Determination of Firing Temperature of Some Ancient Potteries of Tamil Nadu, India by FT-IR Spectroscopic Technique

Archaeological artifacts such as potteries, bricks and tiles are the source of information about the ancient civilization, their technological skills and cultural trade etc. Pottery is one of the oldest human technology and art-form that remains as a major industry even today. The potteries are made of clay minerals and kaolinte is the common mineral in pottery making. The firing temperature of ancient potteries is based primarily on changes of physical characteristics occurring when clay minerals are heated. The study of thermal transformations of the clay minerals can thus help in determining the firing temperatures of the potteries. In the present work, the estimation of firing temperature of the recently collected potteries from Melchittamur of Tamil Nadu is determined by FT-IR spectroscopic technique. The mineral composition and firing condition are inferred from the FT-IR spectrum. To estimate the upper limit of firing temperature of pottery fragments, the specimens were refried at different temperatures and the FT-IR spectrum was recorded from the samples. The interpretation of results is made from the IR characteristics absorption bands. Results are discussed and the conclusion is drawn.