During the recent years a series of methods has been developed and refined to study the provenance and technology of ancient materials. A major part of the studies was focused on archaeological ceramics from different periods and areas.

The ceramic provenance studies are based mainly on chemical analysis of the bulk composition and petrographic examination. For this reason the laboratory established a large database of relevant reference data of ceramics and raw materials. The studies commonly include technological questions, such as raw material selection, clay paste preparation, firing temperature and material properties of the end product