Pottery Typology and Material Analysis from Excavation and Survey Finds in the Sangiran Site

Dian Nisa Anna Rahmayani1*, Riana Wulan Pradipta2, Irma Fadhila Putri1, and Wahyu Ristiawan1

The Sangiran Site is a prehistoric site located in Sragen Regency, Indonesia. At the Sangiran Site, various Pleistocene remains were found, fossils of ancient humans, ancient fauna, stone tools, and layers of soil from millions of years ago. However, at the Sangiran Site, pottery was found with a burial context at several excavation and survey locations. The local community knows it as a Kubur Budho which has a correlation with megalithic culture. This article aims to determine the typology of pottery and its quality based on the similarities and differences in the chemical composition of the pottery with the results of excavations that have a burial context and field surveys at the Sangiran Site. Samples amounted to 30 pottery pieces originating from the excavation results of TP 11, TP 5, TP4, and surveys. The analysis method used was macroscopic by looking at the typology and decoration of the pottery and microscopically using X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) portable Bruker tracer 5g. The percentage of chemical element composition was analysed using statistical analysis to determine the grouping of the pottery. The statistical analysis used the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Hierarchical Clustering Analysis (HCA) methods. Based on the results of the typology analysis, it consists of types of vessels, pots, and bowls. Based on the results of the chemical element analysis of the pottery matrix, it is known that the pottery at the Sangiran Site has similarities, but there are several samples that have different percentage values ​​​​of their chemical element content.