Provenance studies of archaeological ceramics based on their elemental composition illuminate the production and distribution of pottery vessels and, in the case of transport containers, of the commodities that they contained. A basic assumption is that the elemental composition of ceramics from a specific workshop or production area can be distinguished from other production groups, mainly because of the use of geochemically different clays, either singly or in combination. In some cases, however, the compositional differences between production groups are quite small. Thus, laboratory methods with high performance, in terms of precision and accuracy, such as neutron activation analysis (NAA) or wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WDXRF), are often preferred for analyzing archaeological ceramics, especially for effective comparison with reference groups and published data from other studies. Handheld portable energy dispersive XRF systems (pXRF), although increasingly used during recent years, offer lesser analytical performance, which may obscure compositional differences and currently do not offer the same potential for comparison to known reference groups. However, due to their potential for fast and non-invasive measurements, considerably larger numbers of samples can be analysed by pXRF, offering an array of advantages. We argue that pXRF offers the opportunity for an initial analytical survey of a large ceramic assemblage as the basis for efficient sample selection for laboratory analysis, covering a large number of samples and avoiding for the generation of redundant measurements. We present the application of such a stepped analytical approach to a well-studied assemblage of amphorae of the Hellenistic period at Nea Paphos, Cyprus. The analysis of 287 amphora fragments by pXRF, the grouping of that data to select samples for further analysis of 97 individuals by NAA, and the comparison of the grouping of data from both chemical techniques is presented. This leads not only to archaeological insights on the production and circulation of amphorae, but tests an innovative methodology that offers the chance to maximize and extend the application of geochemical techniques of high accuracy and precision on an assemblage-wide scale.

基于其元素组成的考古陶瓷来源研究阐明了陶器的生产和分配，以及在运输容器的情况下，它们所包含的商品的生产和分配。一个基本假设是来自特定车间或生产区的陶瓷的元素组成可以与其他生产组区分开来，主要是因为单独或组合使用地球化学上不同的粘土。然而，在某些情况下，生产组之间的组成差异非常小。因此，在精度和准确度方面具有高性能的实验室方法，例如中子活化分析 (NAA) 或波长色散 X 射线荧光 (WDXRF)，通常是分析考古陶瓷的首选方法，特别是为了与参考组和其他研究的已发表数据进行有效比较。手持式便携式能量色散 XRF 系统 (pXRF)，尽管近年来越来越多地使用，但其分析性能较差，这可能会掩盖成分差异，并且目前无法提供与已知参考组进行比较的相同潜力。然而，由于它们具有快速和非侵入性测量的潜力，因此 pXRF 可以分析大量样品，从而提供一系列优势。我们认为 pXRF 提供了对大型陶瓷组合进行初步分析调查的机会，作为实验室分析的有效样本选择的基础，涵盖大量样本并避免产生冗余测量。我们介绍了这种阶梯式分析方法在塞浦路斯 Nea Paphos 希腊化时期的双耳瓶组合中的应用。介绍了 pXRF 对 287 个双耳瓶碎片的分析、该数据的分组以选择样本以通过 NAA 对 97 个个体进行进一步分析，以及对来自两种化学技术的数据分组进行比较。这不仅会导致对双耳瓶的生产和流通的考古见解，而且还会测试一种创新方法，该方法提供了在整个组合范围内最大化和扩展高精度和精确地球化学技术应用的机会。对这些数据进行分组以选择样本以供 NAA 对 97 个人进行进一步分析，并展示了来自两种化学技术的数据分组的比较。这不仅会导致对双耳瓶的生产和流通的考古见解，而且还会测试一种创新方法，该方法提供了在整个组合范围内最大化和扩展高精度和精确地球化学技术应用的机会。将这些数据分组以选择样本以供 NAA 对 97 个人进行进一步分析，并展示了来自两种化学技术的数据分组的比较。这不仅导致对双耳瓶的生产和流通的考古见解，而且还测试了一种创新方法，该方法提供了在整个组合范围内最大化和扩展高精度和精确地球化学技术应用的机会。