Local Potters Research Articles

Object Biographies, Object Agency and a Local Community's Encounter with and Response to Foreign Commodities: The Pithoi from LB Tel Burna as a Case Study

This study investigates the effects that an encounter with a foreign object can have on local traditions. Notions of object agency and object biographies will be utilized to address what happens when people become entangled with new things: the new context can have an impact on the newly introduced object, and those newly introduced objects can similarly impact locals and their traditions. The Late Bronze Age southern Levantine site of Tel Burna will serve as a case study, where a number of imported Cypriot pithoi were found alongside locally produced pithoi. It will be demonstrated that in their new context, the Cypriot pithoi were given new meaning and function. At the same time, the imported pithoi played active roles in the local potters of Tel Burna making pithoi. However, the local pithoi resemble local storage jars, so while the potters mimicked the concept of the Cypriot pithoi, they did so according to local normative forms.

ACOUSTIC VESSELS OF THE MIDDLE AGES AND RESONATORS (HOLOSNIKI) OF CHERNIHIV CHURCHES

The use of so-called acoustic vessels in medieval monumental architecture is a subject of debate. These vessels were most often placed in the arches and vaults of buildings. Sometimes their necks, exposed to the interior spaces, formed decorative compositions. However, it is incomprehensible whether they actually improved the acoustic properties of buildings. It is suggested that these vessels were intended to reduce the weight of the building structures instead. There is also no clear understanding of when and where the tradition of their use originated or how it spread. Nevertheless, the presence of «acoustic vessels» in hundreds of buildings from the 10th to the 18th centuries in Europe and Asia Minor allows us to consider them as characteristic of medieval architecture and to view «acoustic vessels» as a specific building material. The tradition of using acoustic vessels in Eastern Europe can be traced in the example of Chernihiv. In Chernihiv, they were documented during the research of the Transfiguration Cathedral and the 11th-century tomb church, as well as in the 12th-century Borisoglebsk and Assumption Cathedrals and the Pyatnytska Church of the 12th — early 13th centuries. Research materials indicate that specially made jugs were used as acoustic vessels in the construction of 11th-century Chernihiv. Later (not earlier than the second half of the 12th century), amphorae began to be used. In the example of Chernihiv, two main methods of using «acoustic vessels» in construction can be identified: numerous vessels filled the cavities of the vaults; one or several vessels were placed at the base of the vaults and arches. The first method is typically found in earlier buildings, while the second is more common in later ones. A separate issue is the production of this specific building material. The early «acoustic vessels» of Chernihiv have no analogues among the traditional products of local potters. Most likely, their production was organized by the craftsmen who carried out the construction. Only much later the amphorae, arrived as imported items from the Mediterranean, began to be used.

Urartian Red Burnished Ware in local context: An archaeometric study of the assemblage from Metsamor (Armenia, South Caucasus)

This paper presents a case study on Urartian Red Burnished Ware (URBW) distribution within a provincial Urartian Kingdom settlement through the use of geochemical and petrographic analyses in a comparison of local ceramics. This pottery assemblage study is based on joint Armenian-Polish excavations in Metsamor, specifically from its so-called “outer town” sector. The stratigraphic and chronological evidence indicates that URBW was distributed in the settlement—in small quantities—from 760 to 600 BCE. This analysis proves that URBW was produced in workshops located ∼ 2–3 days travel from the settlement. The intent of importing such vessels was not so much for their functionality but was more likely in response to their individual character. Results suggest that URBW could not be imitated by local potters. Their inability to replicate lustrous red slip was primarily due to technological barriers related to a failure to attain a fully controlled firing process.

Medieval Caucasian Consumption and Identity: A Study of Splashed Sgraffito Wares

NEW AND DISTINCT CERAMIC TYPES emerged from the cultural centres of the Islamic Caliphate in Western Asia beginning in the eighth century AD. Islamic potters carefully added colour, glaze, and finishes to their vessels, which became luxury items throughout the Caliphate. People within the sphere of influence of the Islamic Caliphate slowly adopted objects, such as unique styles of glazed pottery, which symbolised status and power. The Byzantine Empire and Islamic Caliphate both influenced the material culture of the Southern Caucasus, which ebbed and flowed between them both. In particular, the emerging Caucasian polities in medieval Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan began to produce splashed sgraffito ceramics in the 9th and 10th centuries AD that were very similar to those created by Islamic potters in centres such as Baghdad, Samarra, and Nishapur. Scholars have explained such changes in Caucasian consumption patterns as the result of influence and trade between the Islamic Empire and the Caucasus; however, they have not considered the cultural implications of such a change. My paper discusses how Caucasian elites and eventually even the peasantry used splashed sgraffito to construct their individual and group identities. I examine three sites from the Caucasus where local potters produced and used splashed sgraffito ceramics. I assess Ani in Armenia, Shamkir in Azerbaijan, and Tbilisi in Georgia. My analysis suggests that ceramics played a larger role in the construction of political and individual identity at a time when independent kingdoms were emerging in the Caucasus.

Exploring Vegetable-Tanned Leather as a Sustainable Alternative Material for Pottery Production. A Comparative Study of its Properties and Application

Vegetable tanned leather is a flexible material with numerous usages, this material is still unexplored by the pottery industry in Ghana with regards to the production of containers such as pots. It is clearly evident that local potters overly depend on materials as clay, cement and metals. This study is based on a qualitative research approach to evaluate the effectiveness of leather as an alternative material for the production of pots. The study aimed at manipulating indigenous tanned leather as an alternative material for the production of pots. The elements or individuals in the population are exogenous, so convenience and purposive sampling techniques were employed. From the Tamale Metropolis, a sample of 14 respondents were chosen, 5 of which were producers, 5 pot sellers, 2 pot users and 2 experts in the field of leather studies who all shared their ideas on the philosophies and concepts behind the production and use of pots. Interviews and observations were the main instruments used, based on the data collected, through experiments, leather was manipulated to produce pots. The Results showed that, indigenous leather is an effective substitute material for the production of pots in this contemporary era due to its qualities such as flexibility, durability and the beautiful nature of its surface after applying appropriate finishing/ decorative technique. In view of this, the researcher recommends that pot producers give a second thought to the use of leather as an equally viable material for production as this will pave way for improved human resource development as well as create alternative opportunities in the leatherwork industry in Ghana. This publication is deliberately designed as an additional motivation in expanding the effectiveness of vegetable tanned leather apart from its conservative convention for the production bags, sandals and footrests.

Triaxial Testing of Okpella Granite with Kaolinite Material to Achieve Workable Ceramic Refractory

The use of locally sourced materials towards meeting our local needs is inevitable in this era of recession, especially in Nigeria. There is the urgent need to discourage the extreme and awkward dependence of local potters and ceramists on imported materials and ceramic items so as to profound substitute-able solutions to the challenges facing the country’s ceramic production. Local alternative to the sustenance and survival of the ceramic industry is paramount especially to the developmental and technological growth of our economy. It is this quest that necessitated the need for a research development and documentation of locally sourced refractory materials using three materials namely Granite, Ball Clay and Kaolin. These were compounded to derive working formula for a workable refractory in ceramic production, after a series of tests on different formulae. The result analyses from the Centre for Energy Research and Training, (CERT) Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in Nigeria shows a relatively high percentage of refractoriness as found in Silicon Dioxide which in Granite was 50.7 percent, Ball Clay 61.2 percent and Kaolin 42.4 percent.

The Archaeo-Mineralogy of Tapeh Kelar’s potsherds dated to the Late Chalcolithic, Early Bronze, and Middle Bronze Ages

Potsherds are very important for the archaeological research because they may date a site, reveal clues about art, technology, and subsistence of people. Potteries show the relationships and exchanges between people from different regions. The Kelar Hill (from now on Tapeh Kelar), Kelardasht region, is one of the most important prehistoric sites in the west of Mazandaran, in north-western Iran. Tapeh Kelar contains cultural materials from the Late Chalcolithic in the fourth millennium BC up to the Islamic Age. The Kura-Araxes context is one of the most significant discoveries of this area. Because Kura-Araxes culture originated far from Tapeh Kelar (in the Southern Caucasus), the primary concern of the present study focused on the structure of the potteries of the site in transitional phase from the Late Chalcolithic to Kura-Araxes and on finding the changes or differences. The study also tries to find the answer to the question whether the Kura-Araxes pots emerged due to exotic agents or not. Twenty five pieces of potsherds from the Late Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age and Middle Bronze Age periods were studied by petrographic method to compare the mineralogical texture of the Late Chalcolithic and the Middle Bronze Age potsherds with those of Kura-Araxes. Studies show that the pots of Kura-Araxes at this site are local products despite some changes in their texture due to source change; therefore, the idea that Kura-Araxes tradition potteries were first brought by way of exchange or trade and then copied by local potters is negated.

Ethnopedological knowledge and scientific assessment of earthenware pottery-making soils of southern Botswana for natural resource management

Earthenware pottery making, a major occupation among rural dwellers in southern Botswana, has been one of the mainstay of their economy for centuries. Consequently, local potters have classified their pottery-making soils based on indigenous knowledge with no verifiable scientific support. This study explores information on the criteria used by indigenous potters in classifying pottery-making soils in southern Botswana. It also presents results on pedological parameters of the soils. Routine laboratory procedures were used to measure properties of two representative pedons. Three properties, namely colour, texture (clayeyness) and plasticity are the major factors used in classifying pottery-making soils in Botswana. Two soils were identified: seloko se se hibidu (red clay) and seloko se se sweu (white clay) as the soils used for pottery. With the exception of texture, data on scientific analysis are consistent with indigenous soil classification system. The soils had sandy clay loam texture with clay contents ranging from 25.3 to 31.8 %, while sand dominates with over 50 % composition in the two pedons. The soils have mixed clay mineralogical assemblage consisting of sepiolite, smectite, kaolinite, illite, mica and montmorillonite and vermiculite. The coefficient of linear extensibility (COLErod) of the soils are high to very high (0.10 – 0.18), implying the dorminance of 2:1 clay minerals. As the depth increased, the soil colour became more reddish (LT1; 10YR 5/3 > 10R 7/3 and LT2: 10YR 8/2 > 10R 8/2 > 10R 7/4 > 10R 7/4). Overall, the geochemical molecular ratios points to slow pedogenic processes including hydrolysis, leaching, salinization and calcification in the soils. Data on the pedological properties of the pottery-making soils would find enormous application in sustainable management of the soil resources.

РОЗВИТОК ІНДИВІДУАЛЬНОГО ТВОРЧОГО СТИЛЮ ГОНЧАРЯ МИХАЙЛА КИТРИША

The outstanding Opishnia potter Mykhailo Kytrysh devoted his whole life to the production of pottery. His work has been awarded numerous prizes, diplomas, certificates, medals. For many years, Mykhailo Kytrysh worked at the Art Ceramics Factory as a creative master of the art-experimental creative laboratory, which was founded thanks to the efforts of Petro Ganzha in 1971. Working in the laboratory gave more time for creativity. The master had the opportunity to conduct various experiments with the form and decor of products. However, there were rules and plans for the manufacture of products, as in all others. Mykhailo Kytrysh is one of the few local potters who has had his own workshop at home since the 1970s. At the same time, with the help of local potter Joseph Sulym, he built a kiln for firing pottery. This to some extent contributed to the formation of the individual style of the master. In his free time he worked at home, so he could experiment with forms, glazes, without worrying about factory norms and standards. According to the potter, he has not missed a single exhibition since he had kiln, which has helped to popularize his art. One of the reasons for appearance of the workshop and the kiln by Mykhailo Kytrysh was the fact that he was overlooked when the first Opishnia’s potters were admitted to the Union of Artists of Ukraine. One of the reasons for the appearance of the horn by Mykhailo Kytrysh was the fact that it was overlooked when the first Opishnia potters were admitted to the Union of Artists of Ukraine. Mykhailo Kytrysh was admitted to the Union for the second time in 1971. The potter decided that he would work independently and would not depend on anyone in the future. Thanks to the opportunity to work at home without the guidance of management, Mykhailo Kytrysh developed his own creative style in the art of ceramics. His works are unique due to a unique way of decorating – a combination of different color glazes.

Керамика могильника андроновской (федоровской) культуры Чекановский Лог-2 (комплексный анализ)

The paper discusses the results of a comprehensive analysis of the ceramic complex of the Chekanovsky Log-2 burial ground of the Andronovskaya (Fedorovskaya) culture, located in the North-Western foothills of Altai. In the course of morphological analysis, three forms of vessels were identified: pots, jars, and pot-jars. The leading method of ornamentation was stamping. Seven basic elements of the ornament and 27 different motives were used for ornamenting. Some differences are recorded in the technique of ornamentation and compositional schemes of the two sections of the burial ground. A technical and technological analysis showed that for the production of crockery local potters preferred medium-iron clays, mostly medium-plastic. The leading recipe for the preparation of molding masses at the site was clay + grit + fireclay + organic matter. At the same time, in the north section, there are vessels made only with the addition of chamotte as a mineral admixture. Thus, the materials of the site demonstrate the process of mixing different traditions in pottery. Most likely, on the territory of the North-Western foothills of Altai during the developed Bronze Age, there was an active interaction and mutual influence of the population of different geographical zones: foothill and lowland, which probably belonged to various local variants of the Andronovo cultural and historical community: East Kazakhstan and Ob.

Imperial Inca-style pottery from Ecuador: Insights into provenance and production using INAA and ceramic petrography

A signature element of the Inca Empire is the highly standardized assemblage of ceramic vessels found across the length and breadth of the imperial realm. The question of how such standardization was achieved has long intrigued Inca scholars and led to a growing number of investigations into the organization of imperial pottery production. The present study contributes to this body of research through a compositional analysis of Inca-style pottery recovered from various sites in Ecuador. The goal of the analysis was to gain insight into where imperial-style wares from this region were produced. The results of the study indicate that production of Inca-style vessels in the distant provinces was less regulated than in areas nearer the imperial center. This suggests that local potters may have been free to emulate imperial forms, but that certain standards of care in paste preparation may have nonetheless been followed to elevate the state-styles above local varieties.

Cultural Tourism Potentials of the Dorze Village, Southern Ethiopia

This paper aims to present and discuss the potential tourism resources of Dorze village in southern Ethiopia. The research was conducted in 2018 through qualitative methods. Field data were collected by field observation and interviews with tourists, local community, local tourism experts, local tour guides, as well as local potters’ and weavers’ association members. Thematic analysis technique was used and the results were qualitatively described with some supporting photographs. The findings of the study revealed that Dorze village is endowed with worthwhile cultural tourism attractions. The Dorze handcraft tradition such as hand weaving, pottery work, and elephant-shaped house building, cultural festivals, traditional music and instruments, and the process of making food from false banana trees and culinary experiences are identified as the most important cultural tourism resource of the village. On the other hand, lack of tourism infrastructures such as road, bank, water, and electric power supply is identified as a stumbling block for cultural tourism development of the area. Besides, the lack of accommodations provision is identified as the other bottleneck of tourism development in the area. The research suggests that local and national tourism stakeholders need to work on local cultural tourism resources to increase the cultural tourism significance in Dorze village.

Innovation, imitation, and identity: Mayeon Black ware and social complexity in Southwestern Korea

Mayeon Black ware (MYB ware) was produced in southwestern Korea from the late third to mid-fifth centuries CE, and played an important role as a prestige good in the emerging Baekje state. This study analyzes 500 examples of MYB ware from Baekje and contemporaneous Mahan societies, demonstrating that these ceramics were produced using a variety of technological styles and were available to people from multiple social classes. The majority of MYB ware consumption took place at the Baekje political center at Pungnap-toseong, largely taking the form of serving vessels used in feasting rituals. Despite this association between MYB ware and Baekje elites, vessels with similar technological styles to those at Pungnap-toseong appear in agricultural villages within a roughly 25 km radius of the site, suggesting not only a dispersed pattern of production but also a lack of social proscriptions against the use of these wares by non-elites. Baekje elites also gifted MYB wares to prominent people at the margins of Baekje territorial control, prompting imitations by local potters. The Mahan origins of MYB ware technology are apparent in independent developments outside Baekje territory, reinforcing the conclusion that neither the production of MYB or the construction of its meaning was exclusive to Baekje elites. The Baekje state expanded its borders throughout the period of MYB ware use, but the findings of this study underline that MYB ware's presence at a site cannot be used as a direct indicator of Baekje territorial control.

Same medium, different messages: stamped storage jar handles in Judea from the Iron Age to the Early Islamic period as evidencing regional memory and acquaintance with the past

ABSTRACTThis study provides an original cross-period theoretical perspective on the unique regional phenomenon of storage jar stamping in Judea between the Iron Age 2 and the Early Islamic period (eighth century BC to ninth/tenth century AD). A six century-long tradition of jar stamping for economic and administrative (and possibly religious) purposes under governmental initiative and control ended during the Hellenistic period, to be renewed under different circumstances and expressing different messages in the late Byzantine or the beginning of the Early Islamic period. Thus far, no attempt has been made to discuss together these two episodes of Judean jar stamping, or to interpret the renewal of this custom in the first millennium AD. As argued in this article, the key to understand the reappearance of jar stamping in Judea after a gap of at least 700 years is the existence of close, constant contact between local people and ancient remains and artifacts, in this case stamped jar handles. These region-specific objects had become part of the local cultural heritage, albeit in a level of a ‘dormant memory’ during the centuries which passed since their final phase of usage, and the idea of reviving this memory was apparently borne in the minds of local potters in late Byzantine or Early Islamic times.

Use of Ferro Frit 3110 in Developing Glazes for Omani Earthenware Clays: Evaluation of Color Quality for Ceramic Decoration in High Schools

In this studio and laboratory research study, the suitability of several glazes for use on the earthenware clays used by local potters in the internal provinces of Oman was investigated. The aim was to develop suitable, economic glazes from local materials for use with Omani earthenware clays that could form an adequate adhesive bond with the clay surface and be used in ceramics decoration in local educational institutions. In particular, the experiments in this study mainly evaluated the use of Ferro Frit 3110 in different glazing recipes. It is a calcium- and sodium-rich frit with oxides that are stable and predictable, and it is more dependable in chemical composition than other raw materials. The final results can help to reduce the cost of importing ready-made expensive glazes from overseas for use in ceramics decoration in Omani higher educational institutions.

Thinking Beyond Imitation

This study explores the manufacture, use, and archaeological classification of ceramic commensal vessels from western Sicily dating from the late Iron Age and Archaic periods (approximately 900-600 BC), addressing the stylistic transformation of pottery manufactured by indigenous Sicilians following social contact, interaction, and entanglement with foreigners. Potters blended various styles of form and decoration to manufacture ceramic vessels which continue to challenge theoretical frameworks that attempt to classify and interpret them. Previous studies have utilized models of material imitation and emulation, yet have seldom explored the social significance of their production and use. More recent studies break from these predecessors, applying post-colonial perspectives to evaluate critically and contextualize these products of social entanglement. Unfortunately, many of these interpretations fail to distinguish between material and behavioral classifications, inadequately employing theories of social behavior to characterize material culture. Here, the distinction between material and behavioral classification is emphasized, differentiating between physical styles and the social behaviors associated with the production, use, and discard of objects. The concept of mixed-style artifacts is presented as an alternative to previous classificatory models, distinguishing and parsing between material and behavioral classifications to contextualize and understand these artifacts. Using this approach, mixed-style Sicilian pottery can be classified more objectively, divorcing such classifications from subjective biases. Consequently, such pottery appears to be a product of local potters who, operating as communities of practice, incorporated elements of foreign style alongside indigenous ones, creating a material manifestation of the social middle ground. In this way, the mixedstyle concept varies from strict imitation as it more accurately accounts for the selective incorporation of particular styles to synthesize something new, albeit familiar.

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.

Si Satchanalai Figurines: Reconstruction of Ancient Daily Life, Beliefs, and Environment in Siam during the Sixteenth Century

The Si Satchanalai figurines and ceramics applied with figurines in various shapes of humans and animals were one type of ceramics produced especially in the sixteenth century at the Si Satchanalai kilns located in Si Satchanalai city under the territorial control of the Sukhothai and the Ayutthaya Kingdoms which foreigners recorded the name of this region as “Siam.” They represent the mixed culture that came along with the unofficial and official foreign relations on politics and trade. Indian, Khmer, Lanna, Chinese Yuan and Ming, and Vietnamese arts and cultures were transmitted to Siam and became to be the important sources of inspiration for the local potters to create figurines and other forms of ceramic objects. The local daily life diet supplies, relationships in community, social organization, neighborhoods, activities, occupations and environments were other important sources of inspiration for the local potters.

The Ecological Aspects of Local Pottery in Guilan, Iran

<p>The modern world is facing pervasive environmental problems and pollution crisis, while in the previous eras, meeting one's need through environment would inflict less harm on one's surroundings. In traditional artifacts, compatibility with the natural environment does exist and in many aspects has been suited with the climate and environmental features of every locality. The main purpose of the study is to identify and introduce the environmental features of pottery of Guilan, Iran. This is achieved by investigating the interaction between the local potters and their environment. The primary data are collected through library resources, field observation and visiting active potteries in Guilan. In this regard, the main research questions of the present study are as follows: What are the features of Guilan local pottery? What features are compatible with environmental standards? To conduct the study, a descriptive-analytical method is employed. The findings show that pottery in Guilan is not a threat to the environment in terms of local knowledge in using raw material, finding resources of renewable energy, community-based manpower, optimum exploitation of time and energy, potteryware designing with various functions, and re-using a product for further purposes. Nonetheless, there exist some issues which are not environmentally friendly like failure to modernize the potteryware to be of use for current needs, high rate of waste over the production process, and using toxic materials in glazing. Therefore, raising environmental awareness of locals, cultural diffusion, informing the users of the benefits of using pottery, and making improvements to the cycle of design, producing, and marketing all play substantial role in preserving local pottery.</p>

Eastern Mediterranean Economic Exchange during the Iron Age: Portable X-Ray Fluorescence and Neutron Activation Analysis of Cypriot-Style Pottery in the Amuq Valley, Turkey.

Two markers of regional exchange in the Eastern Mediterranean during the first millennium BCE are the White Painted and Bichrome Wares from Cyprus’s Cypro-Geometric and Cypro-Archaic periods. Although these ceramics are often assumed to be imports from Cyprus, excavations in southern Turkey at sites such as Tarsus-Gözlükule, Kilise Tepe, Sirkeli Höyük, and Kinet Höyük suggest that at least some of this pottery was produced locally, requiring a major revision of our understanding of economic interaction in the Eastern Mediterranean. We employ a combination of portable x-ray fluorescence and neutron activation analysis to investigate the White Painted and Bichrome Wares recovered from Tell Tayinat, Çatal Höyük, and Tell Judaidah, three sites in the Amuq Valley of southeastern Anatolia. Our results demonstrate that a clear geochemical distinction exists between imported and local versions of this pottery. Through comparison with legacy datasets, we locate the likely origin of the imported pottery in the Circum-Troodos sediments of central and southern Cyprus. The secondary and tertiary settlements of Çatal Höyük and Tell Judaidah had access only to this imported material. In contrast, the inhabitants of Tell Tayinat, capital city of the region, consumed both imported and locally produced White Painted and Bichrome Wares. This pattern cannot be explained in purely economic terms whereby the frequency of imports decreases as distance from the point of production increases. Instead, we suggest that elite feasting practices drove demand, resulting in either local potters producing Cypriot-style pottery or Cypriot potters settling in the vicinity of Tell Tayinat. These findings offer new insights into the relationship between historically attested Iron Age kingdoms in southern Turkey and Cyprus and complicate our understanding of exchange in the Eastern Mediterranean during the Iron Age.