Classification and comparison of archaeological ceramics are extremely challenging procedures, even when the origin of such finds is known. Different storage and processing conditions of ceramics samples after archaeological excavations can result in notable physicochemical changes in the samples and thus significantly complicate the classification process. The combination of advanced analytical methods for determining chemical composition and morphology along with multivariate statistical methods ensures the recognition of these processes and helps in distinguishomg similar patterns. In this work, the differences in the chemical composition of ceramic fragments produced in the ancient workshop in Crikvenica, Republic of Croatia, were studied. The analytical methods SEM/EDS, FT-IR, ICP-MS were applied in characterization of the composition and post-depositional changes in land and submarine finds. Chemometric processing of the results of the elemental composition obtained by the ICP-MS method and the processing of the results obtained by the FT-IR method were based on univariate and multivariate tests. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) resulted in the clear distinction between major groups of samples such as land, submarine and desalinated ceramics finds. The existence of a subgroup of desalinated ceramics was defined on the basis of changes in the concentration ration of the accumulated elements. The pottery, which was excavated in the area of the Roman workshop in Crikvenica is characterized as the reference group. The results show that the content of the elements Ho, Ce, La, Lu, Tb, Gd, Eu and Sm is the least receptive to postdepositional changes within the defined reference group.