ANALYSIS OF CERAMIC COLOR BY SPECTRAL REFLECTANCE

Radiometric and visual techniques are compared as quantitative methods for determining pottery color. AN analysis of 52 prehistoric sherds s elected at random from a multicomponent site indicates an increase in the accuracy and efficiency in determining color using a spectroradiom eter over subjective visual observations. Further, radiometric data ca n be transformed to CIE chromaticity coordinates and Munsell color fro m spectral reflectance curves and analyzed directly to access quantita tive accuracy. the color, or spectral reflectance, of filter paper sam ples and a subset of the sherds measured by a standard field radiomete r were strongly correlated with measurements of color derived from a l ow-cost, PC-based color sensor traditionally used in graphic arts appl ications. Radiometric data were compared with visual observations of M unsell color conducted by two archaeologists. The two methods were mos t similar in estimates of value and chroma. The human observers differ ed widely in their estimates of hue. The radiometric approach provides more consistent and exact measurements of color than does visual obse rvation, providing archaeologists with an efficient, effective, and a potential low-cost method to determine an important common attribute o f artifacts.