Foraminifera and Calcareous Nannofossils in Archaeological Ceramics of Eastern Sicily: Survivors or Archaeometric Tool?

The identification of calcareous foraminifera and nannofossils in archaeological ceramics (tiles and bricks from the Archaic to Roman ages) of Naxos and Taormina (Sicily) has, along with other evidence and archaeometric analyses, addressed aspects of technology and raw material source areas. Microfossils, like the other aplastic inclusions, help to interpret ceramic pastes. This paper provides, for northeastern Sicily, a contribution demonstrating the importance of an integrated approach in the study of archaeological ceramics; micropaleontological analysis supports mineralogical, petrographic and chemical data to constrain interpretations of provenance and technology. The preservation of foraminifera calcitic tests and coccoliths is an additional key to identifying errors, failures and strategies during the ancient ceramic firing process. Comparisons with the micropaleontological content of locally outcropping clay deposits have allowed for the unambiguous identification of the clay sources used for ancient ceramic production in the region.