## 5 Conclusions  
The results of these initial experiments indicate that micro-CT imaging, enhanced by 3D image analysis, is a useful addition to the toolkit of archaeothermometry. Since this is a non-destructive technique, a sample from a ceramic sherd can be used first for micro-CT, and then the same sample can be used for other characterization methods such as thin-section petrography for mineralogical analysis. Having both mineralogical and pore system data together would provide a wealth of information to study the effects of firing temperature on archaeological ceramic materials.  
It would be useful to add controlled experiments with known and realistic firing scenarios to identify which pore variables are most closely associated with which firing variations. However, given the many variations in past raw materials, fabrication methods, and firing technologies, another future approach might be to routinely obtain porosity data by conducting micro-CT scanning followed by 3D image analysis on many shreds in a project prior to now-routine thin-section preparation. This could result in data that can be compared within and between archaeological sites for identifying the range of firing effects on pore systems.  
Figure 19: At lower firing temperatures (**left**), minerals such as quartz begin to melt, creating many connected intragranular pores. At higher temperatures (**right**), more grains will completely vitrify, leaving more isolated pores. Both are transmitted plane polarized light, with pores blue.  
The ANOVA proved crucial in clarifying which of the many variables that can be recorded in image analysis are significantly related to firing temperatures and which are not. Most archaeological ceramic porosity studies rely on visually examining data tables rather than using statistical analyses, so a data science approach is also recommended for any applications of micro-CT image analysis to archaeothermometry.  
Finally, it should be noted that this work only touched the surface of the full capabilities of current 3D image analysis software for studying pore systems in archaeological ceramics. We used OpenPNM to collect a few simple pore system parameters, but it can also be used for modeling physical parameters such as diffusion and permeability [69; 70]. There are other image analysis programs that analyze physical and mechanical properties affected by pore systems that could be used with micro-CT data to study firing effects. One example is Porous Microstructure Analysis (PuMA) developed by NASA, available as open-source software [87] and as a plug-in within Dragonfly, for determining effective thermal conductivity and effective diffusivity. There are many other examples of software designed for studying pore systems that might benefit archaeological ceramic studies of the effects of firing temperatures on microstructures and functional use properties.  
Not applicable.  
The data presented in this study are available on request from the corresponding author.  
[PERSON] provided valuable advice on data interpretation and review of the text. We also thank [PERSON] and the Advanced Materials Characterization Laboratory at University of Delaware for making the HR micro-CT equipment available. The authors declare no conflict of interest.