The ceramics from Empúries county (Catalonia) in the 10th-11th centuries AD. An archaeometric approach

•Analytics demonstrate a dynamic and diverse scenario concerning the production and Distribution of ceramics from the County of Empúries between the 10th-11th centuries.•Most of the analysed ceramics are related to a local or regional origin and suggest a dispersed production.•There is evidence of the circulation of ceramics over the Albera range, at least from the North to the South.•Most low-fired ceramics exhibit the presence of talc, which might be evidence of regional provenance.•Some ceramics exhibit extremely high sodium concentrations that could be explained by the presence of the high sodium plagioclase albite identified in pegmatite rocks belonging to the area of Cap de Creus. The sixty ceramic individuals studied in this project were recovered in Empúries county, including a few ceramics from Besalú and Rosselló counties (Catalonia) for comparison. These ceramics, dated to the 10th—11th centuries AD, belong to a historical period related to the creation and consolidation of the Catalan Counties. This period is poorly studied from an archaeological point of view, so there is little information about ceramic production and distribution, which this research aims to change by identifying the provenance and some elements of the manufacturing techniques. For this purpose, the ceramic sherds have been chemically and mineralogically characterised by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. Their microstructure and sintering state have been determined by scanning electron microscopy coupled to energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM), and petrographic analyses have been performed, too. Results confirm distribution patterns and the evidence of similar technical traditions in different Counties. Finally, the contrast with the database enables us to relate some of the individuals analysed in this study to some others from the area of the County of Empúries dating from the Visigoth period (7th—8th centuries) in line with their exceptionally high concentrations of Na2O.