Feldspars as Provenance Indicators: Cathodoluminescence Microspectroscopy of Granitoid-Tempered Pottery from the Late Sarmatian Barbaricum

Raw material supply to pottery workshops may reflect wider regional connections of past communities. This study investigates the provenance of granitoid temper in Late Sarmatian micaceous–pebbly pottery from Tázlár–Templomhegy, Hungary. Previous petrographic analysis suggested that these ceramics were produced at the Nagymágocs–Paptanya pottery workshop, Hungary, but the source of the rock temper was undetermined. Cathodoluminescence (CL) microscopy and spectroscopy were used to examine the luminescence characteristics of K-feldspar and plagioclase in the temper and reference material, including potential source granitoids and archaeological rock samples from the workshop site. Spectral parameters were evaluated using principal component analysis, hierarchical cluster analysis and linear discriminant analysis. CL microscopic observations, spectral data and statistical analyses indicated the greatest similarity between the temper and the Codru granitoid, Romania. The proximity of the workshop to the Codru outcrops, together with the archaeological and historical context, further supports this provenance. CL microscopy and spectroscopy of feldspars appeared promising for differentiating granitoid units. Plagioclase provided more effective discrimination than K-feldspar, although combining their results led to a more comprehensive interpretation. Using CL microscopy and spectroscopy of feldspars with multivariate statistical methods offers a promising approach for determining the provenance of granitoid temper in archaeological ceramics.