Charactrization and Elemental Analysis of Mina'i Pottery from Alamut Castle Using Scanning Proton Microscope

The measurement of the elemental composition of historical pottery is of particular importance. By examining the elemental composition of the body and glaze of historical pottery, one can obtain valuable information regarding the determination of raw materials and their diversity, as well as techniques employed in the manufacturing of these historical objects. In this research, 12 samples of the mina'i pottery from Alamut Castle, dating back to the 11th to 13th centuries AD, have been studied using ion beam analysis techniques. In this study, the elemental composition of the body, various pigments used in the paintings, and also the baseglaze have been measured using the micro-PIXE. Additionally, the thickness of the gold layer applied on the surfaces of some of these potteries has also been studied using the micro-RBS method. The purpose of conducting this research is to provide appropriate answers to the following questions: What raw materials have been used in the manufacturing of the body and glaze of these objects? What sources have supplied the raw materials used as fluxes? Also, what coloring agents and elements have been used to create different colors in the baseglaze and decorative paintings? Measuring the thickness of the gold layer used in these decorations is also one of the goals of this research work. Based on the results obtained from the elemental composition of the body and glaze of these potteries, it can be concluded that different sources of silica and fluxes have been used in the manufacturing of Alamut Castle mina'i potteries. Also, the coloring agents in producing red, white, blue, and turquoise pigments have been identified as Fe, Sn, Co and Cu elements, respectively. Moreover, the micro-RBS shows that the thickness of the gold layer used in decorations varies from 300 to 800 nanometers in the samples.