Characterization of medieval glazed ceramics of the East Plain Cilicia survey

Abstract

Macroscopic analysis identifies the presence of Zeuxippus ware and Port Saint Symeon ware among the bulk of medieval glazed ceramic sherds collected during the archaeological survey in East Plain Cilicia. These well-known medieval glazed ceramics have a wide distribution all over the Mediterranean basin. The initial goal of this study is to detect the characteristics of the glaze, such as composition and application methods, of the ceramic sherds. For this purpose, further examinations of the glazed sherds were carried out by optical microscope, scanning electron microscope/energy dispersive spectrometer to identify the microstructural and compositional characteristics of three basic components i.e. ceramic body, slip and glaze in sherds. For the experimental studies, cross-sections of the samples were prepared by metallographic methods and the materials were investigated by optical and scanning electron microscopes and quantitative analyses were carried out in order to reveal the microstructural features. Results were compared to understand the similarities and differences between Zeuxippus and Port Saint Symeon wares.