Coarse Ware Research Articles

“A pleasurable job”… Communities of women ceramicists and the long path of Paulistaware in São Paulo

Cultural practices have connected generations of women ceramists as a gender manifestation in Southeast São Paulo, Brazil, from pre-colonial into contemporary times. This long process is shown by way of a concise overview that begins by contextualizing the appropriation and transformation of Portuguese coarse ware into Paulistaware, as a household production for self-consumption. Then, other people, materials, and different meanings across different times and contexts, this household production established commercial networks that which took ceramics into many Paulista household. In the 20th century, Paulistaware began to be sold as handicraft. The main result of this work is understanding that knowledge was the greatest legacy passed down from generation to generation, constantly activating a way of making and using ceramic vessels, reflecting cultural practices, shaping values and social relationships that defined the Paulista identity.

Wine consumption in Bronze Age Italy: combining organic residue analysis, botanical data and ceramic variability

The early consumption of wine or other grape derivatives (such as vinegar or must) is suggested from organic residues analysis conducted on Bronze Age pottery recovered from two sites in north-eastern Italy, Pilastri di Bondeno (Ferrara) and Canale Anfora (Aquileia, Udine). Pilastri is part of the Terramare culture of the Po plain, from which the archaeobotanical context has suggested that Vitis vinifera L. was known and used during the Middle Bronze Age. At Canale Anfora Vitis, macro-remains were found in earlier levels of the local stratigraphy. Organic residue analysis conducted by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry allowed the identification of tartaric acid in twenty samples out of thirty-one recovered from different ceramic vessels (e.g., drinking cups, coarse ware pots, presumed storage vessels) found at the two archaeological sites and dated to the 15th-14th centuries BC. Based on integrated studies, we suggest that grape juice derivatives (including wine or vinegar) were likely consumed at the sites. This is the earliest direct evidence of grape derivatives consumption in this area. Combined with the botanical evidence, these findings contribute to our understanding of the emergence of wine consumption in the western Mediterranean.

Godin VI Painted Pottery in the Eastern Central Zagros

Godin VI Painted Pottery in the Eastern Central Zagros

Archaeometry of Roman Aquitania-Tarraconensis coarse ware pottery from the northern Iberian Peninsula and southern Aquitania

Abstract

Archaeometric study on the ceramic production of the Roman Time potters’ quarter of via Montona in Padua, Italy: From the reference groups to the regional distribution of coarse and fine ware

The archaeometric investigation on the locally produced coarse and fine ware from the potters’ quarter of via Montona (Padua, north-eastern Italy), where the four main production phases date from the 1st century BC to the 2nd century AD, allowed to define the petrographic and chemical reference groups for these productions. Coarse ware was produced according to two recipes, a biomicrite-rich paste during production phases 1 and 2, and a trachyte-rich paste during production phase 4, revealing correspondences between changes in both the stylistic features of pottery and production technology. As for the fine ware, the compositional similarity of the fine wares (grey pottery and red slip ware) suggests the use of similar clay materials with various degrees of levigation. Comparison with pottery from other settlements in the Veneto region indicates that the production of fine ware in via Montona was mainly intended for the local market, rather than for regional distribution.

Geosources for ceramic production and communication pathways: The exchange network and the scale of chemical representative differences

Abstract The main objective of this study was to provide a methodological insight in the archaeometric field of ceramic provenance and technology, through the identification of the scale of representative differences in terms of clay composition. For this purpose, a total of 78 clay specimens-representative of the three types of Daunian clayey raw materials (Sub-Apennine clays, alluvial deposits and terraced alluvial deposits)- was collected and geochemically investigated, with the aim of determining up to which geographical scale, the exclusive application of geochemical analyses can provide reliable results for the reconstruction of clayey raw materials supply. For the Daunian territory, the scale has been identified with that of a ‘riverine province’, i.e. between the local and the regional extension of the north Apulian fluvial courses. In practice, the Sub-Apennine clays can be chemically distinguished into a northern group, including the Salsola, Vulgano, Celone and Lorenzo streams and a southern group, including the Carapelle stream and the Ofanto river. Moreover, the comparison between the geochemical composition of the clay samples and that of local ceramic productions (previously investigated) has shown that the Sub-Apennine clays were either used as received (Clay 1 group) or refined through decantation (Clay 2 group), before being shaped into fine wares or building materials; conversely, both the alluvial and the terraced alluvial deposits were used “as received” for the production of coarse wares. Furthermore, for the first time, the geospatial network analysis was further applied to the investigation of ancient raw materials exploitation. This analysis was performed in order to reach a reasonable reconstruction of both routes and travel times linking supply areas with production and distribution sites. Surprisingly, the results have shown that, at small distances, the transportation of clayey raw materials is not only reliable but rather highly likely, especially in those sites where Sub-Apennine clays are not readily available.

Towards the detection of dietary cereal processing through absorbed lipid biomarkers in archaeological pottery

The uptake of cereal agriculture in the Neolithic is one of the most important processes in later human prehistory. However, in many parts of Europe, early evidence from pollen or macrofossils is scarce or inconclusive, and there are considerable ambiguities about timing, intensity and the mode of transition to agriculture in these regions.An alternative approach is organic residue analysis, a technique that targets lipids preserved in the walls of unglazed ceramic pots used for storage and processing of foodstuffs. By analysing the molecular and isotopic composition of absorbed lipid residues, many different food items and processing techniques can be detected and distinguished. However, this approach is by-and-large limited to animal-based food sources, and despite their importance, many plant-based food items including cereals are currently not accessible with this approach.For a better understanding of the behaviour of cereal lipids, cooking experiments were conducted and the uptake of cereal-specific compounds such as alkylresorcinols and plant sterols into the ceramic matrix was investigated using a new sensitive method based on GC-Q-ToF-MS. Furthermore, changes in the lipid composition through post-burial degradation was assessed by incubation of potsherds dosed with cereal lipids at 35 °C in compost. The cooking experiments showed that only small quantities of cereal lipids are liberated, but additional lipid sources (meat) can increase the transfer of cereal biomarkers into the ceramic matrix. Anoxic degradation conditions allowed for twentyfold higher levels of alkylresorcinols and twofold higher levels of plant sterols after 20 weeks compared to oxic conditions. Therefore, samples from anoxic burial environments should be targeted and high sensitivity methods are a necessity to detect the trace amounts of cereal-specific biomarkers. To test the applicability of these biomarkers for archaeological pottery, organic residues from ten coarse ware vessels from an anoxic burial context at Vindolanda were analysed. Plant sterols and stanols were detected in three sherds, and two of the sherds also contained traces of alkylresorcinols.

Archaeometric characterization of regional late antique cooking wares from the area of Vallès (Catalonia, Spain): The case of two rural sites

This contribution presents the results of the archaeometric characterization of coarse wares from the rural sites of Can Gambús and Horts de Can Torras in the area of Barcino-Barcinona (current Barcelona) in the northeastern part of the Iberian Peninsula. A total of 57 sherds have been analyzed with wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (WDXRF) for their chemical characterization, and with thin-section analysis for their petrographic characterization. The results suggest a regional provenance for the ceramics. Two main compositional groups have been identified, one with a clear predominance of granitic components and the other with granitic and metamorphic inclusions. The results contribute to a better understanding of local/regional late antique and early medieval ceramic production in the area, which have previously been poorly studied from an analytical point of view.

A preliminary assessment of the organization of ceramic production at Liangchengzhen, Rizhao, Shandong: Perspectives from petrography

This petrographic analysis of the mineral composition of ceramics from Liangchengzhen (LCZ), Dantu, and two other sites in the Rizhao area, southeastern Shandong province, northern China, addresses the nature of ceramic change in complex societies during the late prehistoric, Longshan period. The analysis focused on relatively coarse wares (ding) used for daily subsistence activities and fine wares (bei cups). Comparison with local clays helped investigate technology and provenance. Results suggest the existence of multiple production units at or near each site. At LCZ, two clay types for ding ware production and two finer (or refined) clay types for bei ware production were the most commonly used throughout the existence of the site indicating stability in use of locally available clay sources over time. We argue that nucleation of population in the area during the Longshan period did not lead to more control for clay acquisition and paste preparation. At the end of the LCZ occupation, production may have intensified in quantity of ware produced and multiplicity of clay (or clay and temper) resources identified. However, there is no evidence for standardization of production with respect to paste composition or that production was centralized in only a few loci, even for the fine ware bei cups. Our results suggest flexible, relatively stable, and self-organizing systems of production and distribution in the Rizhao region, which sustained the populations well during the early and middle Longshan periods.

Residue Analysis as Evidence of Activity Areas and Phased Abandonment in a Medieval Jordanian Village

During the 2013 and 2014 excavation seasons, a cache of complete ceramic vessels was recovered from a stone-outlined pit sealed by domestic building collapse at the site of Tall ?isb?n, a Mamluk-era rural site in central Jordan. Among the finds were two whole, handless stonepaste jars of the late 14th century—an extremely rare find in Bil?d al-Sh?m—along with a small, handless handmade jar containing a gelatinous residue. Valuable not only for the stratigraphic association of a local coarse ware (of previously unclear chronology) with datable imports, the pit provides the opportunity to explore the realities of site abandonment in a rural setting and the communal experience associated with it. The following study presents the results of recent residue analysis of these jars, as interpreted by the unique conditions of the jars’ deposition and against the backdrop the emerging picture of the household economy of medieval ?isb?n, its food systems, and the fast rise and slow decline of the village in the 14th through the 16th centuries CE. In the process, this essay suggests ways in which rural communities in southern Syria were transformed on the eve of the Ottoman conquest.

Clay paste characterization and provenance determination of Middle and Late Helladic vessels from Midea

Results of the Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) of 61 pottery samples of Middle and Late Helladic date from recent excavations in Midea are presented. Chronologically, the sampled pieces fall into two groups, the first of Middle Helladic and Late Helladic I/II, the second of LH III date, with most samples dating to LH IIIB or IIIC. The analyses suggest an Argive/North-eastern Peloponnesian provenance for the majority of the sampled pottery, since 26 of the samples are assigned to the NAA group Mycenae-Berbati (MYBE) and 15 to the NAA group Tiryns (TIR), including their subgroups. In addition to the two main groups the analyses include three other categories: “non-Argive”, unlocated, and singles. The differentiation into a small number of distinct chemical patterns is much more evident in the second chronological group of sampled pottery than in the earlier one which comprises a variety of chemical patterns in a small number of samples. Evidently, during the Mycenaean Palatial period several specialized workshops operated in the wider region of the North-eastern Peloponnese for the production of fine and coarse ware pottery in large quantities.

P-XRF analysis of multi-period Impasto and Cooking Pot wares from the excavations at Stromboli-San Vincenzo, Aeolian Islands, Italy

ABSTRACTThis exploratory study focuses on the elemental analysis by p-XRF (portable X-Ray Fluorescence Analyser) of 62 samples of coarse wares, consisting of Bronze Age handmade burnished ware, so-called Impasto, and of Cooking ware (dated from the Roman period to Modern times). All wares originate from the site of San Vincenzo, Stromboli, and Aeolian Islands. The question addressed here is whether it is possible to differentiate between local (Aeolian) and imported (non-Aeolian) fabrics with the use of the p-XRF; 42 of the 62 samples were also subjected to petrographic analysis as a way of testing our hypothesis. Our results show that p-XRF analysis can clearly assist in distinguishing between Aeolian vs. non-Aeolian wares. Analyses can take place in the field and large quantities of sherds can be processed as a result. We suggest that no further demands should be made of the technique in providing answers to more detailed provenance questions. This is because finer separation in subgroups (as achieved recently by combined petrographic and EPMA analysis on select samples) is not possible given the nature of coarse pottery and the limitations of the technique in measuring key light elements (Na, Mg). Furthermore, for some elements (e.g Cr) accuracy is below acceptable levels in which case results for these particular elements are considered semi-quantitative.

Thermal analysis of ancient ceramics using the microchemical and microstructural alterations of foraminifera

Thermal degradation of planktonic and benthic foraminifera within the coarse wares of Qizlar Qaleh and clay from Khangiran Formation in Kopet Dagh basin, Iran, were examined at different temperature rates. Hyaline and agglutinated tests of foraminifera were investigated through Thermogravimetry (TG), Derivative thermogravimetry (DTG), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscope coupled with Energy Dispersive Spectrometry (SEM-EDS) to identify their thermal stability and chemical transformation from 500°C to 1000°C. TG/DTG and FTIR analyses show significant weight loss in the range of 750–800°C and a progressive decrease in the intensity of carbonate bands at 1424, 2514 and 875cm−1 (from 700°C, to 800°C) which indicates the release of CO2. In addition, the chemical characteristics of the agglutinated tests indicate high thermal stability due to their high silicate component. The complete decarbonization of hyaline tests occurred at around 800°C, whereas the agglutinated tests are still preserved at 1000°C. Finally, microstructural and microchemical analysis of foraminifera from the ancient ceramics and Khangiran clay indicated firing temperature of the ceramics at around 700–750°C. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) and a comparative TGA and FTIR analysis of the ceramics and the fired clay samples from Khangiran Formation also show a high intensity of calcite bands, indicating a firing temperature<750°C. This approach provides a new tool for estimating the firing temperatures of ancient ceramics.

L’atelier de production d’amphores et de céramiques d’époque romaine d’El Vila-sec (Alcover, Tarragona, Catalunya)

A pottery production centre, covering an area of 2300m2, has been discovered at Vila-sec (Tarragona). The excavation revealed four distinct successive phases, starting between the reigns of Tiberius and Claudius and ending at to the end of the 2nd/ beginning of 3rd century AD. A total of twelve kilns of different types, six tanks for clay decantation, a pit used to work the clay, pipelines made of tegulae, and four buildings used for amphorae and pottery production were found on site. The recovered finds shows that the workshop of Vila-sec produced building materials, pondera, coarse wares, oil lamps, Spanish samian imitation ware, fine wares, and Dressel 2 amphorae (including evolved Dressel 2 types).

Plant materials used as temper in the oldest Neolithic pottery from south-eastern Poland

Plant materials were frequently used as a temper as an important part of the process of making pottery. However, identification of the presence of tempering material and its taxonomic composition are still uncommon practices. This paper presents the results of a study of plant remains observed in pottery dated to the oldest Neolithic from south-eastern Poland, as a tool for detecting or confirming changes in the method of making the pottery. In previous studies, plant material was noticed sporadically in coarse ware and its identification was based on macroscopic plant morphology. On the other hand, remains of plants were not usually observed in the other finer ware types since their surfaces were frequently smoothed and decorated, while their sections were very thin. Therefore, in the present study, these groups of pottery have been studied in detail. A preliminary observation of surfaces and fresh sections of selected potsherds has shown that plant temper was neither evident nor abundant in them. However, with microscopy, small fragments of plant tissues and their imprints have been seen inside the clay. Their identification was not possible on the basis of plant morphology, but was carried out with the help of plant anatomy, especially by observing the microscopic features of plant epidermis. Previous archaeobotanical studies from the area indicated that the plants used as temper in coarse ware mostly included remnants of cereal chaff. Consequently, this paper will test this hypothesis in the case of the finer Neolithic ceramics.

Organization of ceramic production at a fortified Early Bronze Age settlement in Moravia (Czech Republic) inferred from minimally destructive archaeometry

This paper explores how pottery production was organized at fortified sites of central Europe at the end of the Early Bronze Age. The organization of pottery production in terms of ethnography-based models was inferred jointly by non-destructive multi-elemental analysis, micropetrography and powder X-ray diffraction. This minimally destructive approach was used to explore the mode of pottery production at the fortified central site Blucina (Moravia, Czech Republic). Archaeometry-based indirect evidence indicates that tableware of a specific shape was produced using a specific technology at the site or in its close vicinity and that coarse ware was brought to the site from elsewhere. The results obtained were complexly evaluated and compared with ethnography-based categorizations to reveal the features of production organization of the Early Bronze Age pottery. Multidimensional analysis classified the production as intensified household labour and work of individual retainers, or nucleated corvee, depending on its scale and intensity.

Settlement Duration and Materiality: Formal Chronological Models for the Development of Barnhouse, a Grooved Ware Settlement in Orkney

Radiocarbon dating and Bayesian chronological modelling, undertaken as part of the investigation by theTimes of Their Livesproject into the development of Late Neolithic settlement and pottery in Orkney, has provided precise new dating for the Grooved Ware settlement of Barnhouse, excavated in 1985–91. Previous understandings of the site and its pottery are presented. A Bayesian model based on 70 measurements on 62 samples (of which 50 samples are thought to date accurately the deposits from which they were recovered) suggests that the settlement probably began in the later 32nd century calbc(with Houses 2, 9, 3 and perhaps 5a), possibly as a planned foundation. Structure 8 – a large, monumental structure that differs in character from the houses – was probably built just after the turn of the millennium. Varied house durations and replacements are estimated. House 2 went out of use before the end of the settlement, and Structure 8 was probably the last element to be abandoned, probably during the earlier 29th century calbc. The Grooved Ware pottery from the site is characterised by small, medium-sized, and large vessels with incised and impressed decoration, including a distinctive, false-relief, wavy-line cordon motif. A considerable degree of consistency is apparent in many aspects of ceramic design and manufacture over the use-life of the settlement, the principal change being the appearance, from c. 3025–2975 calbc, of large coarse ware vessels with uneven surfaces and thick applied cordons, and of the use of applied dimpled circular pellets. The circumstances of new foundation of settlement in the western part of Mainland are discussed, as well as the maintenance and character of the site. The pottery from the site is among the earliest Grooved Ware so far dated. Its wider connections are noted, as well as the significant implications for our understanding of the timing and circumstances of the emergence of Grooved Ware, and the role of material culture in social strategies.

Eretrian ceramic products through time: Investigating the early history of a Greek metropolis

Eretria, an important ancient Greek polis with a rich Bronze Age past, was among the first colonial and commercial powers in the ancient world that founded already in the 8th c. BC a number of colonies and trading posts across the Aegean and the Mediterranean. In the context of a diachronic investigation of Eretrian pottery production and supply from the Early Bronze Age to the Roman period, a large number of pottery samples and geological materials have been analysed. The current article summarises the results of the analyses of the Bronze Age pottery from the site, comprising 151 pottery samples carefully selected from stratified deposits, which have been examined through petrographic and chemical (WD-XRF) analyses and compared to geological materials and experimental ceramic briquettes. Overall, the current evidence for local pottery production indicates that during the third and the early second millennia BC no dramatic change occurred in the exploitation of raw materials in Eretria for pottery production, in spite of conspicuous stylistic and technological transformations. The first possible change in raw material sources, which occurs in the Middle Helladic period and affects coarse wares only, corresponds with a major break in the site occupation. Unlike local products, most imported fabrics do not show continuity through time, indicating changes in the direction of external relationships in Eretria.

Ceramic Neolithic pottery in Cyprus—origin, technology and possible implications for social structure and identity

This paper presents the results of a petrographic study conducted on a selection of 88 Cypriot ceramic Neolithic vessels, originating at seven sites, representing various geographic regions on the island. The study is aimed at determining their place of origin and disclosing details about the technology of their production. All the vessels studied were found to be locally made on the island. There are, however, indications that there was restricted movement of ceramic vessels within defined regions of the island. In addition, a clear distinction between the production technologies of coarse ware and painted ware was observed, reflecting island-wide shared technological traditions. However, even within these seemingly uniform technological traditions, regional variations can be observed. These observations support previous interpretations suggesting a division between ‘northern’ and ‘southern’ social groups on the island during the Ceramic Neolithic period.

Spektroskopske in porozimetrične preiskave rimske lončenine z arheološkega najdišča pri Mošnjah, Slovenija

, associated with hydroxyl groups of minerals that are persistent up to 800 °C. The differences among the coarse and fine ware sherds related to the pore morphology and the pore volume in the matrix were observed, as was the extent of the vitrification. In general, the total porosity of the pottery sherds with coarse-grained calcite inclusions was lower than that of the fine pottery sherds. The fine ware samples also exhibited a significantly higher BET surface area than the coarse ware samples.