2023 Volume 72 Issue 1.2 Pages 57-62
In the field of archaeology, there have been reports of a white substance adhering to the inner surface of pottery. According to some reports, X-ray fluorescence analysis, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction performed on the white substance adhered to the inner surface of pottery identified the white substance as a type of aluminum hydroxide crystal. Its origin is not clear. Recently, white adherents were found on the inner surface of Nara-period Sue ware excavated from the Heijo-kyo capital site. We have therefore conducted X-ray fluorescence analysis, FTIR analysis and X-ray diffraction of the white substance on the inner surface of the Sue ware with the aim of elucidating its use, and identified it as bayerite, a type of aluminum hydroxide crystal. It is rare to find bayerite in the identification of the white substance adhering to potteries. The origin of bayerite is thought to be related to the use of the pottery, but there is also the possibility that the external environment was involved. We are working to elucidate the origin of the white substance in light of our previous finding.