Multifractal analysis of ceramic pottery SEM images in Cucuteni-Tripolye culture

The Cucuteni-Tripolye Culture is one of the last brilliant cultural expressions of the Copper Age. The relative rarity of the genuine ceramic samples leads to flooding the marketplace with fake (replica) archaeological artefacts. The current study represented the first attempt to implement the multifractal analysis in the SEM images of fractured surfaces of shreds that belong to genuine domestic ceramics from archaeological sites of the Cucuteni-Tripolye culture. The multifractal analysis was performed at both local (multifractal singularity spectrum) and global (Renyi generalized dimensions) approaches and in a comparative manner between replica and genuine samples. Replica samples were obtained by an experienced team of archaeologists following as much as possible the same raw material, paste preparation technology, shaping, and firing operations. The surface heterogeneity of the samples is measured using fractality through the fractal dimensions D-0-D-2. Afterward, a multifractal approach based on the generalized fractal dimension and the singularity spectrum is used to correlate the structural variability on the analyzed surface with the clay quality and firing conditions. A significant separation between the original and replica samples is achieved. The proposed method established high potential for the detection of the fake Cucuteni samples that are often found in the black market of antiquities. (C) 2018 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.