Non-destructive provenance study of cuneiform tablets using portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF)

Portable X-Ray Fluorescence (pXRF) apparatus of the last generation was tested to determine its potential for routine provenance determination of clay cuneiform tablets, which cannot be analyzed by “classical” intrusive methods. A group of tablets from Hattuša (Boğazköy) and from el Amarna, which were previously provenanced using optical mineralogy (OM) and instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA), was analyzed by pXRF and the results were used to establish the grouping according to their elemental concentrations. These groups were compared with the previous results retrieved by OM and INAA in order to confirm their validity. The results corroborate the high potential of the pXRF for non-destructive study of well-defined, ‘closed’ assemblages of clay-derived, delicate artifacts, such as cuneiform tablets, bullae, and fine-ware pottery. Consequently, a group of previously unexamined tablets from Hattuša was analyzed by pXRF and the results are discussed with implications on future research.

Research highlights
► Revealing the origin of cuneiform tablets sheds new light on the historyof the ancient Near East.
► Scientific provenance studies of clay-derived artifacts in archaeology are often based on intrusive methods.
► Portable X-Ray Fluorescence (pXRF) apparatus was tested to determine its potential for routine provenance studies of tablets.
► The results corroborate the high potential of the pXRF for non-destructive study of well-defined, ‘closed’ assemblages of clay-derived, delicate artifacts.