Group Of Pottery Research Articles

Investigating pottery production and consumption patterns at the Late Mycenaean cemetery of Perati

The large assemblage of well-preserved pottery from the extensive Late Bronze Age cemetery at Perati in East Attica (Greece) lends itself to a case study for investigating patterns of production and consumption of Mycenaean pottery. This article presents the chemical characterization by NAA of 28 pottery samples from Perati combined with a definition of ceramic macroscopic groups. The set of samples from all three chronological stages of the cemetery covers the two prevalent macroscopic groups, the presumably local standard fabric and the commonly present so-called White Ware, a distinctive pottery group known from other sites in Greece, but rarely subjected to scientific analyses. The two main NAA groups, PerA and PerC, correlate well both with the standard fabric and with the White Ware. These groups may indicate one or more local/regional workshop(s), products of which are found only occasionally at other sites included in the Bonn database. In addition to imports with chemical patterns pointing to Central Crete and Chios, several chemical singletons have been identified. Overall, the analyses show predominant consumption of local pottery, with a limited presence of imports.

Review of computer-based methods for archaeological ceramic sherds reconstruction

<p class="VARAbstract">Potteries are the most numerous finds found in archaeological excavations; they are often used to get information about the history, economy, and art of a site. Archaeologists rarely find complete vases but, generally, damaged and in fragments, often mixed with other pottery groups. By using the traditional manual method, the analysis and reconstruction of sherds are performed by a skilled operator. Reviewed papers provided evidence that the traditional method is not reproducible, not repeatable, time-consuming and its results have great uncertainties. To overcome the aforementioned limits, in the last years, researchers have made efforts to develop computer-based methods for archaeological ceramic sherds analysis, aimed at their reconstruction. To contribute to this field of study, in this paper, a comprehensive analysis of the most important available publications until the end of 2019 is presented. This study, focused on pottery fragments only, is performed by collecting papers in English by the Scopus database using the following keywords: “computer methods in archaeology", "3D archaeology", "3D reconstruction", "automatic feature recognition and reconstruction", "restoration of pottery shape relics”. The list is completed by additional references found through the reading of selected papers. The 53 selected papers are divided into three periods of time. According to a detailed review of the performed studies, the key elements of each analyzed method are listed based on data acquisition tools, features extracted, classification processes, and matching techniques. Finally, to overcome the actual gaps some recommendations for future researches are proposed.</p><p>Highlights:</p><ul><li><p>The traditional manual method for reassembling sherds is very time-consuming and costly; it also requires a great deal effort from skilled archaeologists in repetitive and routine activities.</p></li><li><p>Computer-based methods for archaeological ceramic sherds reconstruction can help archaeologists in the above-mentioned repetitive and routine activities.</p></li><li><p>In this paper, the state-of-the-art computer-based methods for archaeological ceramic sherds reconstruction are reviewed, and some recommendations for future researches are proposed.</p></li></ul>

A Group of Spanish Pottery on the Island of Chios in the 15th Century

A Group of Spanish Pottery on the Island of Chios in the 15th Century

Islamic glazed pottery from Adiabene (Iraq, Kurdistan): multianalytical research into its technological development and provenance

This paper explores the production characteristics and provenance of Islamic glazed pottery in the Adiabene region of northeastern Mesopotamia. Samples cover the entire time span under study, i.e., from the Early to the Late Islamic periods. Analytical techniques such as ceramic petrography, powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray microanalysis were employed to determine compositional (mineralogical and chemical) and technological characteristics. Based on the comparison of ceramic fabrics with up-to-date knowledge of regional geology, local plain pottery, and the published petrography of Mesopotamian ceramics, several provenance groups of glazed pottery (and one group of unglazed pottery) in the sample collection, originating from the Zabs catchment, the middle course of the Tigris (Samarra?) and the middle and lower course of the Tigris (Baghdad and/or Basra?) were defined. Dynamic oscillations in the ratio of regionally produced and imported pottery enable a detailed study of the socio-economic differences between the Early and Middle Islamic periods.

Kitala Ware: A New Early Iron Age Pottery Group from the Lower Congo Region in Central Africa

This article presents the first detailed account of a previously unknown Early Iron Age pottery group from the Kongo Central Province in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The ceramic group is named Kitala ware, after the site where it was first discovered, and excavated in 2014 and 2015. Dated between cal AD 230 and 524 at Kitala, the ware is also documented as surface finds from six other sites south of the Congo River. Its chronology partly overlaps with the previously known Kay Ladio ware dated between cal AD 30 and 475. Both Early Iron Age (EIA) pottery groups share many features and are distinct from Ngovo ware, the province’s earliest pottery group which preceded the arrival of iron metallurgy and dates between 420 cal BC and cal AD 130. The users of Kitala ware had iron metallurgy and lived in a natural environment of open deciduous woods with access to tree species characteristic of wooded savannas, such as Bridelia spp., and gallery forests, such as Elaeis guineensis. The clay properties, shapes, and decoration patterns of Kitala vessels presented in this article indicate that this ceramic group derived from Kay Ladio ware. While it is unrelated to EIA pottery traditions known in the Atlantic Coast region of the Congo Republic to the north, it does share specific features with certain EIA pottery types in the vicinity of Kinshasa. This article shows that during the EIA, the Lower Congo region of Central Africa had more regional variation in ceramic production than previously known.

Mortuary Pottery and Sacred Landscapes in Complex Hunter-gatherers in the Paraná Basin, South America

Tubular pottery comprises certain peculiar artifacts that were produced by late Holocene complex hunter-gatherer societies in southeastern South America for unknown purposes. Some authors have related them to mortuary behaviour which has also been suggested by historical sources, while others have considered domestic use. In this paper, the technical, compositional and functional properties of these artifacts are explored in order to contrast both hypotheses, given an example of how technical analysis allows the identification of special pottery within archeological contexts. This analysis includes a study of the fabrics involved using low and high magnification, thin sections, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy, Mössbauer Spectroscopy, Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy and fatty acid profiles. The results show that these tubular artifacts are not fit structurally for utilitarian purposes and show no evidence of domestic use. Based on these results and on historical data, it can be postulated that they were used as part of mortuary rituals, thus becoming part of the select global group of pottery manufactured exclusively for mortuary purposes.

Ceramic form and function in the Neolithic Gulf. A view from Bahra 1

AbstractThis paper discusses the possible functions of ceramic vessels in the Neolithic Gulf, based on new data from the Ubaid‐related settlement of Bahra 1 (Kuwait). Two pottery groups identified at the site—Ubaid Ware and Coarse Red Ware—are found in great numbers and variety of forms which provides grounds for a reconsideration of the role of pottery vessels in the societies of the Gulf. Analysis of this material reveals a more varied function of pottery vessels compared to that suggested in earlier studies. It was also possible to define the function of certain pottery vessels in more detail, both in their economic and social context.

The pottery from the early medieval settlement at Pellendorf/Gaweinstal (Lower Austria) and its relationship to the Great Moravian sites on the River March

This paper discusses the pottery finds from the 2003–2005 excavation of the settlement at Pellendorf/Gaweinstal in the central eastern area of the Weinviertel district in Lower Austria. The early medieval settlement was occupied from the 7th to the 10th centuries. The pottery finds from the 9th/10th century are characterised by shapes typical of the Mikulčice and Blučina pottery groups and of the March pottery in southern Moravia, and thus revealing intensive contact to the Great Moravian centres on the River March in that period. The paper also mentions further sites with the same pottery in northern Lower Austria, which, taken as a whole, indicate that in the 9th century the area was culturally, economically, and thus presumably also politically, closely connected to the Moravian Empire.

A possible new oldest pottery group in the Southern Ryukyu Islands, Japan: Comparative analysis of elemental components of potsherds from the Shiraho-Saonetabaru Cave Site

Ancient potsherds dating to about 10,000 years BP excavated in the Shiraho-Saonetabaru (SRS) cave site in the Southern Ryukyu Islands in the southwestern part of Japan archipelago are the oldest example of pottery usage in the island region of the southern East China Sea, including the Northern and Southern Ryukyu Islands, Taiwan, and the Philippines. However, their cultural continuity and relationship with the following period or with any other regions have not been elucidated as their condition made analysis extremely difficult.In this study, we conducted a chemical analysis of typical potsherds from the Shiraho-Saonetabaru cave site using an X-Ray fluorescence microscope. Although analyzing their visible peculiarities was difficult because of fragmentation and chemical analysis with sample destruction was impossible because of their scarcity value, our method enabled us to unravel the elemental characteristics of their paste despite possessing only very small samples that could not be destroyed. We also compared these oldest potsherds with those of the following period in the same region using statistical multivariate analysis; the results showed that the oldest potsherds differed from the later ones, suggesting a new model of chronological transition for the first pottery usage in this region. This study represents a novel approach to identifying the oldest potsherds in the southern East China Sea region, and also provides a new solution to the problem of what to do with smaller ceramic fragments that are relatively rare.

Characterization of an Early Bronze Age pottery group from the upper Tigris valley (Turkey) by means of spectroscopic and microscopic techniques

In this archaeometric research potsherds from Kavuşan Höyük (a mound located in the upper Tigris valley) representing the Metallic Ware, a diagnostic ceramic group mostly found in north Mesopotamia was characterized using spectroscopic and microscopic techniques in order to differ the imitated ones, if exist, to reveal the production technologies and compare the results with the previous archaeometric works concerning Metallic Ware. For this purpose, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy dispersive spectroscopy, polarized energy dispersive X‐ray fluorescence, X‐ray diffraction, and micro‐Raman spectroscopy were used. Two groups were specified as the calcareous “imitations” and the dominant noncalcareous ware as the real ones. The results suggested that the noncalcareous ware of Kavuşan was presumably not produced with the possible clay deposits mentioned in previous studies, which focused on the provenance investigation of a wide range of Metallic Ware samples from the upper Tigris valley. It was also concluded from the results that the calcareous imitations would presumably belong to a local (in the name of Kavuşan) or regional (the upper Tigris) production due to the geological and chemical affinities.

Chemical characterization via pXRF of Early Iron Age pottery from SW Iberia

The main aim of this paper is to present the results of archaeometric analyses of Tartessian pottery recently undertaken in the Lower Guadalquivir region (western Andalusia, Spain). A non-invasive portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (pXRF) has been used to determine the chemical composition of pottery from seven archeological sites dated to the Early Iron Age. The purpose of this research was to create a database of Tartessian pottery in order to establish the provenance of the ceramics. The method adopted to categorize pottery based on differences in its chemical composition was the potassium-titanium test and principal component analysis. It was possible to establish three groups of wheel-made pottery according to their provenance.

Archaeological evidence from Purwo Agung site (Karang Agung Tengah): A new perspective on Pre-Srivijayan settlement in the coastal area of South Sumatra

The discovery of a new site in the Karang Agung Tengah area provides new insights into Pre-Srivijayan settlement along the southeast coast of Sumatra. At this site, hundreds of potsherds were recovered together with other archaeological materials including human remains associated with burial practices. Although the area has produced valuable information about the early settlements before the Srivijayan period, archaeological materials from prior excavations are still poorly understood. In this paper, we provide a detailed study of the pottery assemblage from a controlled excavation conducted at Purwo Agung. We identify at least two major groups of pottery from Fine Pottery and Coarse Pottery, along with three subcategories. Some unusual features of the Fine Pottery suggest it may have been imported to the region. We also describe similarities burial practices between the coastal and inland settlement based on a Jar-burial discovered at the site. These findings indicate trade and cultural exchange during the Protohistoric period was more extensive than previously known.

Black-Gloss Campana Pottery from Nikonion and Histria – Preliminary Study

The archaeological excavations on ancient archaeological sites of North-western coast of the Black Sea have brought a great number of finds of black-gloss pottery. For pottery examples dated on the Archaic and Classical periods, these are mainly vessels manufactured in Athens. In contrast, artefacts from the Hellenistic period represent a wide spectrum of imports from various centres of production. At the current stage of research, many production centres have not yet been recognized. However the dynamically developing studies in this area allowed to recognised a several centres of production such as Pergamon, Knidos, Thasos workshops as well as the Asia Minor group. These groups of pottery were recognised among archaeological finds from the north-western Black Sea territory. Considering the black-gloss pottery from that region the appearance of the Campana ware is very interesting and suggests a wide range of long distance distribution of tableware in the Hellenistic period.

Морфологический анализ и датировка керамики Посольской стоянки (по материалам раскопок Е. А. Хамзиной 1959 г.)

The analysis of pottery materials of Posolskaya site (excavations by E. A. Khamzina in 1959), which is located on the southeast coast of Lake Baikal (Kabansk district, the Republic of Buryatia), is carried out in this article. Based on morphological features, several groups of pottery with a set of characteristic features are identified. A comparison of them with the materials of supporting multilayer objects on the coast of Baikal and Cis-Baikal area, in general, made it possible to determine the relative and absolute chronology of these groups. It was determined that pottery complexes of layers 2 and 3 contain artifacts of different cultural and chronological periods from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age in a mixed state. They contain materials of the Middle and Late Neolithic (Posolskaya and Ust-Belaya ceramic types), the Early Bronze Age (pottery with pearls, with fingernails and Northern Baikal type) and the Late Bronze Age (Tyshkine-Senogdinsk type). Reticulated pottery, recorded in small quantities, was found in all complexes of the Neolithic era of the region. The pottery studies showed, on the one hand, its morpho-typological proximity with similar pottery in the south of Central Siberia as a whole. On the other hand, there were some regional differences (thickening of the corolla in bulk on Posolskaya type pottery in two versions: from the outside and from the inside; a variety of compositional structures on vessels with an external thickening of the corolla was revealed, expressed in simplification of the ornamental design; pottery combining features of Posolskaya and Ust-Belaya types was distinguished. A series of radiocarbon dates from stratified complexes of multilayer objects on the Baikal coast made it possible to determine chronological ranges for almost all pottery groups identified at Posolskaya site. Posolskaya type pottery in two of its variants corresponds to a chronological interval of 6750–6310 cal BP; Ust’-Belaia type (focusing on the dates of Ulan-Khada and the Gorelyi Les) – 5581–4420 cal BP; pottery with pearls and constructions from wide lines of the retreating spatula – 4500–3080 cal BP, pottery with finger pinches corresponds to 3370–3230 cal BP; Northern Baikal type – 3346–3077 cal BP; Tyshkine-Senogdinsk type – 2778–1998 cal BP.

A Group of Hellenistic Pottery from the Archaeological Museum of Akhisar

Thyateria antik kentinin mirasçısı olan Akhisar’da 1932 yılında inşa edilmiş olan ve bir kısmı öğretmen evi olarak kullanılan iki katlı bir binanın restore edilerek 2012 yılında müze olarak ziyarete açılmasıyla o güne değin Manisa Arkeoloji Müzesi’nde korunan bir grup eser Akhisar Arkeoloji Müzesi’nde sergilenmeye başlamıştır. Bu eserler içerisinde Hellenistik Dönem’e ait bir grup seramik de yer almaktadır. Bu çalışma kapsamında Akhisar Arkeoloji Müzesi’nde sergilenmekte olan bu seramikler formlarına ve gruplarına göre incelenmiş, her ne kadar buluntu yerleri ile ilgili detaylı bilgi olmasa da bazılarının üretim merkezleriyle ilgili öneriler getirilmeye çalışılmıştır. Müzedeki çalışmalarımız sonucunda saptanan Hellenistik Seramik grupları arasında siyah firnisli seramik, batı yamacı, kalıp yapımı kaseler ve lagynoslar yer almaktadır.

TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE NEOLITHIC POTTERY AT GÖYTEPE (WEST AZERBAIJAN)

The Neolithic settlement of Göytepe (6th millennium cal BC) is of great importance for studying all stages of the Neolithic pottery not only of Azerbaijan, but also that of the Southern Caucasus. Here, we analyze pottery assemblage from the 4th building level at this site as an example of Neolithic ceramics of the Kura River valley, Southern Caucasus. We focused on the technological and morphological development of pottery from 14 building levels at Göytepe. This paper presents the results of the extensive study of pottery samples found in the 4th building level during archaeological excavations in 2017. Each pottery group was described and compared according to its technical features. The obtained results were compared with previous studies of other contemporaneous sites, to discuss the origin and technological development of Neolithic pottery in the Southern Caucasus. The conclusion was made about the independent development of the Shulaveri-Shomu culture at its early stage, and about the infl uence of the intercultural contacts at later stages.

Cerámica ática del poblado ibérico de la Loma del Escorial (Los Nietos, Cartagena)

Este trabajo da a conocer un importante lote de cráteras de campana áticas de la primera mitad del siglo IV a. C., halladas en una misma habitación del poblado ibérico de La Loma del Escorial, lo que pone de manifiesto la importancia de este enclave como centro redistribuidor de cerámica de lujo entre las poblaciones indígenas del sureste español.

Archaeometric study of 17th/18th century painted pottery from the Belgrade Fortress

Abstract The chemical and mineralogical composition of ceramic bodies, glazes and pigments, as well as the firing temperatures of main groups of Austrian period painted pottery excavated at the Belgrade Fortress on the territory of Serbia, two groups of Malhornware and one group of Anabaptist faience, were determined by a combination of powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and micro-Raman spectroscopy. Investigated pottery was uncovered in the same archaeological context and dated the end of 17th/first decade of 18th century. The obtained mineralogical and chemical composition shows the similarities between the Malhornware groups that indicate a similar production technology. Use of calcareous clay fired at temperatures in the range 850–900°C indicates a different production technology for the Anabaptists faience. The compositional data treatment by multivariate statistical analysis reveals heterogeneity in the Anabaptist faience group of samples, suggesting potential interactions between the local potters and the Anabaptist communities.

Развитие технологии изготовления неолитической керамики в Гёйтепе (Западный Азербайджан)

The Neolithic settlement of Goytepe (6th millennium cal BC) is of great importance for studying all stages of the Neolithic pottery not only of Azerbaijan, but also that of the Southern Caucasus. Here, we analyze pottery assemblage from the 4th building level at this site as an example of Neolithic ceramics of the Kura River valley, Southern Caucasus. We focused on the technological and morphological development of pottery from 14 building levels at Goytepe. This paper presents the results of the extensive study of pottery samples found in the 4th building level during archaeological excavations in 2017. Each pottery group was described and compared according to its technical features. The obtained results were compared with previous studies of other contemporaneous sites, to discuss the origin and technological development of Neolithic pottery in the Southern Caucasus. The conclusion was made about the independent development of the Shulaveri-Shomu culture at its early stage, and about the infl uence of the intercultural contacts at later stages.

The provenance and technology of a group of Hellenistic colour-coated ware pottery from the excavations at Nea Paphos on Cyprus

Colour-coated ware (CCW) comprises the dominant type of Hellenistic fine ware pottery unearthed during the excavations in Nea Paphos. The detailed and systematic macroscopic examination of this pottery, focusing on typology and fabric, identified a number of macroscopic groups (MG). A total of 164 samples were subsequently selected for further testing and characterisation of these groups, in terms of composition and technology, through a combination of macroscopic examination, refiring tests, chemical and petrographic analyses, and scanning electron microscopy. This paper focuses on two of these MGs (35 samples), addressing the question of their provenance and manufacturing technology. These two groups are typologically and stylistically associated, and very distinctive due to the macroscopic appearance of their fabric, frequent occurrence and confined chronology. The integrated macroscopic and scientific study demonstrated that all 35 samples, representative of these two MGs, form a single compositional cluster. This - together with the typological and stylistic homogeneity observed, indicates a common origin for these samples. These vessels were produced using a similar clay paste; however, the firing regimes and the surface treatments employed show some variation. The place of production of this group still remains unknown, but their distribution suggests that they were produced somewhere on Cyprus or in the Levant.