturing centers in the Galilee region. In contrast, it is hypothesized that pottery classified as Herodian oil lamps found at Bethsaida were imported from outside of the Galilee region.

Seven of the Bethsaida pottery samples analyzed using the handheld XRF are categorized as common ware, while the remaining eighteen represent Herodian oil lamps. Eight additional samples from the three known pottery manufacturing centers in the Galilee region were also analyzed. When plotting strontium (Sr) against zirconium (Zr) concentrations (in parts per million [ppm]) the pottery samples clustered in three regions that are constrained as follows: Cluster A. Zr: 374-590 ppm/Sr: 447-958 ppm; Cluster B. Zr: 86-285 ppm/Sr: 2295-3217 ppm; Cluster C. Zr: 82-185 ppm/Sr: 569-1245 ppm.

Six samples of common ware from Bethsaida formed cluster A along with samples from two local manufacturing centers, while two Herodian oil lamps and one common ware from Bethsaida were grouped with samples from another local manufacturing center in cluster B. Cluster C consisted of fifteen Herodian oil lamps that were found at Bethsaida, while two samples, one from Bethsaida and one from a local manufacturing center, did not fit into clusters A, B, or C. Based on the results of the analysis, all seven of the common ware and two Herodian oil lamps found at Bethsaida were composed of clays that originated in the Galilee region, while the majority (15) of the Herodian oil lamps found at Bethsaida were manufactured at a common location, outside of the Galilee region.