This is an English translation of the first Italian language presentation of the technique of neutron activation analysis of prehistoric ceramics. The article appeared in Rivista Scienze Pre., 12, 123, 1957. The basic principles of isotopic decay following irradiation are presented. The experiments by Sayre and Dodson, the first to apply neutron activation analysis to prehistoric ceramics, are then discussed. Construction of a nuclear reactor in Italy would make neutron activation available to Italian investigators.