The W. A. McDonald Laboratory of Petrography, thanks to the vision and financial support of Dr. Jennifer Moody, was founded in the summer of 2002 and began full-time operation in March 2003. The laboratory is equipped with a cut-off and trim saw, an impregnation machine, and a lapping machine for the manufacture of ceramic thin sections. The thin sections are studied under a Leica polarizing microscope and microphotographs are provided by a Nikon digital camera coupled to the microscope.

The projects undertaken by the W. A. McDonald Laboratory concentrate on the island of Crete, and the ceramic material analyzed extends chronologically from earliest prehistory to historic times. The individual projects are designed according to the archaeological questions raised by the typological study of the material in order to achieve optimum representation of vessel shapes and wares. Therefore, a good knowledge of the material prior to sampling in terms of typology, context, and dating, enhances the results of petrographic analysis.

On the basis of individual projects the aim is to establish at the Study Center a collection of Cretan fabrics that extend from the far west to the far east of the island and from the Neolithic to modern times. In this way, we will be able to examine issues such as clay recipes and their continuity in time, as well as distribution of ceramic products in space. Our ambition for the future is to make this database accessible to other researchers through the internet, but for the moment our fabric collection can be consulted on the basis of mutual agreement.

Since 2003, the W. A. McDonald Laboratory has established collaborations with all the Departments of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities on Crete and also with institutions practicing other types of analysis such as the NCSR Demokritos and the Department of Geology at the University of Patras in order to provide a more integrated approach to the ceramic material studied.

Finally the Institute of Aegean Prehistory has established a two month internship available every year to graduate students in archaeology, geology and related studies who are interested in acquiring some experience in ceramics petrography (for terms and conditions, see: http://www.aegeanprehistory.net).

For more information regarding the W. A. McDonald Laboratory of Petrography, please contact Dr Eleni Nodarou (enodarou@yahoo.gr)