Physiochemical study of Byzantine ceramics in ancient Sikyona

Abstract

The technical construction and decoration of eleven ceramic shards from Ancient Sikyon are investigated in detail. The samples belong to the collection of Byzantine - Christian Museum of Athens and they derived from the excavation in the area of Ancient Sikyon conducted by archaeologist Anastasios Orlandos. The ceramics studied in this work are dated within Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Period, since they were manufactured in the representative Byzantine style. Optical microscopic and stereoscopic examination was carried out on the samples in order to view their layer build-up, while the combined use of μRaman and μFTIR spectroscopy led to the detection of the construction materials used