Ancient Vessels Research Articles

Looking through pots: recent advances in ceramics X-radiography

From its first application to ceramics, X-radiography has been used successfully to identify manufacturing details. While many of the key parameters are well understood, several questions require further analysis. These include the radiographic distinction between wheel-thrown and wheel-shaped pots and an assessment of the impact of secondary forming techniques and surface treatments on inclusion orientation laid down during primary forming. To clarify these issues, controlled experiments were conducted. Results indicate that coiled and wheel-shaped vessels can be distinguished radiographically from fully wheel-thrown ones. As regards secondary forming and surface treatments, none of those investigated could be shown to obscure traces of primary forming techniques. Overall, X-radiography is shown to be a valuable tool for understanding forming techniques and sequences of ancient vessels. Assessing X-radiography's contribution in characterising clay fabrics, experiments were conducted with regard to clay body and inclusion visibility. These experiments support Foster's conclusions [Foster. G.V., 1985. Identification of inclusions in ceramic artefacts by xeroradiography. Journal of Field Archaeology 12, 373–376].

Boats Depiction in the 8th Century CE Nilotic Frames Mosaic in the Church of St. Stephen, Umm al-Rasas, Jordan

Iconography of ships in mosaics comprises two fields, which when put together result in a unique subject, namely ancient ships and shipping, and mosaic making. The vessels depicted within the 8th century Nilotic frame mosaic in the Church of St. Stephen at Umm al-Rasas, Jordan, were not studied yet from the point of view of marine archaeology. These vessels are the subject of the following paper. They were not used as decorative motifs rather they are symbols of similar ancient vessels that sailed in the Nile and the Delta or along the Mediterranean coasts in antiquity.

Identification of animal fats via compound specific δ13C values of individual fatty acids: assessments of results for reference fats and lipid extracts of archaeological pottery vessels

The possibility of obtaining molecular information from lipid residues associated with archaeological pottery has dramatically increased the potential for deriving new information on the use of ancient vessels and the commodities processed therein. Motivated by the high proportion of the archaeological potsherds that have been shown to contain animal fats, a new approach invol- ving compound specific stable isotope analysis of remnant fats has been developed to retrieve infor- mation which will allow new insights into animal exploitation, dietary preferences and vessel use amongst prehistoric peoples. The new approach uses the δ13C values of the major saturated fatty acid (C16:0 and C18:0) determined by gas chromatography-combustion-isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC–C–IRMS) to characterise the origins of animal fat recovered from archaeological pottery.

A terracotta phallus from Pisa Ship E: more evidence for the Priapus deity as protector of Greek and Roman navigators

Although the ithyphallic deity Priapus was most generally viewed by the Greeks and Romans as a garden fertility god, there is archaeological and textual evidence that those engaged in maritime activity, especially sea-borne trade, also conceived him as a protective deity. The recent discovery of a terracotta phallus in the remains of Pisa Ship E suggests that apotropaic Priapic icons were carried aboard ancient vessels. This finding, along with two related precedents, allows for a new interpretation with regard to the presence of phallic iconography in the assemblages of Greek and Roman wrecks.

A terracotta phallus from Pisa Ship E: more evidence for the Priapus deity as protector of Greek and Roman navigators

Although the ithyphallic deity Priapus was most generally viewed by the Greeks and Romans as a garden fertility god, there is archaeological and textual evidence that those engaged in maritime activity, especially sea-borne trade, also conceived him as a protective deity. The recent discovery of a terracotta phallus in the remains of Pisa Ship E suggests that apotropaic Priapic icons were carried aboard ancient vessels. This finding, along with two related precedents, allows for a new interpretation with regard to the presence of phallic iconography in the assemblages of Greek and Roman wrecks.

Ancient glass vessels in Eskişehir Museum

The aim of this study is to introduce the glass vessels housed in Eskişehir Archaeological Museum. Thirty vessels are housed in the museum, out of which 19 are currently exhibited. Most of the vessels entered the collection by purchase. One vessel (no 5) was found during a rescue excavation of a Roman tomb in Bilecik in 1985, although unfortunately we do not have detailed information about the tomb. Another vessel found during a rescue excavation at the tumulus of Alpu Kocakizlar and a further one from the Pessinus excavations are not included in this article.The vessels in the museum are very limited in their forms and decoration, and it is possible that these plain vessels were produced for daily use. The glasswares are classified by typology, and five major groups are recognised. The vessels are first considered by their usage, and then typological differences are considered within each group. Underneath the vessel-type headings the groups are discussed and then their catalogues are given. The examples in the museum are dated from the first to fifth centuries AD.

Simulation Experiments for Determining the Use of Ancient Pottery Vessels: the Behaviour of Epicuticular Leaf Wax During Boiling of a Leafy Vegetable

Laboratory experiments were performed using replica ceramic jars to simulate ancient pottery vessel use. The aim of the study was to investigate the behaviour of lipids, specifically, epicuticular leaf wax components during the processing of foodstuffs in unglazed ceramic vessels to determine if the pattern of lipid accumulation in a vessel can be used as an indicator of the mode of use of individual vessels.Brassica(cabbage) leaves were boiled in replica jars and the ceramic fabric sampled from different parts of the vessel profiles. Leaf wax components were solvent-extracted from the fabric samples, and analysed by gas chromatography (GC) and GC/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) to determine their distributions and concentrations in different parts of the vessel profiles. The same lipid distributions were detected in the fabric of the replica jars as occurred in the wax of theBrassicaleaves. The pattern of lipid accumulation observed in the experimental vessels, i.e. the relative concentrations of lipid at different points on the profile, was analogous to that seen in two ancient vessels which had been shown to containBrassicaleaf wax components. These results confirm that boiling a leafy vegetable in water results in mobilization of the epicuticular wax and its incorporation into the porous ceramic fabric. The boiling process is non-selective with respect to the major leaf wax components and leads to a characteristic distribution of lipid down the vessel profile, with higher concentrations in the upper parts and gradually lower concentrations towards the base. This provided the first experimental evidence for the actual mode of use of individual vessels based on the results of organic residue analyses.

Thermal behaviour of limestone and monocrystalline calcite tempers during firing and their use in ancient vessels

Abstract Limestone and monocrystalline calcite tempers (grains) are abundant in ancient pottery. In pottery from the Canaan area the former is common in Iron Age storage and table-ware vessels and the latter is present in cooking pots. Limestone is much more widespread than monocrystalline calcite and the potters used it often as tempers when manufacturing pottery vessels, but usually not for cooking pots. While defects appear frequently around limestone tempers, they do not appear around monocrystalline calcite ones. This study examines the reason for using the latter tempers rather than the former ones. Raw materials of carbonate tempers in a clay matrix were fired and the decarbonation process was followed by quantitative IR thermospectrometry. The results indicate that the monocrystalline calcite tempers prevent formation of defects in the cooking pots during firing or during use. The reasons for this are higher thermostability at elevated temperatures, lower intensity of decarbonation, and retention...

Organic Contents of Ancient Vessels: Materials Analysis and Archaeological Investigation

Organic Contents of Ancient Vessels: Materials Analysis and Archaeological Investigation

Review - Crumlin-Pedersen Ole a Vinner Max (ed.): Sailing into the past: proceedings of the international seminar on replicas of ancient and midieval vessels, Roskidle, 1984, Roskilde: The Viking Ship Museum, 1986. 238 pp., 224 illus. Dkr 200 a £19 paperback .

Review - Crumlin-Pedersen Ole a Vinner Max (ed.): Sailing into the past: proceedings of the international seminar on replicas of ancient and midieval vessels, Roskidle, 1984, Roskilde: The Viking Ship Museum, 1986. 238 pp., 224 illus. Dkr 200 a £19 paperback .

Art. I.—Ancient Navigation in the Indian Ocean

Sir Henry Rawlinson has drawn attention to the mention of the ships of Ur in early inscriptions, and the connection of these very ancient vessels with those of Ethiopia. The Babylonian traders at a very remote period voyaged to India and Africa for gold and other articles to use in the arts and to supply the demand of markets. The Euphrates' banks were the ancient quays at which the primitive navigators loaded and unloaded their vessels. They proceeded by the Persian Gulf into the ocean, and there they were guided by landmarks and by the heavenly bodies. These voyages may have continued from the time when Ur was a great city, B.C. 2300, down to the period of the Persian empire, when Babylon began to decline. During all this period, as afterwards, the navigators of the Indian Ocean, whether Babylonian, Arabian, Phoenician, or Egyptian, were trading, aided by the monsoons, along the African and Asiatic coasts, and conveying knowledge from one country to another.

On the class of stone vessels known in Scotland as Druidical Paterae

Dr Wilson suggests that by studying the traditional methods used by indigenous peoples in the Faroe Islands and Greenland, archaeologists could better understand the construction of examples of stone patera found in Scotland. He begins with an overview of the type of stone vessels he is focusing on, relating a detailed account of the unearthing of a patera in Aberdeenshire and listing other examples of this kind of vessel found in the Society's collections. He goes on to compare the design of these ancient vessels to contemporary objects from the Faroe Islands and Greenland, with reference to their function and manufacture.

Notices of Ancient Ornaments, Vessels, and Appliances of Sacred Use

Notices of Ancient Ornaments, Vessels, and Appliances of Sacred Use

XXI. On a recently opened Tumulus in the neighbourhood of Asterabad, forming part of ancient Hyrcania, and the country of the Parthians. By the Baron Clement Augustus de Bode. Communicated by Charles Roach Smith, Esq., F.S.A.

In the spring of 1841 the Beglerbeg, or Chief of Asterabad, a province on the south-eastern shores of the Caspian sea, sent to the Shah of Persia some ancient gold vessels and other curious objects which had been found in an artificial mound near the town of Asterabad. Having been favoured with the sight of them, and taken a sketch of each specimen separately, I had the curiosity to visit during the summer of the same year the spot from whence they had been excavated, and, as this discovery may interest the Society of Antiquaries, and aid them in their researches on the country of the ancient Scythians and Parthians, I take the liberty of offering for their inspection the accompanying drawings, together with a short description of them, and a topographical delineation of the place. (Plate XVI.)