Finding Ceramic Artifacts With Manti

[Andy Germany]

I found recently pieces of ceramic artefacts with the Manti here in Europe. I was surprised that the detector was able to do that. Tiny signals hear- and visible in All Metal mode. Fragments dated back into the 9th century as the archaeolgist says.

On another site I was able to detect modern clay drainage pipes buried a few centimeter below. Anyone else watching this "ceramicdetector" behavoir?

[CliveHamy]

Hi Andy, yes it is a little known capability. I've used the Nox and the Manti to find ceramics in archaeological layers (as well has evidence for hearths) - The first time I found it was when I'd been asked to check a trench that had been excavated and ready to be refilled. I found with the NOX several clear signals around -7 scattered across several metres in what was otherwise clear trench. Each one was a fragment of heavily glazed blue and green pottery.

I've assumed but not tested that it is due to metal in the glaze used on the pottery, rather than the material itself. - Not done any tests on that yet, apart from pinpointers reacting more to the glazed side.

With the Nox 800 the signals were around -7 to -9, what signals were you getting on the Manti? What did the 2D display look like - (I forgot to check) ? - I'm guessing low numbers, but way above the line?

Cheers Clive

[JCR]

A detector can often “see” ceramics, terracotta & brick, old fire pits, even certain meteorites, the same way it “sees” hot/cold rocks.  There has to be enough contrast with the site’s soil profile and detector’s GB setting to sound off on them.  They are anomalies to the detector.  A large void can do the same.  A static All Metal channel with true threshold works best for this response.

[TdG]

8 hours ago, CliveHamy said:

Hi Andy, yes it is a little known capability. I've used the Nox and the Manti to find ceramics in archaeological layers (as well has evidence for hearths) - The first time I found it was when I'd been asked to check a trench that had been excavated and ready to be refilled. I found with the NOX several clear signals around -7 scattered across several metres in what was otherwise clear trench. Each one was a fragment of heavily glazed blue and green pottery.

I've assumed but not tested that it is due to metal in the glaze used on the pottery, rather than the material itself. - Not done any tests on that yet, apart from pinpointers reacting more to the glazed side.

With the Nox 800 the signals were around -7 to -9, what signals were you getting on the Manti? What did the 2D display look like - (I forgot to check) ? - I'm guessing low numbers, but way above the line?

Cheers Clive

 

[TdG]

8 hours ago, CliveHamy said:

Hi Andy, yes it is a little known capability. I've used the Nox and the Manti to find ceramics in archaeological layers (as well has evidence for hearths) - The first time I found it was when I'd been asked to check a trench that had been excavated and ready to be refilled. I found with the NOX several clear signals around -7 scattered across several metres in what was otherwise clear trench. Each one was a fragment of heavily glazed blue and green pottery.

I've assumed but not tested that it is due to metal in the glaze used on the pottery, rather than the material itself. - Not done any tests on that yet, apart from pinpointers reacting more to the glazed side.

With the Nox 800 the signals were around -7 to -9, what signals were you getting on the Manti? What did the 2D display look like - (I forgot to check) ? - I'm guessing low numbers, but way above the line?

Cheers Clive

In some glazing lead might be the reason. And in some ceramics other metals, conductive, are present. Very low vdi’s. I often only notice when I test it if pottery comes up with a find. 

[GotAU?]

14 hours ago, Andy Germany said:

I found recently pieces of ceramic artefacts with the Manti here in Europe. I was surprised that the detector was able to do that. Tiny signals hear- and visible in All Metal mode. Fragments dated back into the 9th century as the archaeolgist says.

On another site I was able to detect modern clay drainage pipes buried a few centimeter below. Anyone else watching this "ceramicdetector" behavoir?

Hi Andy!  Anthony here in Southern California. My wife is an archaeologist and expressed an interest in the characteristics of your ceramic find. She wanted me to ask how large were the pieces, and how deep were they? I was also curious if you are using the M15 coil or the larger one, and what settings were you using?

Thank you for your report!

[Andy Germany]

18 hours ago, GotAU? said:

Hi Andy!  Anthony here in Southern California. My wife is an archaeologist and expressed an interest in the characteristics of your ceramic find. She wanted me to ask how large were the pieces, and how deep were they? I was also curious if you are using the M15 coil or the larger one, and what settings were you using?

Thank you for your report!

The pieces of that ceramic were tiny and little, broken. The depth was around approx. 2-3cm in that planum. We were excavating already in a big pit around approx. 2,50 meter under the soil. The ceramic was found inside and around an old wodden box fountain. A dendrochronologist examination proofed the wood into the 8./9th century, same with the tiny ceramic pieces. Interesting too: At this site I did not find a single piece of metal, no relics, nothing, "just"ceramic fragments. The ground was typical mid-european. Clay, sand mixed in the deeper layers. I did not perform a GB, just noise cancel at Sens 20-24.

I did use the M 8, ATG, Allmetall, Recovery at 6, ferrous limits 3-2. The ceramic signals came in the upper ferrous limits visible on the 2 D screen as tiny little black patches. Even hearable in my constant iron tone on the headphones. Cannot remember an ID. I just listen and digg everything at an excavation site. When I'm out of my own on a regular field I detect a little bit different.

Will be soon at another different excavation site, I will look further for ceramic.

[Andy Germany]

On 10/5/2025 at 1:28 PM, CliveHamy said:

Hi Andy, yes it is a little known capability. I've used the Nox and the Manti to find ceramics in archaeological layers (as well has evidence for hearths) - The first time I found it was when I'd been asked to check a trench that had been excavated and ready to be refilled. I found with the NOX several clear signals around -7 scattered across several metres in what was otherwise clear trench. Each one was a fragment of heavily glazed blue and green pottery.

I've assumed but not tested that it is due to metal in the glaze used on the pottery, rather than the material itself. - Not done any tests on that yet, apart from pinpointers reacting more to the glazed side.

With the Nox 800 the signals were around -7 to -9, what signals were you getting on the Manti? What did the 2D display look like - (I forgot to check) ? - I'm guessing low numbers, but way above the line?

Cheers Clive

I cannot remember the ID numbers, digged everything. The 2 D has shown the ceramic artefacts above the line in the upper ferrous limits as small patches. My workflow at that excavation site was: Listening to every little signal, even if it was weak and then we pulled out the ceramic pieces (more than 1.000 years old). Even the Mantis pinpointing mode did work. Pinpointing with my Garrett Pinpointer (the "carot") did work sometimes on the ceramic, sometimes not.

[GotAU?]

Thank you for the detailed response, interesting work both you and @CliveHamy are doing. Are you guys volunteering or working to do detection for an archaeological projects? I like helping out with my wife’s work on occasion as well. Mainly prehistoric archaeology of Native American sites. But I see a potential benefit of using a detector for ceramics at historic Chinese and Spanish sites here also

The most interesting pottery we’ve found by far were various pieces and parts of a small hand made small pinch “bowl” at the bottom of a 1.5 meter unit we dug in the bottom of a wide trench (it was for an excavation at a pipeline construction site). The pottery was dated at 9,000 ca (about), making it possibly the oldest pottery found in western North America (but probably not the oldest ever made here, it just hasn’t been found yet!) The Smithsonian Institution got involved with analyzing the pottery also. Here’s some photos of the pottery in a paper about the site.

I really wish I knew about metal detectors with ceramics back then also, we may have been able to recover more fragments!!