Résumé
Minoan material culture (Bronze Age Crete, 3100-1150 BCE) is characterized by an important production of stone vases showcasing advanced craftsmanship and regional variation in production techniques and stylistic preferences. A particularly wide variety of raw materials was used, with serpentinite, chloritite, and limestone being among the predominant types of stone employed in vase production. The geological characterisation of Minoan stone vases thus provides unique insights into the strategies of material selection and use in Aegean Bronze Age societies. The project involves the non-destructive archaeometric analysis of different Minoan objects produced in serpentinite. Geochemical data were obtained using portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF), while crystallography was examined through handheld portable Raman spectroscopy (HH-Raman). Since serpentinisation is typically associated with the formation of ferromagnetic minerals, a portable magnetic susceptibility meter (pMS) has also been used to measure the magnetic response level. The analysis of archaeological material has then been compared to a field sampling of the different known Cretan serpentinite outcrops, which have been characterized by solution-ICP-MS for whole-rock geochemistry and pXRF calibration, XRD for semi-quantitative mineralogy, and µ-Raman of polished samples for in situ mineralogical characterization.To date, the project has completed its pilot phase with the study of a protopalatial artisans’s Quarter at Malia (Quartier Mu, 1800-1700 BCE). While precise provenance determination remains challenging at this stage, the results offer new perspectives on the factors influencing material selection, including local availability and physical properties. Preliminary results from the analysis of Quartier Mu at Malia have suggested the use of a more talc-rich serpentinite rock than that previously defined by the researchers, and our initial conclusions suggest that these talc-rich rocks were selected for their greater tenderness. Furthermore, our study highlighted specific artisanal production techniques depending on lithology.This presentation finally seeks to foster discussions on the non-destructive characterization of serpentinite, which is known to be poor in distinctive characteristics between outcrops, and on the complexities of establishing artifact provenance in the absence of documented quarries.