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Compositions and Microstructures of the Primary Ceramic Materials in the Paleolithic Age Through XRD, SEM, and TEM Analyses
Author(s) -
Yonekura Kaoru,
Suzuki Tetsuya,
Hashimoto Ayako,
Hasegawa Hiroyuki
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
journal of the american ceramic society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.9
H-Index - 196
eISSN - 1551-2916
pISSN - 0002-7820
DOI - 10.1111/j.1551-2916.2005.00651.x
Subject(s) - quartz , microstructure , materials science , ceramic , mineralogy , transmission electron microscopy , scanning electron microscope , feldspar , homogeneous , chalcedony , characterization (materials science) , mineral , geology , composite material , metallurgy , nanotechnology , thermodynamics , physics
The mineral compositions and microstructures of Paleolithic materials were first investigated by X‐ray diffraction analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy in order to understand the primary ceramic material in human history. Shale and chalcedony artifacts excavated from upper Paleolithic sites were analyzed. As a result, from among various candidates with nonuniform mineral compositions, only limited materials containing polycrystals with approximately more than 95%α‐quartz content were selected as tool materials. Moreover, every Paleolithic material invariably exhibited densely packed and homogeneous micrograins approximately 0.1–0.5 μm in size and an equigranular structure with few porosities at the grain boundaries.