Scientific Analysis on a Budget: USB Microscopy of Earthenware Sherds from Pulau Melaka and Syahbandar

CHUA Alvin Sern Hao*, Dionysius Shankar Kumar Sharma, and Abdul Aziz Abdul Rashid

The scientific analysis of archaeological ceramics from Southeast Asian sites has hitherto been limited. Several factors may deter researchers from applying scientific techniques to their study of ceramics. These include the costs of scientific analyses, access to equipment, and the availability of personnel with the relevant technical expertise. Scientific analysis of ceramics, however, need not involve, in the initial stages, at least, the use of expensive, highly specialised techniques. One such technique that could be employed is USB microscopy, which allows the macrofabrics of ceramics, especially coarse earthenware, to be studied in a non-destructive manner. In addition, the costs involved are relatively low, being confined largely to the purchase of the microscope. Moreover, this is a relatively simple technique that does not require a set of highly specialised skills. On top of that, USB microscopy could be used to complement more traditional types of ceramics analysis and/or complemented by more complex scientific analyses. In this paper, we will provide an overview of the use of USB microscopy, and how it may be applied by archaeologists in the region. To illustrate the above, we will focus in particular on the study of a collection of earthenware sherds from two Melakan sites, Pulau Melaka and Syahbandar. It is hoped that this paper will encourage more researchers in Southeast Asia to consider using USB microscopy as a way to extract data from the ceramics unearthed in the region.