Microfossils in Archaeological Ceramics | A Research Potential

Posted on: May 30, 2022 | National Museum of the Philippines

This week’s #MaritimeMonday presents the research potential of microfossil inclusion in archaeological ceramics. Microfossils are the remains of microscopic organisms including bacteria, phytoplankton, and small-sized elements of macrobiota such as sponge spicules, in sizes ranging from 0.001–1.0 mm.

Microfossils such as diatoms and dinoflagellates provide a valuable source of evidence in paleo-ecological, paleo-limnological, and paleo-environmental reconstructions, as well as in forensics. Further, the inclusion and occurrence of diatom microfossils in ancient ceramics have already been documented in several studies. Despite high temperatures during pottery production, these microfossils were still found embedded in several archaeological ceramics. Their inclusions in the raw materials, as well as in fillers and/or tempers used for potteries, were observed in the matrix of these artifacts. Despite being scarce in most archaeological ceramics, dinoflagellate cysts were also found in several stone tools made from chert, flint, or sedimentary rocks.

Microfossil studies would require invasive or destructive methods such as thin section and petrographic analysis as well as dissolution of materials, hence the use of broken ceramics would be necessary. Over the years, the #NationalMuseumPH through then Underwater Archaeology Section (UAS) of the Archaeology Division, and now Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage Division (MUCHD) have collected thousands of ceramic sherds from several shipwreck sites all over the country. Conducting microfossil research can therefore aid in accumulating information necessary for the establishment of baseline data on microfossils in archaeological ceramics. Results from this research can further be utilized to infer the possible provenance of ceramics, their functions, and their possible manufacturing technology.

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