A PIXE-PIGME Study of Combed Ware Jars from Egypt

PIXE-PIGME is a form of elemental analysis that uses a proton beam to irradiate powdered ceramic samples to isolate key trace elements (Grave et al. 1996). Owing to the availability of local testing facilities and expertise, this form of analysis was adopted to test selected samples from imported Giza Combed Ware jars held in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and a reference sample of sherds from the Levant. Samples were obtained by taking a small 'clipping' from a larger sherd using a pair of ordinary pliers, or cut from a bigger piece using a small saw. These were then powdered by the in the N.G. McIntosh Centre for Quaternary Dating (University of Sydney), taking care to ensure that the slipped surface (where present) was not included in the powdered form for analysis. In the case of the Boston MFA samples, these were taken by the Museum's Conservation Department by drilling a hole either through the base or a clean section of the sherd. One again care was taken to ensure the drill obtained the sample from a clean surface and where necessary a small scraping of the surface was made. Sufficient powdered material of the Boston MFA jars remains to conduct further sampling in the future.