Abstract
Although ceramic building materials (CBM) such as brick, pipe and roof-tiles were commonly used in the classical world, these types of artifacts have received only cursory study by modern scholars. Past studies have focused almost entirely on the inscriptions or decorations displayed on a small subset of CBM while ignoring the more crucial questions such as their composition and fabric. The goal of this research project was to decipher the similarities and differences in ancient Jordanian CBM using both a historical and scientific approach. This study was a continuation on the typology created by Humayma Excavation Project archaeologists (Reeves and Harvey) based on samples of CBM from Humayma and other Jordanian sites. The Humayma archaeologists have been developing typologies for each class of ceramic building material based on macroscopic differences in form and fabric. In order to test and refine the typologies created, a chemical and petrographic evaluation of these ceramic buildings materials was undergone. Geological laboratory evaluations were conducted in order to investigate whether these typologies were differentiable on a scientific level. The principal purpose of this project was to analyze ancient bricks and tiles in order to refine a diagnostic tool for dating the phases of occupation of the Nabataean to Early Islamic site of Humayma. Additionally, this research project examined CBM from other Jordanian in order to address questions of production and distribution.
Published Version
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