Trojan pithoi: A petrographic approach to provenance of Bronze Age storage vessels from Troy

• Bronze Age Large storage vessels from Troy were analyzed using petrographic method.
• Four different clays used for their production has been identified.
• The clay sources were assigned to distinct geological areas, between 10 to 20 km south of Troy.
• Use of the clays was seemingly a deliberate choice by potters.

Large storage vessels from the Bronze Age periods at Troy were subjected to petrographic analysis in order to characterize and determine the provenance of the clay raw materials used for their production. The analyses reveal that the selected vessels were produced from different clay sources with different clay qualities. They can be assigned to distinct geological areas, between 10 and 20 km south of Troy, in the Ezine region and surrounding areas. Different procurement patterns of raw clay can be also recognized.