Ceramic Artifacts Research Articles

The organization of production for Inka Polychrome pottery from Pachacamac, Peru

This study investigates the organization of production for Inka Polychrome pottery used at the Temple of the Sun, Pachacamac. Inka Polychrome pottery was critical to imperial strategies for managing state power in the provinces. It was highly standardized in appearance yet is known to have been produced at many locations throughout the empire by Inka and subject potters. Pachacamac was an important political and ideological location on the central coast that was transformed by the Inka after C.E. 1470 into a major imperial center. To evaluate the production and source of pottery at Pachacamac, a sample of 149 ceramics in local, Inka Polychrome, and Regional Inka styles were evaluated using neutron activation analysis to identify compositional groups. Attributes related to the production and decoration of these ceramic artifacts were recorded and statistically compared between groups. Compositional data from this analysis was also compared to compositional data from ceramics excavated from other South American sites and analyzed at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Results found that multiple groups of potters at multiple places (some of which are local) produced this pottery, and small amounts of pottery are being imported.

The multi-disciplinary study of Early Copper Age lamps from Zgornje Radvanje (NE Slovenia)

This paper focuses on the analysis and identification of two prehistoric lamps from Zgornje Radvanje (NE Slovenia). The analysis of the organic residues and experimental archaeology allowed us to characterize the fuel source and the wick remains of oval-formed ceramic artefacts from the Copper Age settlement. Infrared spectroscopy (ATR IR), GC-MS and GC-C-IRMS were used to study organic compounds in two archaeological samples, with comparative composition data yielding experiments with modern wicks, linseed oil and animal fats. ATR IR showed traces of plant fibres in the sample of charred residues from one of the lamps. A comparably higher frequency of straight-chain compounds with odd numbers of carbon atoms provided the extracted lipids from the ceramics of the second oval-formed ceramic artefact. We interpret these to mean that carbonised organic residues from the inner surface of the ceramic object are the result of smouldering, with the identified residues of plant fibres probably associated with the remnants of the wick. The GC-MS analysis showed a higher frequency of straight-chain compounds with odd numbers of carbon atoms (especially C15:0 fatty acids) together with two double bond positional isomers of C18:1 in the second oval-formed artefact. The presence of C18:2 and C18:3 fatty acids that are typical for linseed oils was also detected. These analysis together with GC-C-IRMS analysis suggest a predominant use of ruminant fat as fuel for lighting possibly in combination with plant oils. Burns similar to those on the original artefact were observed on replicas of the artefact after they were used as lamps.

Multi-methodical study of Early Modern Age archaeological glazed ceramics from Prague

A series of scientific methods (X-ray analyses, optical and electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and thermal analyses) was used to research the ceramic bodies and glazes of forty vessels from Renaissance Prague. The set of Early Modern Age archaeological glazed ceramics contained tableware, kitchenware andtechnical ceramics. The main aim was to characterise ceramic materials and glazes used over two centuries. Attention was also paid to the identification of defects and corrosion products of the glazes. The research was conducted with an emphasis on the context of the original use of the ceramic artefacts and the environment of the waste pits from which they were excavated. The archaeological finds include three technical ceramic vessels (a rectifier, a bowl and a jar), which together could have formed a distillation apparatus. Since these vessels represent a rare finding, they were subjected to a detailed investigation. Based on the similarity of ceramic bodies and glazes, it was proved that the three technical ceramic vessels were made in the same workshop and were parts of one distillation apparatus. The results of the performed analyses determined that the studied vessels were manufactured from raw materials with a high content of a plastic component and that the raw materials did not change significantly during the period from the 15th to 18th centuries. The firing temperature of most of the vessels did not exceed 1000 °C. It was proved that all the glazes were medium- or high-lead content glazes and were coloured with ionic pigments.

Stones, Clay and People Among the Laklãnõ Xokleng Indigenous People in Southern Brazil

In this paper, we analyse the results of a collaborative indigenous archaeology project especifically through a multivocal construction with two archaeological studies developed by Laklano Xokleng researchers, who focused on the study of lithic and ceramic artefacts associated with their people. Our intention here is to consider the dissensions between the status of these objects based on their native perceptions and scientific classifications. If the analysis of indigenous production of the “elders”/ancestors can be understood based on the processes of subjectification commonly attributed to the objects of Amerindian ontology (as also appears to be the case among the Laklano Xokleng), how can we understand the contemporary production of this materiality? We also reflect on the production of objects linked to the idea of “tradition” as an updating of a cultural continuum. That is, a creation of continuity that can (and should) open itself to incorporate the new, the other and thus transform, but simultaneously maintain a connection with the past. The crafts, the festivals for Indian Day and for the commemoration of the 100 years of resistance, the clothes used in presentations, the objects exhibited in their cultural spaces reinforce an intertextuality of what it is to be Laklano Xokleng today. In this sense, we must understand the production of objects/crafts as a form of resistance, of engagement with a broader movement of this population to strengthen their cultural identity and a political strategy to guarantee their future.

Pre-colonial culture and technology through elemental and molecular analysis of ceramics with decorative paintings found at Tapera beach, Florianópolis, Brazil.

The chemical analysis of archaeological ceramic artifacts can help archaeologists to characterize the technology used in the manufacturing process, and to elucidate aspects related to the way of life of past peoples. In this context, six ceramic fragments found at Tapera Beach in Florianópolis were analyzed. FTIR spectroscopy was used to identify carbonates and oxalic acid originating from the biodegradation process. In the pictorial regions of the ceramics, iron oxides, manganese and chromium were present, along with calcium carbonate, which were used as pigments. In addition, the absence of characteristic bands for kaolinite suggests low firing temperatures (up to 900°C). EDS confirmed the elements of the molecules identified by FTIR and showed the presence of Al and Si in the primary structure and Fe in the secondary structure of the ceramics. In addition, there were traces of rare earth elements in samples A3 and A5, which may be related to the geochemistry at the site from which the raw material was excavated. The GC-MS results showed the presence of lipids and the profile of the fatty acids detected suggested that the source of the oils adsorbed in the ceramic structure is vegetable.

Ceramic chronology by luminescence dating: how and when it is possible to date ceramic artefacts

This paper is intended as a compendium of good practices to assess whether luminescence dating can provide researchers with valuable chronological information for ceramic samples. It is organized into two main sections. The first section provides an introduction to luminescence dating, including its physical principles, the applied measurement procedures, and a brief summary on a new dating technique (RHX) not based on luminescence. This section aims to provide non-specialists with a background on the physical principles underlying luminescence dating, in order to enable an understanding of the issues that may affect the reliability of luminescence ages and a critical assessment of the results from luminescence laboratories. The second section presents a series of case studies which illustrate the use of these methods, how they can be applied, and what results can be obtained.

Ceramic raw materials: how to establish the technological suitability of a raw material

The aim of this paper is to highlight the importance of raw materials in the production of ceramic artefacts. A brief but in-depth explanation is provided to emphasise the connections between raw materials and ceramic products. A step by step approach is developed with the aim of illustrating the different ceramic raw materials and their features and describing the effects of each component on the characteristics of the end products with particular attention to their function and use. When a potter makes an object in fact, this was already conceived thinking for a specific purpose.

Ceramic raw materials: how to recognize them and locate the supply basins—mineralogy, petrography

This tutorial paper is focused on the mineralogical-petrographic characterization of clayey raw materials with the purpose of sourcing supply basins and answering questions about the provenance of the corresponding archaeological ceramic artefacts. The first part gives general indications of how to profitably study archaeological ceramic thin sections through the polarizing microscope. Brief notes are provided on the theoretical basis of optical microscopy. A scheme is then provided for the petrographic description of ceramic samples, concerning the textural and compositional characteristics of aplastic inclusions and groundmass. Suggestions are also given for identifying any minero-petrographic marker and establishing minero-petrographic groups (MGP) aimed at archaeological ceramic provenance studies. After broadly describing the geological origin of the clay deposits, there is discussion of how to plan a field survey aimed at the location of clay sources and sampling. The importance of the ethnoarchaeometric approach in provenance studies is also underlined. The third part of the paper describes the preliminary treatments to which the clayey raw materials are subjected before reporting on a grain size analysis and how to proceed when performing experimental firing tests. Finally some suggestions are made about how to compare clay firing tests (experimental briquettes) and archaeological ceramic finds when assessing a production centre.

Characterization and provenance of ceramic artifacts and local clays from Late Mycenaean Kastrouli (Greece) by means of p-XRF screening and statistical analysis

Abstract A ceramic assemblage selected from a recently excavated Late Helladic settlement at Kastrouli (Central Greece) has been chemically analyzed and statistically elaborated, to add new information and contribution to the Mycenaean culture in the wider studied area. The chemical composition of 142 ceramic sherds represented by wide range of household typologies was measured by using a calibrated non-destructive portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF) set-up. Fired briquettes prepared from 8 local clay sources and several mixtures of them were similarly analyzed. A robust statistical analysis is applied based on 15 major and minor/trace elements employing hierarchical cluster analysis with several linkages, descriptive statistics, biplots and boxplots, principal component analysis (PCA), as well as, Euclidean and Mahalanobis distances on standardized ratio transformed data. The chemical characterization and the statistical evaluation were coupled by petrographic analysis. The results obtained revealed that some local clay sources and their mixtures are placed within the archaeologically identified broad ceramics group, providing, thus, evidence for a local production of the studied pottery, and artisan's skills employed a variety of manufacture technologies.

Pottery from the Vak-Kur cemetery of the Yudina Culture (based on materials from excavations 3–6)

Researchers associate the medieval archeological artifacts of the Middle Trans-Urals, whose pottery bears cord impressions, with the Chiyalik, Molchanvo and Yudina Cultures. Despite the large number of artifacts that have been studied, many questions remain open. These include the status, chronology, and interaction of the Molchanovo and Yudina antiquities, as well as the evolution and specifics of their pottery complexes. Publication and analysis of the ceramic collections from Vak-Kur, the largest burial ground of the Yudina Culture, contribute to addressing some problems related to «the Corded Ware cultures». The Vak-Kur burial ground is dated to the 10th–11th centuries based on the assemblage of the associated goods. It is located in the south-eastern part of the Yudina Culture areal, on the right shore of the Tobol River. For all the time of excavations in the area of the ne-cropolis, 220 burials have been studied. The dead were buried in shallow pits according to the ritual of inhuma-tion, on their backs. A specific feature of the funeral ritual is breaking of a part of the accompanying equipment and use of funerary masks. Decorative and morphological features of 143 Yudina vessels have been examined. The tableware has been categorized according to four topographic groups after excavations 3 to 6. It has been noted that, despite the similar shapes of pots, and ornamental proportions and patterns, the pottery from excava-tions 3 to 6 demonstrates a different frequency in use of such elements in the décor as the cord and figured stamps. The biggest differences were detected between the ceramic artifacts found in excavations 4 and 6. It was suggested that the differences in décor between pottery from different excavations are determined not by their asynchronous nature, but by the existence of several tribal sites in the area of the Yudina necropolis. The com-parison of ceramic collections from the Vak-Kur burial ground with those from the medieval burial and settlement sites of the Yudina Culture showed that the pottery from the necropolis is most closely related to collections from the Plamya Sibiri 6 and 7, and Antonovo 1 settlements located in the Tura River basin. These sites were dated by their investigator to the earlier period (6th to 9th centuries) and attributed to the Molchanovo Culture. Based on the significant similarity between the pottery of the named sites and the dishware of the 10th to 11th centuries from excavation 4 of the Vak-Kur burial ground, a revision of the chronology and cultural attribution of these sites has been proposed.

Gradientes termográficos em indústria ceramista na Amazônia como ferramenta didática no processo de ensino tecnológico

O processo de secagem de artefatos cerâmicos em olarias é realizado em fornos pré-aquecidos visando uma homogeneidade na distribuição de calor. O objetivo neste trabalho foi avaliar gradientes térmicos a partir de imagens termográficas de fornos em plena atividade no polo ceramista de Iranduba-AM, no intuito de subsidiar professores e alunos da educação tecnológica que tenham interesse em utilizar novas tecnologias no processo de ensino-aprendizagem. Os termogramas foram analisados em dois diferentes dias de queima de tijolos. Foram analisadas possíveis respostas termográficas considerando as condições climáticas na área de estudo, baseado na série histórica homogênea do período de 1981 a 2010. Os termogramas gerados foram analisados no programa Flir Tools, 6.3v, sendo considerados padrões térmicos em ordem decrescente, identificados pelas cores: branco, vermelho, amarelo, verde e azul. De acordo com a climatologia da região, o mês de agosto marca a menor precipitação acumulada (mm) e a maior temperatura média do ar (°C). O alvo mais quente foi o centro do forno (padrão branco), apresentando temperatura superior a 160 °C. No interior dos fornos as temperaturas atingem valores entre 700 a 800 °C. As demais camadas apresentavam padrão termográfico normal e homogêneo, diminuindo o fluxo de calor à medida que ocorria o processo de condução térmica. Conclui-se que a termografia infravermelho é uma tecnologia inovadora que fornece diagnóstico e respostas térmicas de diferentes alvos com alta precisão, possibilitando a ampliação do uso de ferramentas técnico-científicos na pesquisa e a conectividade de alunos e professores a novos recursos no processo de ensino-aprendizagem.

Recycling potential of powdered cigarette waste in the development of ceramic materials

The final disposal of hazardous waste, such as cigarette waste, cannot be the same as conventional urban solid waste because it has considerable levels of toxic substances. In this context, this work presents a methodology for the application of cigarette waste in clay mixtures at incorporation ratios of 0%, 2.5%, 5%, 7.5% and 10%. 50 × 6 mm cylindrical specimens were tested in compression, water absorption and shrinkage after firing at 900 °C. Even with a reduction in the evaluated parameters, it was proved that the use of up to 5% of cigarette waste is technically feasible. Gas chromatogram, dilatometry, mercury intrusion porosimetry and scanning electron microscopy tests were also performed. These tests helped to prove that the loss of mechanical properties occurred due to the increase of the porosity of the red ceramic artifacts with the incorporation of cigarette waste, as a result of the combustion of the organic matter present in the waste. However, this combustion is also beneficial because it increases energy efficiency during the burning of ceramic products. The feasibility of using up to 5% cigarette waste in ceramic materials has been proven, provided that the waste is dispersed and homogenized within the clay in the production of the raw materials.

Multi-method (XRF, FTIR, TGA) analysis of ancient bricks from Karabalgasun : A preliminary study

Ancient ceramic artefacts attracted the attention of scientists as being a chronological indicator within the archaeological context; however, they can also provide information about the tech-nology and provenance. A series of brick samples from an ancient nomadic town at Karabal-gasun (Mongolia) have been analyzed using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and thermogravimetric (TG) analysis in order to obtain information on the performance of the kilns used and on the technological skills of ancient pot-ters.

Armadillos as taphonomic agents of archaeological sites in the Pampas Region, Argentina

Armadillos constitute a recurrent taphonomic agent in the disturbance of archaeological sites in the Pampas region of Argentina. Their burrows generate vertical and horizontal movement of archeological and modern materials, creating anomalous associations, both on the surface, as well as at the deep levels of a site. Measuring the potential impact of armadillo burrows on a local environment in direct proximity with an archaeological site may help to reconstruct its taphonomic history. The objective of this work is to evaluate the impact of armadillo burrows on the formation processes of the Hangar site. Point provenience and morphometric measurements were recorded on 169 armadillo burrows located in direct proximity to the Hangar site archaeological excavation. The mean length of the burrow entrances was 70.7 cm, and the mean slope was 40.4°. The armadillos excavated an average of 0.036 m3 from each burrow. Approximately 59% of the burrows surveyed presented material re-exposed by armadillos, including lithic, ceramic artifacts, prehistoric and modern faunal remains, and human bones. For the Hangar site, burrowing animals were signficant agents in the formation processes of the assemblage. Our results help explain the mixing of materials in the Hangar site, and could be used in the interpretation of other sites affected by armadillos in similar habitats.

Other-Than-Human Persons, Mishipishu, and Danger in the Late Woodland Inland Waterway Landscape of Northern Michigan

Other-than-human persons and the role they play in transforming social, economic, and ideological material realities is an area of expanding interest in archaeology. Although the Anishinaabeg were an early and vital focus of cultural anthropological studies on nonhumans given their significant relationships with other-than-human persons, known to them asmanitou, emerging archaeologies advancing this topic are not largely centered on ancestral Anishinaabeg sites and artifacts. This article analyzes a set of nonvessel ceramic artifacts from Late Woodland archaeological sites in the Inland Waterway in northern Michigan, which are interpreted to be ceramic renderings of manitou. I argue that these were manitou-in-clay, vibrant relational entities that are brought into being for and through use in ceremonial perspective practices related to Mishipishu—a complexly powerful, seductive, and dangerous nonhuman being known as the head of all water spirits. I contextualize the making and breaking of Mishipishu manitou-in-clay as acts of petition by hunter-fishers who had been seduced by this manitou in dreams, as they headed out on necessary but high-risk early-spring resource harvesting in the inland lakes of the Inland Waterway. This case advances insights into how relationships with other-than-human persons were coproductive of the world in the northern Great Lakes region during the Late Woodland period.

LA CHIMICA E I BENI CULTURALI, UN CONNUBIO VINCENTE: STUDIO TECNOLOGICO DI CERAMICHE E VETRI ATTRAVERSO I SECOLI

In the field of the researches concerning the characterization, conservation and restoration of cultural heritage, as well as the objects manufacturing techniques, it is essential to use diagnostic methods that are referred to as archaeometric techniques. Archaeometry (which measures what is ancient) deals with the scientific study, carried out by laboratory analyses, of ancient materials and objects with the aim to deep the knowledge of historical, archaeological, artistic and technological aspects. In the field of the study of ceramic artefacts, the case of Italian Renaissance ceramics decorated with the luster technique is particularly interesting; luster is an iridescent metallic film of gold or ruby red color obtained from silver and copper in the form nanoparticles using a very sophisticated technique that testifies to the extremely advanced knowledge possessed by the ancient potters.

Structural Colour from Optical Phenomena Caused by Interference with a Thin or Multilayer Film, Photonic Nanocrystals, Light Scattering and Diffraction Grating Effect

The paper presents the Ion Plating Plasma Assisted technology that is applied in the area of surface functionalization with the purpose of preserving the structural colour and relics. The interferometric structural colours applied on titanium surfaces were used and tested together with nano-transparent and at the same time achromatic films on the very old ceramic artifact. In order to test the surface restoration, some titanium metal and ceramic supports were used: Firstly, an additive with a metallic beam constructed from titanium parts was used, but also an old tile from the 19th century, having the characteristic of a strong chromatic valence and of a mixed porous and glazed surface. In the experiment, a reactive device with ionic plate spray magnetron was used, capable of operating in Argon or Oxygen environments, for the purpose of depositing TiO2 and SiO2. First, several tests were performed using two plasma treatments in order to define the optimal methods for processing. By depositing TiO2 nano-film on irregular Ti surfaces it was possible to regenerate the light direction based on the surfaces that change its colour and the transparent achromatic quality coatings could be obtained with the help of SiO2 coating. Important in these procedures is the high flexibility of ion plating technology processing. It has been established after several attempts that the treatment of IPO SiO2 surfaces is better and therefore preferable in the case of restoration and preservation of ancient historical plates when the optimized procedure with Ion Beam Electron Microscopy, performed on the porous structure of the plates, was used for final testing, which confirmed the increased flexibility and efficiency of the innovative IPPA technology

The Early Holocene Archaeological Evidence (Site E-05-1) in Bargat El-Shab (Western Desert Egypt)

Bargat El-Shab, situated in the southern part of the Western Desert in Egypt, is one of those places which have been drawing people’s attention from the beginning of the Holocene. Numerous traces of human settlement have been registered on the eastern shore of a small palaeolake-playa, including a site dated to the climatic optimum of the Holocene. Features discovered during research initiated by the CPE at the beginning of the century, which include storage pits and hearths, held not only an abundance of stone artefacts and to a lesser extent ceramic artefacts in its fills, but also had exceptionally rich archaeological and archaeobotanical material. All this provided new and valuable information about the lives of hunter-gatherer communities/ or Neolithic pastoral communities, representing the so-called El Nabta / Al Jerar variant of settlement in the Western Desert.

POLITICAL ALLIANCES AND TRADE CONNECTIONS OBSERVED IN THE CERAMIC RECORD OF THE CLASSIC PERIOD: THE PERSPECTIVE FROM THE MAYA SITE OF NAKUM, GUATEMALA

AbstractRecent research carried out at the Maya site of Nakum, located in northeastern Guatemala, has brought about the discovery of a large collection of ceramic artefacts. This substantial assemblage, apart from monochrome ceramics, includes fragments of polychrome vessels that are decorated with elaborate iconographic scenes and painted hieroglyphic texts. Most of them date to the Late Classic period (ca. a.d. 600–800), which represents the peak of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization. The style of these ceramics, their iconography and accompanying glyphic texts, supplemented in many cases by mineralogical and physicochemical analyses of the ceramic samples, indicate that Nakum was part of a broad and complex network of political and economic interactions between various sites and polities of the southern Maya lowlands in the Classic period. During the first part of the Late Classic period, Nakum seems to maintain close relations with Naranjo, probably serving as its vassal at least from the reign of its renowned king Aj Wosal. After the victory of Tikal over Naranjo in the first part of the eighth century, Nakum shows closer cultural and political connections with Tikal. Nevertheless, towards the end of the Classic era, when we observe the profound collapse of lowland Maya civilization, Nakum elites gain political independence from their former overlords.

Кремнеобробна майстерня в с. Межиріч та деякі проблеми пізнього енеоліту Волині

In 2016–2017, a flint workshop dating back to 3700–3600 BC was discovered. The research also provided ceramic artefacts of the Trypillian culture and syncretic relicts, combining the features of this culture and western units. The ceramics from this workshop and similar vessels, including those with the features of the Volhynia-Lublin culture from Horiva-Pidłużzja, belong to the early stage of the Brynzeny group in Western Volhynia. They also indicate that the end of the assemblages with Volhynia-Lublin features can be associated with the period around 3600–3500 BC.