Integrating X-ray fluorescence and X-ray computed tomography for comprehensive analysis of historical ceramics from the Kraków Upland

Abdelrahman, Romisaa; Wroński, Sebastian; Wojenka, Michał; Tarasiuk, Jacek; Samek, Lucyna

Integrating X-ray fluorescence and X-ray computed tomography for comprehensive analysis of historical ceramics from the Kraków Upland

Nukleonika

Volume 70 (2025): Issue 4 (December 2025)

By: Romisaa Abdelrahman

, Sebastian Wroński

, Michał Wojenka

, Jacek Tarasiuk

and Lucyna Samek

Open Access

|Oct 2025

Figures & Tables

Location of sampling sites. 1 – Grodzisko near Skała, 2 – Jerzmanowice, 3 – Ojców, a – source clay deposits.

The analyzed pottery fragments. (a) Photographic image of the fragment; refer to GRO_275, refer to JER_135, refer to OJC_273, refer to OJC_965, refer to OJC_9668. (b) Frontal cross-section of the tomographic reconstruction of the sample. (c) Longitudinal cross-section of the tomographic reconstruction of the sample.

(a) SiO2-Al2O3-CaO and (b) SiO2-Al2O3-Na2O+K2O ternary plots showing the matrix composition of the ceramic body of the analyzed sample measured by XRF technique.

Segmented image emphasizing the inclusions of sample GRO_275 (in mm).

Segmented image emphasizing the inclusions of sample JER_135 (in mm).

Segmented image emphasizing the inclusions of sample OJC_965 (in mm).

Segmented image emphasizing the inclusions of sample OJC_9668 (in mm).

Segmented image emphasizing the voids of sample GRO_275 (in mm).

Segmented image emphasizing the voids of sample JER_135 (in mm).

Segmented image emphasizing the voids of sample OJC_965 (in mm).

Segmented image emphasizing the voids of sample OJC_9668 (in mm).

Segmented image emphasizing the voids of sample OJC_273 (in mm).

Elemental composition of the matrix of the ceramic body of the analyzed pottery samples and clay deposits in the Kraków Upland (in wt%, μg/g, and standard deviation) determined by XRF technique

Elements	Clay deposits	GRO_275	JER_135	OJC_273	OJC_965	OJC_9668
Determined concentration ± St.Dev. (%)

Na	0.055 ± 0.0079	<LOD	0.15 ± 0.21	1.19 ± 0.91	0.198 ± 0.073	0.36 ± 0.13
Mg	0.320 ± 0.072	0.17 ± 0.21	0.76 ± 0.074	0.59 ± 0.25	1.08 ± 0.38	0.84 ± 0.19
Al	3.9 ± 2.0	3.0 ± 2.2	11.6 ± 3.3	6.1 ± 2.6	3.9 ± 3.7	8.50 ± 0.98
Si	11.8 ± 5.2	42.3 ± 3.2	31.2 ± 1.9	28.7 ± 2.9	28 ± 18	31.2 ± 2.2
P	0.039 ± 0.024	0.106 ± 0.012	0.091 ± 0.099	0.25 ± 0.19	2.8 ± 2.7	0.18 ± 0.035
S	0.016 ± 0.0079	0.030 ± 0.012	0.097 ± 0.034	0.56 ± 0.18	0.12 ± 0.072	0.063 ± 0.015
K	1.03 ± 0.25	0.88 ± 0.62	1.93 ± 0.48	3.2 ± 0.17	2.3 ± 2.2	3.3 ± 1.5
Ca	1.42 ± 0.32	0.35 ± 0.31	1.04 ± 0.35	8 ± 8	14 ± 6	1.78 ± 0.32
Ti	0.180 ± 0.087	0.087 ± 0.085	0.69 ± 0.32	0.57 ± 0.12	0.25 ± 0.23	0.78 ± 0.59
Fe	2.23 ± 0.39	0.94 ± 0.78	3.05 ± 0.91	4.6 ± 1.4	2.5 ± 2.1	4.64 ± 0.59

Determined concentration ± St.Dev. (μg/g)

V	39 ± 12	210 ± 150	236 ± 46	140 ± 130	35 ± 31	121 ± 67
Cr	48 ± 11	94 ± 110	148 ± 18	100 ± 26	62 ± 17	180 ± 94
Mn	180 ± 19	560 ± 150	360 ± 300	1600 ± 380	1610 ± 700	820 ± 150
Ni	23 ± 6	208 ± 54	33 ± 13	51 ± 35	65 ± 56	68 ± 5
Cu	15 ± 4	22 ± 9	55 ± 19	369 ± 18	58 ± 15	47 ± 34
Zn	82 ± 64	<LOD	318 ± 60	229 ± 34	330 ± 24 030	256 ± 22
Ga	12 ± 4	<LOD	33 ± 16	147 ± 67	39 ± 29	34 ± 8
As	17 ± 5	120 ± 110	<LOD	<LOD	115 ± 19	35 ± 13
Rb	64 ± 10	73 ± 32	126 ± 40	184 ± 58	143 ± 18	165 ± 15
Sr	42 ± 8	90 ± 20	87 ± 49	160 ± 21	390 ± 120	143 ± 15
Y	34 ± 7	34 ± 44	16 ± 7	167 ± 71	11 ± 6	34 ± 10
Zr	84 ± 45	270 ± 120	235 ± 79	269 ± 68	104 ± 12	411 ± 340
Nb	22 ± 5	39 ± 5	63 ± 7	45 ± 15	42 ± 16	94 ± 40
Ba	187 ± 32	<LOD	650 ± 480	840 ± 350	1580 ± 200	1130 ± 530

The comparison of determined and known (reference) concentrations of chemical compounds in reference samples

Compound	Reference A		Reference C

	Concentration (wt%)		Concentration (wt%)

	Reference	Determined ± St.Dev.	Reference	Determined ± St.Dev.
Na₂O	1.62	1.740 ± 0.013	1.88	2.440 ± 0.080
MgO	0.27	0.150 ± 0.040	0.3	0.337 ± 0.040
Al₂O₃	34.16	35.43 ± 0.32	24.8	27.47 ± 0.27
SiO₂	59.97	55.20 ± 0.33	69.57	63.66 ± 0.38
K₂O	3.33	4.41 ± 0.13	2.93	4.119 ± 0.055
CaO	0.53	0.52 ± 0.11	0.52	0.535 ± 0.012
Fe₂O₃	nd	1.35 ± 0.41	0.3	0.3800 ± 0.0023
BaO	0.12	0.130 ± 0.021	nd	0.157 ± 0.012

The correlation data of the ceramic sample according to the data from XRF analysis

	Na₂O	MgO	Al₂O₃	SiO₂	P₂O₅	SO₃	K₂O	CaO	TiO₂	Fe₂O₃	V	Cr₂O₃	MnO	NiO	Cu	ZnO	Ga	As	Rb	SrO	Y₂O₃	Zr	Nb	BaO	Pb
Na₂O	1
MgO	−0.03	1
Al₂O₃	0	0.32	1
SiO₂	−0.45	−0.87	−0.38	1
P₂O₅	−0.2	0.67	−0.45	−0.45	1
SO₃	0.97	−0.04	−0.04	−0.46	−0.12	1
K₂O	0.67	0.56	0.36	−0.77	0.01	0.54	1
CaO	0.26	0.63	−0.43	−0.65	0.9	0.35	0.28	1
TiO₂	0.33	0.41	0.88	−0.56	−0.42	0.22	0.75	−0.28	1
Fe₂O₃	0.69	0.44	0.53	−0.71	−0.22	0.56	0.97	0.08	0.87	1
V	0.18	−0.72	0.36	0.44	−0.84	0.24	−0.31	−0.71	0.15	−0.08	1
Cr₂O₃	−0.06	0.06	0.79	−0.03	−0.66	−0.23	0.4	−0.7	0.83	0.55	0.27	1
MnO	0.62	0.43	−0.48	−0.62	0.63	0.65	0.51	0.9	−0.16	0.33	−0.57	−0.59	1
NiO	−0.39	−0.78	−0.68	0.94	−0.18	−0.39	−0.73	−0.35	−0.76	−0.75	0.17	−0.3	−0.31	1
Cu	0.98	−0.08	−0.04	−0.43	−0.16	1	0.55	0.31	0.23	0.57	0.26	−0.2	0.63	−0.37	1
ZnO	0.12	0.94	0.57	−0.93	0.45	0.15	0.6	0.5	0.6	0.56	−0.42	0.17	0.33	−0.95	0.11	1
Ga	0.98	0.11	0.06	−0.59	−0.07	0.99	0.66	0.39	0.34	0.68	0.14	−0.15	0.68	−0.52	0.99	0.29	1
As	−0.58	−0.15	−0.82	0.49	0.56	−0.54	−0.61	0.28	−0.88	−0.79	−0.49	−0.61	0.1	0.72	−0.55	−0.45	−0.6	1
Rb	0.75	0.59	0.32	−0.87	0.11	0.67	0.98	0.43	0.68	0.94	−0.29	0.23	0.63	−0.8	0.67	0.67	0.79	−0.63	1
SrO	−0.03	0.71	−0.44	−0.56	0.98	0.04	0.2	0.95	−0.32	−0.04	−0.88	−0.62	0.76	−0.26	−0.01	0.49	0.1	0.46	0.29	1
Y₂O₃	0.98	−0.21	−0.07	−0.3	−0.29	0.97	0.54	0.17	0.23	0.58	0.31	−0.11	0.55	−0.25	0.99	−0.04	0.95	−0.53	0.62	−0.13	1
Zr	0.18	−0.32	0.36	0.25	−0.78	−0.04	0.38	−0.72	0.56	0.49	0.3	0.83	−0.42	0.09	0.03	−0.28	0.01	−0.42	0.19	−0.68	0.19	1
Nb	−0.21	0.66	0.52	−0.44	0.08	−0.38	0.59	−0.06	0.67	0.55	−0.51	0.69	−0.12	−0.48	−0.37	0.57	−0.22	−0.23	0.43	0.14	−0.36	0.44	1
BaO	0.14	0.96	0.09	−0.87	0.73	0.11	0.65	0.76	0.3	0.49	−0.83	−0.08	0.65	−0.69	0.09	0.83	0.25	−0.05	0.69	0.82	−0.03	−0.3	0.6	1
Pb	−0.29	0.12	0.8	−0.11	−0.28	−0.2	−0.22	−0.38	0.42	−0.03	0.52	0.37	−0.6	−0.42	−0.22	0.39	−0.18	−0.51	−0.17	−0.4	−0.3	−0.12	0.06	−0.18	1

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/nuka-2025-0010 | Journal eISSN: 1508-5791 | Journal ISSN: 0029-5922

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Language: English

Page range: 97 - 109

Submitted on: Apr 14, 2025

Accepted on: Jun 16, 2025

Published on: Oct 21, 2025

Published by: Institute of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology

In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services

Publication frequency: 4 issues per year

Keywords:

Archeological ceramics,

XCT,

Related subjects:

Physics,

Astronomy and astrophysics,

Physics, other

© 2025 Romisaa Abdelrahman, Sebastian Wroński, Michał Wojenka, Jacek Tarasiuk, Lucyna Samek, published by Institute of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

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Integrating X-ray fluorescence and X-ray computed tomography for comprehensive analysis of historical ceramics from the Kraków Upland

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Fig. 12.

Elemental composition of the matrix of the ceramic body of the analyzed pottery samples and clay deposits in the Kraków Upland (in wt%, μg/g, and standard deviation) determined by XRF technique

The comparison of determined and known (reference) concentrations of chemical compounds in reference samples

The correlation data of the ceramic sample according to the data from XRF analysis

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