## 1 Introduction  
Research in cultural heritage objects such as ceramics, mortars, glasses, etc., is multi-disciplinary work that incorporates researchers from various fields of study. The identification and classification in historical and geographical contexts of these artistic objects are important [1, 2]. Analytical techniques for these objects should possess non-destructive operation, high sensitivity, spatial resolution, multi-elemental analysis, and versatility for providing reliable information (in micro to nanoscales) about the complex structure of cultural heritage objects. Quantitative and/or semi-quantitative analyses for major, minor, and trace elements of archaeological materials are required to obtain information about manufacturing technology, raw materials, and origin of these objects as well as their restoration and conservation [3, 4, 5]. In previous research, many X-ray based techniques have been successfully used for analyses of the archaeological objects including X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), proton-induced X-ray emission (PIXE), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), and X-ray tomographic microscopy (XTM) [3; 6; 7; 8; 9; 10; 11]. It is reported that the ceramics which are inorganic and non-metallic solids were produced by firing and cooling processes. It is well-known that clay is the raw material for pottery production, which contains fine particles and minerals that are weather-resistant materials of igneous rocks. There are many works about characterization of ancient ceramics found in Thailand including brick, jar, and pottery at different archaeological sites such as Wiang Kaen, Mae Man Noi, U-Thong, Wiang Kalong, Ban Chiang, and Ban Muang Bua [12; 13; 14; 15; 16; 17; 18; 19; 20]. Jar burial cultures associate mainly with the tradition of burying which includes not only the human body (primary burial) but also human bones (secondary burial). These burials have been found in Asia, such as in Japan, Taiwan, China, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Philippines which are dated to at least 1000 B.C. It has been reported that buried grave jars excavated from Mun and Chi valleys in northeastern Thailand are dated from the late prehistoric period (2000-500 B.C.) to 11 th century A.D. [21; 22]. Ban Muang Bua archaeological site, Muang Bua sub-district, Kastewisai district, Roi-Et province, northeastern Thailand is located at Geographic Latitude 15.607838\({}^{\circ}\) N and Geographic Longitude 103.592923\({}^{\circ}\) E on Thung Kula Rong Hai area of Korat basin (1500 B.C.-500 A.D.). The area covers some parts of the five provinces of Roi-Et, Mahasarakham, Surin, Srisaket, and Yasothorn, as shown in Figure 1a. It was chosen to be the main site for research in burial pottery, grave goods, and funeral ceremonies in the late prehistorical age due to possession of archaeological evidence and becoming a restricted area to the intrusion of agricultural activities. Grave goods and products used in daily life have been discovered at this site. These local unique products are called Roi Et earthquake. The burial jars have been used in both primary and secondary burial ceremonies. Most of them are low-temperature fired earthquake with thicknesses of \(\sim\)1-3 cm. They are also decorated with cord-marked, red slipped, color painted, and molding paste patterns [23] as shown in Figure 1b and Table 1. Moreover, archaeological evidence reveals that the Ban Muang Bua archaeological site is contemporary with [PERSON] and others. Carbon-14 dating (in 2010) confirmed that the pottery samples excavated in between 2002-2003 are dated to 3890 \(\pm\) 260 to 2620 \(\pm\) 240 years for primary burial and 2440 \(\pm\) 210 to 1490 \(\pm\) 210 years for secondary burial [23; 24; 25]. Thermoluminescence dating of the pottery samples (of secondary burial) excavated in 2003 is of between 2045 \(\pm\) 50 and 1650 \(\pm\) 40 years (on 30 July 2020) [26].