Clay Objects Research Articles

Yardangs sculpted by erosion of heterogeneous material

The recognizable shapes of landforms arise from processes such as erosion by wind or water currents. However, explaining the physical origin of natural structures is challenging due to the coupled evolution of complex flow fields and three-dimensional (3D) topographies. We investigate these issues in a laboratory setting inspired by yardangs, which are raised, elongate formations whose characteristic shape suggests erosion of heterogeneous material by directional flows. We combine experiments and simulations to test an origin hypothesis involving a harder or less erodible inclusion embedded in an outcropping of softer material. Optical scans of clay objects fixed within flowing water reveal a transformation from a featureless mound to a yardang-like form resembling a lion in repose. Phase-field simulations reproduce similar shape dynamics and show their dependence on the erodibility contrast and flow strength. Through visualizations of the flow fields and analysis of the local erosion rate, we identify effects associated with flow funneling and the turbulent wake that are responsible for carving the unique geometrical features. This highly 3D scouring process produces complex shapes from simple and commonplace starting conditions and is thus a candidate explanation for natural yardangs. The methods introduced here should be generally useful for geomorphological problems and especially those for which material heterogeneity is a primary factor.

A Unique Assemblage of Late Islamic Magical Artifacts from Netafim 2: A Campsite on the Darb al-Hajj, Southern Israel

Abstract Many remains of the Muslim pilgrimage road from Cairo to Mecca, the Darb al-Hajj al-Maṣri are preserved in the Eilat region of southern Israel. These include sections of the road, camps, and other associated structures. Most of these remains date to the Mamluk and Ottoman periods. In one camp (Netafim 2), an assemblage of unusual objects was found, including fragmentary clay rattles, votive clay incense burners, anthropomorphic and perhaps zoomorphic clay figurines, a cluster of colored quartz pebbles, and some seashells. The fabric of the clay objects indicates that they originated in Egypt. Based on the nature of the assemblage and a literary survey, this study suggests that the discussed artifacts were related to popular magic. The magical rituals, whose nature is yet unclear, were likely carried out at the site by professional sorcerers, who offered their services to pilgrims making the hajj.

Антропоморфные изображения периода Яз-I

Two groups of unusual objects from contexts of the Early Iron Age Yaz-I period at the site of Maydatepa, southern Uzbekistan, are presented. The first group is interpreted as abstract anthropomorphic figurines. They are small rod-shaped clay objects (fired and unfired), with plastic noses and impressed eyes, sometimes with sparse additional ornaments. The second group is a collective find (and one separate individual object) from a closed pit context from the same site. The collective find consists of five, partly fragmentary, stele-like roughly hewn limestone objects, some of which have a marked off head. In view of the abstract clay objects, these small stelae can also be interpreted as anthropomorphic representations. The individual stone object is a stalagmite, which was brought intentionally to the site. Because of the natural grooved erosion at the top, which may represent hair, this object is included here. The entire collection contradicts the presumed lack of figurative art in the Early Iron Age Yaz-I communities, but it is also radically different from the preceding art of the Bronze Age.

Clay Objects from the Chalcholithic Settlement of Cucuteni -Dâmbul Morii (Iasi County, Romania)

The archaeological research carried out at Dâmbul Morii settlement led to the discovery of 15 dwellings. In their inventory, 30 pieces identified were made of clay. All artifacts that were not plastic representations were included in this category. In this study, we want to make a presentation of these artifacts, and the context of the discovery, to give us a picture of their functionality. Unfortunately, this task is hampered by the low number and fragmented state of the pieces. The artefacts discovered at Dambul Morii can be classified in the category of household items (clay weights, spindle whorls, clay balls, clay tokens), as well as ornament items (beads, clay disc, en violon idol, amulets, etc.). Some of them can also be used in some ritual activities, such as amulets, or clay balls, or for other purposes.

Cocklebur in the Archaeological Chronicle of Ukraine

In the article, data on common cocklebur (Xanthium strumarium L.) finds from the archaeological sites of modern Ukraine is collected and organized. Three of them come from the Scythian period sites. The first find (Bilsk, Poltava Oblast) comes from random sample. Two more finds (Tsyrkuny and Novoselivka, Kharkiv Oblast) are represented by prints on clay objects. They were discovered as a result of a purposeful inspection of ceramics in order to search for palaeoethnobotanical materials. Two other items were found on ancient Rus sites, where burnt material was collected. In the first case (Manzheliia, Poltava Oblast) the material was examined during the classical excavations. Palaeoethnobotanical remains were in clearly visible accumulations. In the second case (Peresopnytsia, Rivne Oblast) the material was obtained by soil flotation. The territory of modern Ukraine is located at the crossroads of land routes and waterways of Eurasia. It is a part of the path of constant migration from Asia to Europe. We can assume that at least in the early Iron Age, due to the nomads, the common cocklebur had already reached the territory of modern Ukraine. The earlier appearance of this plant in the area can be considered purely hypothetically, only on the grounds that in the western territories it was discovered at the sites of the end of the Bronze Age / beginning of the Early Iron Age. According to isolated materials from the Scythian period sites and from ancient Rus dwellings in Peresopnytsia, it is difficult to assume something about the use of common cocklebur. According to the materials from Manzhelia (several dozens of fruits), it is possible to presume purposeful collecting of cocklebur, probably as a medicinal plant. The presented findings are important for the restoration of the penetration history of common cocklebur into Europe.

Science Revealing Ancient Magic: Phytolith Evidence from the Early Chalcolithic Site of Isaiia (Eastern Romania).

Simple SummaryThe present paper aims to present the newsworthy results and interpretation of the interdisciplinary analysis conducted at an Early Chalcolithic settlement (Isaiia, Romania). The archaeological campaigns of 2015 and 2017 offered remarkable results including a ceramic vessel, inside which an anthropomorphic figurine (with pregnancy depiction) and a small cone, both made out of clay, were found. Given the special character of the deposition, we collected several samples from the vessel and near it for phytolith analysis; samples of bone found next to the pot and from the nearby features were also dated by AMS radiocarbon. The palaeobotanical evidence based on the phytolith analysis showed that cereals and probably mugwort seem to have been in association with the small artefacts; both, and especially the latter, are known, aside from their practical uses (as aliment or remedy), as powerful symbols, used through the ages in magic practices. All of these facts nuance and augment the cultic interpretation of the deposition as a result of a ritual related to fertility (possibly to counteract some physiological problems or reproductive disorders) involving both feminine and masculine symbols and the use of plants.The article presents the palaeobotanical investigations of a remarkable discovery from the Early Chalcolithic settlement of Isaiia–Balta Popii (Romania), a multi-layered site. The excavation of a dwelling brought to light a rather rare finding, meaning a medium sized ceramic vessel having deposited inside two objects of burnt clay: an anthropomorphic figurine depicting pregnancy attributes and a small cone. Given the special character of the deposition, several samples from the vessel and near it were collected for phytolith analysis. Our results highlighted a ritual plant deposition: Elongate dendritic and Blocky morphotypes suggest that cereals and probably Artemisia seem to have been used for this purpose. These plants are known, aside from their practical uses, as powerful symbols, used through the ages in magic practices. All of these facts are strong arguments to interpret this find as a result of a ritual related to fertility involving both feminine and masculine symbols and plant use.

THE “UZERLIKTAPA CULTURE” IN KARABAKH - AZERBAIJAN

İn the Middle Bronze period, primary city centers were formed in Azerbaijan – Karabakh, and progress was made in the economic sphere. This is a city whose wealth comes from the workers. This settlement is located in the MIL-Karabakh plain, east of the city of Agdam. The thickness of the cultural layer in this place of residence has reached 3 m. In the northern part, the remains of the defensive wall were discovered and the construction features were studied. In the north-western part of the excavation site, broken black-polished large bowl with wheat inside, lid, black-polished miniature plate fractures, grain stones, supports, 8 number of sickle teeth made of flint stone and a cudgel head were obtained. From the south side along the wall of the dwelling were obtained plastered floor remains, a hearth made of stone with burnt grain, a woman's statue of clay and broken clay objects. The materials of the upper layer of uzerliktapanon are large red-colored dishes, kitchen utensils, monochrome patterned dishes, barbecue and various stone models and smelters (weaving tool). Nakhchivan is considered the homeland of painted dishes in Azerbaijan. The acquisition of painted dishes in Karabakh gave researchers reason to say that there were economic and cultural relations between these two cultural centers.

Late prehistoric period fired clay objects and zoomorphic figurines in the eastern Powder River Basin of Wyoming

Excavation of Late Prehistoric period sites in the eastern Powder Basin of Wyoming has uncovered broken fired clay zoomorphic figurines and fired clay objects. Fired clay figurines and objects in association with a local manifestation referred to as the Thunder Basin phase first appear around AD 600. Shortly after AD 1000 the local use of small diameter cylindrical pit hearths/ovens ceased along with the manufacture of fired clay objects including figurines. Fired clay objects and figurines have been recovered from 15 of the 29 Late Prehistoric period Thunder Basin phase sites excavated to date. The sites are in a 24 km north to south by 25 km east to west area. Complexity of how the fired clay objects and figurines are made varies from simple forming from a lump to modeling around wooden rods that range from 1 to 9 mm in diameter. Some objects retain the charred remains of these rods. The fired clay objects are placed in five categories: zoomorphic heads, zoomorphic snouts or beaks, zoomorphic bodies, cylinders, and lumps.

Re-]Creative rites: exploring the materiality of clay and its making processes

ABSTRACT Since earliest known histories, the materiality of clay together with its processes of transformation to ceramics has presented itself as a metaphor for the human self. In this article, I use process philosophy to interrogate the intersection between ceramics practice and the processes of becoming and transitioning. Through my own studio explorations of ceramics, I analyse the material quality of clay and demonstrate how distinct themes that can be inferredfrom its making processes parallel those of rites of passage. In doing so, I argue that as a reflective practice, the ceramic process lends itself to transformations and transitioning common to rites of passage. Acknowledging my positionality as a black female of Igbo descent, I critique the Phalli Series, a set of thirteen clay phallus objects that I created and exhibited, to problematise and reflect on select circumcision and Baptismal rites of passage in (South) Africa.

Frederick Ebenezer Okai Serves “Light Soup,” Both Literally and Metaphorically. Exhibition Review

<h3>ABSTRACT:</h3> This review focuses on Frederick Ebenezer Okai’s exhibition <i>Light Soup</i>, which took place in Kumasi between October and November 2021. The show featured not only clay objects but also sound and video projections as well as the very space in which the works were exhibited. In addition, the artist served soup to visitors. In sum, the exhibition was a multisensory experience. Liberation and community were foregrounded as artist, space, objects, and the public became equal players in a theater of sorts. These interventions constituted the strategies Okai employed to activate a sense of belonging and freedom. The review points to some of the highlights of the exhibition. It also discusses the methods that the artist used to gather his material, as well as the processes he employed in executing his multi-disciplinary. The artist’s courage and irreverence are captured in the bold manner in which he gestures to the revolutionary in a spirit of play. At the center of Okai’s practice is the opening up of the aesthetic experience so that it touches everyone on common ground.

Early concepts of nutrition, digestion, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and their treatment: from Hippocrates and Galen to Maimonides

For over a thousand years, Hippocrates and Galen have been the Alpha and Omega of medical knowledge. Despite the importance of their contributions to clinical and theoretical medicine, they lacked a true understanding of anatomy and physiology. Hippocrates is commonly associated with proposing the doctrine of «tissue fluids», or humoral pathology, and his book, «On the Nature of Man», promotes this point of view. Galen became inherited the knowledge of Hippocrates. Ultimately, he was recognized as one of the most influential physicians of all time. The number of his works was enormous: he wrote more than a hundred books, which were widely distributed. One of Galen’s main commandments was the rule of harmony: all body systems are balanced; disease is a result of an imbalance. As one might expect, some of his ideas, however, were erroneous.&#x0D; Aristotle considered the pancreas, due to its location in the abdominal cavity, as an organ which only task was to protect the adjacent vessels.&#x0D; In an era when unknown diseases wreaked havoc, the concept of known causes of diseases led to the fascination with the study of food poisons and their antidotes. This was common among aristocracy who felt particularly vulnerable to this kind of threats. According to legend, one of the most famous connoisseurs of poisons was Mithridates VI.&#x0D; Pedanius Dioscorides was a Greek who served in the Roman army during the reign of the emperor Nero. The wandering nature of life led him to study a large number of diseases and medicines. The catalogue of his medicinal herbs and plants became the basis for the study and understanding of the medicinal properties of plants.&#x0D; Liver was considered the source of divine prophecy in many ancient cultures. The anatomy of liver was well known in ancient Babylon: a huge number of clay tablets and objects were left, which testify to the importance of «hepatoscopy» in the Middle East as a form of prediction. Those who used the insides of animals for divination (e.g., haruspices — divine interpreters of the future, using the liver as a prediction tool), could be considered the first official anatomists, since the understanding of the future depended on accurate knowledge and interpretation of certain liver components.&#x0D; After the victory of the Assyrian king Sargon over the forces of Urartu and Zikirti in 718 BC, Sargon wanted to appease the gods by sacrificing animals; in doing so, he studied their livers for predictions.&#x0D; Although the concept of pancreas is rooted in ancient times, as evidenced by the comments of haruspices and priests, knowledge of the organ functions eluded humanity until the works by Danish physiologists Francis Sylvius and Regnier de Graaf. Prior to their studies of pancreatic secretion and the elucidation of the role of pancreas in digestion, described by van Helmont and Albrecht von Haller, most researchers focused on the anatomical description of the organ. If the ancient Assyrians and Mesopotamians did not believe that liver predicts the future, but believed that it was pancreas that did it, then pancreatology may have earlier origins.&#x0D; Maimonides, a Jewish scholar and humanist, was also influential in other fields: he condemned astrology and its attempts to calculate the time of the Messiah’s coming. In the field of medicine, he paid attention to prevention, and was interested in the treatment of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.&#x0D; By the beginning of our era, ideas about digestion, diseases of the digestive tract and their treatment remained very vague. There was a long and difficult way ahead in this area.&#x0D;

A Study into the Pawprints of Urban Dogs

The aim of the article is to present a comprehensive study on specific paw parameters and features, movement peculiarities, leg injuries, hairiness, etc. of dogs that lived in the city of Vilnius and its surroundings and left their marks on clay ware made by local craftsmen. The study was based on 238 clay objects found in Vilnius and dating from the late thirteenth to the eighteenth century. Dogs were found to leave the highest number of pawprints on bricks (90.8%), with significantly lower numbers on floor tiles (8%) and roof tiles (1.2%). The apparent increase in the number of traces is recorded from approximately the fifteenth century due to the steady increase in the quantity of clay products and the accessibility of the production environment to domestic animals. More than 450 dog pawprints in clay were examined using a trasology technique. Most frequently, one, two, or three traces were found on an artefact, while four, five, or six traces on one object were much less frequent. The analysis of trace features showed that 179 of the traces were those of the forepaws and 112 of the hind paws. The assessment of the deformation of the clay articles during firing and the comparison of the data obtained with the parameters of the paws of current breeds of dogs suggest that about 2% of the pawprints were left by small or young dogs. Mediumsized dogs left 70.5% of the traces, 25.7% belonged to dogs resembling current breeds of Doberman or Labrador retriever, 4.7% dogs similar to Borzoi or German shepherd, and 0.9% to Akita or Bobtail. An additional comparison of the pawprints with those of the present-day Lithuanian hounds showed that this type of dog could have left about 22% of the total number of the paw prints studied. It can be concluded that the results of the tracing studies revealed a significantly broader picture than the zooarchaeological material. Pawprint studies show that 25% of the dogs in the city of Vilnius during the period in question were long-haired and 75% were short-haired. The recorded paw pathologies provided information on various nail and toe injuries, tendon pathologies, and one possible case of patella dislocation. Meanwhile, the analysis of the dogs’ speed of movement suggests that at least some of the dogs in Vilnius between the late thirteenth and the eighteenth century were not tied and moved freely in the environment of the craftsmen who manufactured clay ware. In summary, the preliminary results of the pawprint analysis make a significant contribution to the broader knowledge of the history of dogs and provide unique data on urban dogs, which are scarcely recorded in written and zooarchaeological sources.

What a Difference a Brick Makes? Transitions of Memory and Shanghai Shikumen Walls

This essay is intended as an appreciation of an overlooked element of Chinese material culture: discarded blue bricks from demolished shikumen houses in Shanghai. It contemplates the concept and materiality of a wall from a unique perspective, combining insights from Chinese architecture history and scholarly tradition of appreciating stones. Combining scientific and poetic approaches, the author argues that these bricks can be contemplated analogically to ink landscape paintings and famous Dali dreamstones. The author uses these clay objects as a starting point to reflect on the rapid transformation of Chinese cities and complex relationship between enduring tradition and ongoing modernization.

Judean Pillar Figurines and “Bed Models” from Tell en-Naṣbeh: Typology and Petrographic Analysis

This article discusses the Judean Pillar Figurines found in Tell en-Naṣbeh. The site yielded the highest number of these Iron Age II figurines after Jerusalem. Our study focuses on the significance of this distribution, the contexts in which the figurines were found at the site, as well as a compositional (petrographic) analysis of their clay. Fifteen anthropomorphic figurines as well as five “bed models” were analyzed by thin section petrography. The results indicate these objects were not made of the commonly used local clay and were probably not locally produced at Tell en-Naṣbeh, though other types of clay objects were. The possibility that the figurines were produced in Jerusalem is discussed, as well as the implications of these results.

Gliniane przedmioty zoomorficzne ze stanowiska w Korczowej 22, pow. jarosławski

In 2010, in connection with the planned construction of the A4 motorway, the Radymno-Korczowa junction, rescue excavations were undertaken, which provided the discovery of two clay zoomorphic objects, which are the subject of the article. These are: a fragment of a small, solid, longitudinal and cylindrical zoomorphic pendant and a miniature, fragmentarily preserved zoomorphic figurine. Figural art is rare in the Tarnobrzeg Lusatian culture. In the archaeological literature, this category of artefacts is dated from IV period of the Bronze Age to the Hallstatt period. The article shows that the most analogies can be found to the east of the area occupied by the Tarnobrzeg Lusatian culture. A common feature of all figural representations is the schematicism and simplicity of their performance as well as the dominance of images of farm animals. Figural art discovered in archaeological sites is identified with all forms of art. Such items are interpreted as objects of cult significance, children’s toys or manifestations of the magic sphere. The popularity of these representations and the influence of the „Eastern” cultures, especially the foreststepped zone of the Scythian cultural circle, on the Tarnobrzeg Lusatian culture suggest that both the pendant and the figurine uncovered at the site 22 in Korczowa should be associated with this cultural provenance.

More Early Bronze Age Seal Impressions from Chogha Maran, Western Central Zagros

ABSTRACT This paper studies the glyptic origins of the seals impressed on the clay sealings Early Bronze Age trash deposits at Chogha Maran in the western Central Zagros and correlates the origins with the functions of these clay objects in order to analyse the role of the seals and sealings in the Chogha Maran administration. The examination suggests that the clay sealings were used at Chogha Maran mostly by local groups of people for managing the local economy. However, some of the sealings might have appeared at Chogha Maran as a result of long distance cultural and possibly commercial interactions. The results emphasise the significance of the administrative evidence of Chogha Maran as it represents the only known case of employing administrative mechanisms in the Central Zagros during the first half of the third millennium BCE. The evidence attests to increasing complexity in the socioeconomical organisation of western Central Zagros societies as reflected in applying administrative technology in an indigenous communally organised storage system. The nature of the Chogha Maran administration and its connections with Susa and Trans-Tigridian centres reflects a reorganisation of the socioeconomic system of the western Central Zagros societies in response to the cultural and environmental events that occurred around 3000 BCE.

Was a Sacred Curtain (Parokhet) Depicted on Portable Shrines in the Ancient Near East?

The Parokhet, or sacred curtain, was an important item of cultic paraphernalia in the ancient Near East. It is known from the Sumerian and Akkadian texts, the biblical tradition, the Second Temple in Jerusalem, Greek temples, and synagogues of the Roman and Byzantine eras, and is still in use today. We suggest that such a sacred curtain is depicted on several of the miniature clay objects known as portable shrines. In Egypt, thanks to the dry climate, a miniature curtain of this kind has indeed been preserved in association with a portable shrine. Depictions of shrines on Egyptian sacred barks also include life-size curtains.

The Clay Hand Illusion and the Embodiment of Unfeasible Objects.

In an artistic exploration, clay hands and nonhand-like, unfeasible clay objects were created by the participant and used to perform an alternative version of the rubber hand illusion. Most participants felt ownership even over these unfeasible objects, raising questions about the embodied experience of objects that we make.

Influence of convective intermittent drying schemes on drying induced stress–strain of a 3D clay object

AbstractDrying process of industrial green in‐process products especially those susceptible to cracking, need great care, and optimally arrangement of parameters of convective drying. Intermittent drying is a new technique in drying area and is a promising solution for product quality enhancement. The intermittent drying with variable air temperature and the intermittent drying with variable air humidity are the most used techniques. The current study is devoted to 3D modeling and simulation of intermittent drying with variations of both air humidity and temperature and it is then compared with each of the cases of the intermittent drying with variable air temperature and the intermittent drying with variable air humidity. It was observed that the best dried product quality was obtained in intermittent drying with periodic changes of air temperature. Vapor condensation in the intermittent drying with variable air humidity is an undesirable phenomenon that significantly reduces the effectiveness of this process.

Not Just Counters: Clay Tokens and Ritual Materiality in the Ancient Near East

Clay tokens, or small geometric artifacts, from ancient Near Eastern sites have been interpreted as counters for economic transactions for more than 75 years. I challenge this paradigm with an alternative scenario where clay is not always an expedient substance for mundane purposes, but a symbolically important one to make ritual objects. While some clay tokens functioned as calculi, others served in religious contexts, such as ceremonial offerings. In this article, I cover the archaeological and comparative cultural evidence of the material patterning of ritual clay tokens to reexamine the economic token paradigm. In the ancient Near East, clay tokens were used in temples, human burials, pilgrimage shrines, and ritual caches, which indicates that tokens served in ritual contexts and not just as counters. Cross-culturally, worshipers utilize small clay objects for ceremonial purposes, such as pilgrims’ tokens. Clay absorbs spiritual power at shrines in many cultures, making it a significant material for ritual offerings, blessings, or protection. Worshipers place clay tokens at shrines or take them home for family members and sick persons to touch or consume. Similar material contexts suggest that ancient people in the Near East used some clay tokens to gain merit from deities for prosperity, health, and religious devotion.