Pottery Containers Research Articles

Bronze Age to Roman period salt production in the coastal areas of peninsular Italy: Palaeoenvironments, production methods and archaeological evidence

The landscape characteristics and salt production methods along the coasts of peninsular Italy from the Bronze Age to the Roman period are examined, with a focus on the significance of marine salt for Italy's ancient food economy, given the limited availability of rock salt. Two main methods of marine salt production are highlighted. Briquetage involves using clay or pottery containers to evaporate seawater, which requires specific environmental conditions such as clay availability and significant human labour and technological skill. Conversely, salterns consist of creating shallow ponds or pools for seawater evaporation, demanding flat coastal areas, a stable climate, and controlled seawater flow. While this method is less labour-intensive, it requires substantial initial infrastructure.The potential for salt production in Italy's coastal palaeoenvironments using either method has been evaluated. Key factors include coastal geomorphology, climate stability, and access to raw materials. This environmental data supports an analysis of archaeological remains from salt production sites active from the Bronze Age to the Roman period. The assessment focuses on the material evidence such as clay containers from briquetage and structural remains of salterns, aiming to understand the spatial and temporal distribution of these sites.The discussion also explores the geopolitical implications of salt production, examining how the distribution and development of these sites were affected by broader geopolitical shifts in Italy, including the impact of (proto)urbanization on the expansion and adaptation of salt production practices.

Pottery Impressions Reveal Earlier Westward Dispersal of Foxtail Millet in Inner Asian Mountain Corridor

The Inner Asian Mountain Corridor (IAMC) has been identified as a major pathway for the westward dispersal of millet from Northern China, where it was initially cultivated. Cross-disciplinary investigations are necessary to distinguish cultivated millet taxa from their wild relatives and to clarify the social context underlying millet adoption in novel environments. Despite the ambiguity in distinguishing Setaria italica from Panicum miliaceum or other Setaria species using conventional analysis of charred macro remains, recent attention has focused on the time gap between the introduction of S. italica to IAMC following P. miliaceum. Here, we employed a pottery impression casting method on materials from four Bronze Age sites in eastern/southeastern Kazakhstan to investigate the surface textures of grain impressions on the surface of pottery containers. We successfully identified both millets (Setaeria and Panicum) from three of the sites, Begash, Tasbas, and Dali in the IAMC. Based on our findings, two species of millet were introduced to the region within a much shorter range of time than previously estimated. In addition, the current evidence supports the premise that these cereals were likely utilized for human consumption.

:The Making of a Roman Imperial Estate: Archaeology in the Vicus at Vagnari, Puglia

:<i>The Making of a Roman Imperial Estate: Archaeology in the Vicus at Vagnari, Puglia</i>

Struktur Bata Situs Dingkel I, Desa Sambimaya, Kabupaten Indramayu

Brick structures have been found in the Sambimaya Village, Juntinyuat District, Indramayu Regency. The structure is found on several dirt mounds in the rice field area. One of the locations is in the Dingkel Block. Preliminary excavations succeeded in uncovering the south side wall and southwest corner of the building. The research is intended to determine the form of the building and its function. The research method is through surveys and excavations. Surveys are mainly carried out through underground surveys. Based on the excavations, the wall structure, the corner of the building, and the staircase structure have been found. At the base of the structure, there is a pavement business using broken brick material. Several important artifacts have been found, namely broken pottery containers and gacuk. There are also animal bone fragments. Based on the structure and artifacts found, it is estimated that the building consists of at least three units and functions as a profane building.

An experience of the experimental use-wear analysis of made of tools pottery shards (based on the materials of the fortified settlement of Marai 4)

The paper concerns the determination of the functional purpose of scraper-shaped pottery tools of the forti-fied settlement of Marai 4 of the initial period of the Early Bronze Age. The site is located in the territory of the Lower Ishim River basin in Kazan District of Tyumen Oblast. Its materials are dated to the 6th (7th) — end of the 5th centuries BCE; culture-wise, they belong to the circle of the Zhuravlevo antiquities. The collection of the pot-tery scrapers of the site amounts to 78 items. Initially, the majority of them were interpreted as scrapers for fle-shing. However, a series of features gave rise to doubts, and the problem of the functional purpose of the scraper-like implements from Maray 4 remained open. In order to elaborate and correct the conclusions, in 2019–2022 the author conducted experiments on the use of pottery shards in the process of skin treatment, wood scraping, abrasive treatment of copper and bronze, in pottery making — at the stage of smoothing, compacting and sleeking the walls of pottery containers. The purpose of this paper is to present the results of the experimen-tal use-wear study of the scraper-like pottery artefacts from the Early Iron Age sites of Maray 4. The investigation is based upon the use of the experimental use-wear method, which involves the study of the traces of wear on the surface of implements, and their functional attribution. The use-wear analysis and microphotography of the traces of wear were carried out with the aid of a pancratic microscope MC-2 Z00M with a magnification from 10× to 40× with a Canon EOS-1100 camera. The performed studies allowed refining the previously conjectured hypothesis on the functional purpose of the scraper-shaped tools from Maray 4 and reaching the conclusion that most of them were used for smoothing and compacting the surface of pottery vessels. This conclusion is supported by the preliminary view of V.V. Ilyushina based upon the comparison of available reference experimental samples of surface treatment of clay vessels with pottery tools with the vessels from the site.

THE REMAINS OF PHARMACY FOUND IN SHAMKIR TOWN

Archaeological complex discovered in 2014, in medieval Shamkir town in the western part of the Republic of Azerbaijan was the remains of one of the town’s major buildings. A 47 m2 room in the south of the complex is likely to have been remains of pharmacy. On the eastern side of it were revealed the remains of a brick building with 6 furnaces. Archaeological exploration of the complex revealed the equipment typical for the pharmacy - various pottery, glassware items, stone tools and herbal remnants. One of the items used for the distillation process in the chemist’s was almost entirely intact. Sphere-cones, albarello type dishes, pottery containers with small holes for ventilation in the throat and the glazed pottery pan sample, divided into two parts by a partition wall, is also typical equipment for the pharmacy. Among the findings are many fragments of glass flask and drug containers used for the preparation and packaging of medicines. Carbonated plant fossils discovered during the exploration of the complex had healing properties and were used as raw materials in medieval medicine. Archaeological evidence suggests the archeological complex, which was discovered, to be a remnant of the pharmacy that operated in the Seljuk period.

Situs-Situs Megalitik di Desa Padangratu, Kecamatan Buay Pematangbiru, Kabupaten OKU Selatan : Tinjauan Bentuk Lahan dan Material

The Padangratu area have landforms formed as a result of natural and human activities. Within the Padangratu area, archaeological remains made from various materials are scattered. The problem is the shape of the land and materials in the Padangratu area. The method used is a qualitative method with exploratory and descriptive research types. The results of the research show that in the Padangratu area there are megalithic buildings and artifacts spread across the Jurun, Langkat, Putor, Tanjung and Tanjung Mandak sites. These sites are spread across the plateau at an altitude of 0 to 1000 meters above sea level. Putor, Langkat and Tanjung hamlets are at an altitude of 500 masl to 750 masl, while Jurun Hamlet is at an altitude of 750 masl to 1000 masl. This location is on a very gentle slope (3%-7%) to quite steep (14%-20%), especially in an area where the erosion rate is very low. In the Padangratu area, 47 flat stones, 3 dolmens, 1 stone bracelet, 1 stone mortar were found which were generally made of tuff. Apart from that, stone mortars made of pumice, square axes made of chalcedony, obsidian fragments and clay pottery containers were found. These materials are volcanic materials obtained from the area around Lake Ranau. Apart from that, the Padangratu area is located in the stratifigraphy of the Ranau rock formation which contains tufa, pumice and clay materials.

COLLECTIONS OF FINDS FROM THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL STUDIES ON THE ST. MICHAEL GOLDEN-DOMED MONASTERY YARD IN 1940s—1960s

The Scientific Repository of the Institute of Archaeology of the NAS of Ukraine has three collections of archaeological finds coming from excavations on the St. Michael Golden-domed Monastery yard. These are the materials from the excavation of 1940 led by Mikhail Karger, the survey of 1944 led by David Blifeld and observations over the earthworks of Volodymyr Diadenko in 1967. The excavations of 1940 revealed two Old Rus dwellings and several pits on the site between St. Michael Cathedral and the Refectory, as well as the previously unknown Old Rus temple of the 11th century, associated with the St. Dmitro Cathedral. The field inventory books stored in the Scientific Archive of the Institute of Archaeology allow to clarify the locations of excavated sections where the works were carried out, as well as to compile a list of finds with a preserved collection that is about much smaller than the total amount found during excavations. A significant part of it is building remains such as fragments of frescos (some with graffiti), bricks, floor tiles, tiles, acoustic jars, molten lead roof sheets. The collection contains also household items such as fragmented ceramic dishes, amphora containers, grinding stones, and remains of manufacture: a fragment of an iron bloom and the glassware production refuse. In addition, there are some artefacts from graves: fabric, leather shoe details. The finds dated to a wide chronological range from the 10th—11th to the 18th—19th centuries and display the life in the monastery during all this time, without chronological lacunae.&#x0D; The survey of David Blifeld in 1944 was caused by construction of a vegetable store on the courtyard of the former monastery, and the works of Volodymyr Diadenko in 1967 were apparently related to the supervision over earthworks in the Upper city of Kyiv. There are neither publication, no archive data about the last two stages of research, so collections of archaeological finds are the only source of information about these studies. Both collections are small. The collection of the year 1944 contains the 18th century pottery, as well as three fragments of vessels of the 12th—13th centuries from cultural layer. The collection is incomplete because of significant gaps of inventory numbers.&#x0D; Observations of Volodymyr Diadenko in 1967 revealed the dwelling of Old-Rus time, which can be dated to the 12th — early 13th century by the available materials (fragments of pots and a big pottery container). The collection also included a half of brick of the 17th—18th centuries and a sherd of acoustic jar that may indicate the location of the site close to any architectural object.

The characteristics and correlation of the microbial communities and flavors in traditionally pickled radishes

Pickled radish produced using the traditional fermentation method that radishes being fermented with the aged brine in the pottery altar is exceptionally popular and widely consumed around China. Although this traditional technique is usually associated with the production of high-quality fermented radish, the main features of radish prepared using this method remain unclear. This study revealed the characteristics of microbial diversity and flavors in radish fermented with aged brine in traditional pottery containers. At the phylum level, Firmicutes was the highest during the fermentation process. At the genus level, the abundance of Lactobacillus dominated. As for fungal composition, Pichia and Candida were the main genera, and the abundance of Pichia was significantly higher than Candida. This study also identified the volatile flavor compounds, some of them for the first time, and PCA revealed the separation between samples was dominated by dimethyl trisulfide and piperidine-2-thione. The correlation analysis suggested that Lactobacillus was negatively associated with 13 flavors, of which ten flavors were free amino acids (FAA). Enterobacteriaceae unclassified was correlated positively with 18 flavors, of which 14 were FAA. This study provided insight into the characteristics of fermented pickles produced using traditional fermentation techniques, and the relationship between microbiota and flavors.

The origins of specialized pottery and diverse alcohol fermentation techniques in Early Neolithic China

In China, pottery containers first appeared about 20000 cal. BP, and became diverse in form during the Early Neolithic (9000-7000 cal. BP), signaling the emergence of functionally specialized vessels. China is also well-known for its early development of alcohol production. However, few studies have focused on the connections between the two technologies. Based on the analysis of residues (starch, phytolith, and fungus) adhering to pottery from two Early Neolithic sites in north China, here we demonstrate that three material changes occurring in the Early Neolithic signal innovation of specialized alcoholic making known in north China: (i) the spread of cereal domestication (millet and rice), (ii) the emergence of dedicated pottery types, particularly globular jars as liquid storage vessels, and (iii) the development of cereal-based alcohol production with at least two fermentation methods: the use of cereal malts and the use of moldy grain and herbs (qu and caoqu) as starters. The latter method was arguably a unique invention initiated in China, and our findings account for the earliest known examples of this technique. The major ingredients include broomcorn millet, Triticeae grasses, Job's tears, rice, beans, snake gourd root, ginger, possible yam and lily, and other plants, some probably with medicinal properties (e.g., ginger). Alcoholic beverages made with these methods were named li, jiu, and chang in ancient texts, first recorded in the Shang oracle-bone inscriptions (ca. 3200 cal. BP); our findings have revealed a much deeper history of these diverse fermentation technologies in China.

Recovery of Gold from Radioactive Gold Waste Using The Redox Replacement Method with Zn-Foil Reductor

The residual waste of synthesis and use of radioactive elements of gold 198Au as a radiopharmaceutical and tracer after decaying can be reused as an irradiated target material. The gold recovery process was carried out on Au-198 radioactive nano gold waste with the redox replacement method using Zn-foil as metal reducing agent. Radioactive Au-gold waste was stored until it decayed to its background, so it is not dangerous and does not interfere with the optical characterization process. The sample was dissolved with aquaregia and evaporated so that the chelating or dendrimer material can be released and oxidized. The evaporation was done to reduce acidity and obtain the salt. Furthermore, the salt solution of HAuCl4 is reduced with Zn-foil so that the pure gold deposits can be obtained through a redox process. The results of the XRF analysis showed that the gold deposits formed have fairly good purity with little Zn and Zr impurities derived from the erosion of the melting container. The yield calculation results based on ICP-OES data obtained a recovery percentage of 68.73%. The method of taking gold deposits must be increased to reduce the gold particles attached to the bar stirrer and to the melting pottery container.

The impact of environmental change on the use of early pottery by East Asian hunter-gatherers

The invention of pottery was a fundamental technological advancement with far-reaching economic and cultural consequences. Pottery containers first emerged in East Asia during the Late Pleistocene in a wide range of environmental settings, but became particularly prominent and much more widely dispersed after climatic warming at the start of the Holocene. Some archaeologists argue that this increasing usage was driven by environmental factors, as warmer climates would have generated a wider range of terrestrial plant and animal resources that required processing in pottery. However, this hypothesis has never been directly tested. Here, in one of the largest studies of its kind, we conducted organic residue analysis of >800 pottery vessels selected from 46 Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene sites located across the Japanese archipelago to identify their contents. Our results demonstrate that pottery had a strong association with the processing of aquatic resources, irrespective of the ecological setting. Contrary to expectations, this association remained stable even after the onset of Holocene warming, including in more southerly areas, where expanding forests provided new opportunities for hunting and gathering. Nevertheless, the results indicate that a broader array of aquatic resources was processed in pottery after the start of the Holocene. We suggest this marks a significant change in the role of pottery of hunter-gatherers, corresponding to an increased volume of production, greater variation in forms and sizes, the rise of intensified fishing, the onset of shellfish exploitation, and reduced residential mobility.

Investigating Late Neolithic ceramics in the northern Levant: the view from Shir

This paper presents a review of the ceramic investigations at the Late Neolithic site of Shir. Situated in Western Syria the site occupies a central position in the so-called ‘Levantine corridor’, which linked the southern Levant, Central Anatolia, and Upper Mesopotamia in the Neolithic. The ceramic sequence covers a period of several centuries between c. 7000 and 6450 cal BC. The pottery analysis combined bulk processing in the field and archaeometric work in the laboratory to construct a viable ceramic categorization. This paper discusses long-term ceramic trends that follow the first appearance of pottery in the northern Levant, including the development of pottery containers for storage.

The role of pottery in Middle Neolithic societies of western Mediterranean (Sardinia, Italy, 4500-4000 cal BC) revealed through an integrated morphometric, use-wear, biomolecular and isotopic approach

The use of pottery in the Early Neolithic communities of Western Mediterranean has begun to be addressed by recent studies concerning the residues of dietary commodities in potsherds. In order to contribute to a broader perspective on the issue of pottery function, we investigate pottery assemblages through an integrated methodology, combining the study of vessel morphology and morphometry, use-wear analysis, biomolecular and compound-specific carbon isotopic analysis of residues. We focus on the use of pottery containers by advanced Middle Neolithic societies of Sardinia (Italy, 4500-4000 cal BC), protagonists of significant technical, economic and cultural changes in the completion of Neolithisation in this island. The aims are to elucidate the role of whole pottery assemblages in technical and socioeconomic systems of Middle Neolithic communities and to provide data on the exploitation of animal and plant resources during this phase.Based on the integrated combination of data, six categories of vessel use are identified. The results reveal a differential integration of vessels in activities related to the exploitation of distinct kinds of resources (ruminant adipose/dairy fats and plant foods vs. non-ruminant and aquatic products) and highlight specific behaviours of Middle Neolithic societies in selecting pottery morphotypes for different uses, notably in processing products with heating.

Petrographic and Technological Analysis of the Tell eṣ-Ṣâfi/Gath Pottery

In archaeological research, pottery analysis is of importance for relative dating and reconstructing daily life, as well as for understanding trade patterns and cultural contacts. Trade patterns in table ware and commodities carried in pottery containers can help illuminate the economy and administration of an ancient society. The production technology of pottery, and especially its mode of production, can also reflect social, economic, and political realities in a general manner. However, according to many ethnographic and archaeological studies, the technology of pottery production is relatively conservative, and does not change rapidly.

The island of Elba (Tuscany, Italy) at the crossroads of ancient trade routes: an archaeometric investigation of dolia defossa from the archaeological site of San Giovanni

Dolia are large pottery containers used in Roman times for the storage and fermentation of wine. They were produced in specialized pottery workshops (figlinae) and were typically marked with specific epigraphical stamps, which represent a major tool to unravel their provenance and trade. In this work we present the preliminary results of a study of two dolia defossa, recently found at San Giovanni (Portoferraio, island of Elba, Italy) during 2012–2014 archaeological excavations in a Roman farm (late 2nd cent. BC-1st cent. AD), devoted to wine production and probably constituting the antecedent archaeological phase of the adjacent “Villa delle Grotte”. Based on archaeological (epigraphic) evidence, five different production areas have been hypothesized: 1) Elba island, where the dolia have been found; 2) the municipal figlinae in the Pisa territory; 3) the middle catchment of the Tiber river (central Latium) where “urban” figlinae occurred; 4) the figlinae of Minturno (southern Latium), a locality known both for wine production and exportation and for the presence of ancient figlinae; 5) the municipal figlinae in the Volterra territory. Archaeometric analysis of tempering agents intentionally added to the clay for the manufacturing of the dolia, particularly magmatic lithic fragments and clinopyroxene crystals, allowed us to suggest that the watershed of the central Tiber Valley - including different volcanic centres belonging to both Tuscany Magmatic Province (Monti Cimini) and Roman Magmatic Province (Monti Vulsini and Vico volcano) - could have been the most likely sites of production of the dolia found at San Giovanni. Alternatively, the site of Minturno (southern Latium) could be proposed.

Nuevos avances en relación con las prácticas económicas de los grupos pedemontanos de la cuenca del San Francisco (noroeste de Argentina, 800 a. C.-500 d. C.) a través de marcadores biomoleculares y microrrestos vegetales

Se presentan los resultados de análisis de cromatografía gaseosa para la detección de marcadores biomoleculares (ácidos grasos) efectuados en fragmentos cerámicos asociados a la Tradición San Francisco (800 a. C.-500 d. C.). Estos análisis fueron complementados con estudios de almidones y fitolitos a efectos de determinar con mayor precisión las sustancias y recursos que estuvieron en contacto con las paredes de los contenedores cerámicos. Se discuten las implicaciones de los resultados a la luz de los modelos económicos tradicionalmente propuestos para las sociedades que ocuparon la región pedemontana del valle de San Francisco.

Ceramics in the Levantine Pre-Pottery Neolithic B: evidence from Kfar HaHoresh, Israel

This paper summarises typological and technological research on a small assemblage of pottery containers recovered at Kfar HaHoresh (KHH), a Pre-Pottery Neolithic B site in the Southern Levant. The majority of the sherds belong to a distinguishable fabric, composed of local marl matrix tempered with vegetal material originating from herbivore manure. Based on the scarcity and properties of the sherds, we propose that the pottery containers at KHH were rare vessels possibly produced for personal use or for use by distinctive individuals for very limited purposes.

Identificación de una tradición tecnológica cerámica con desgrasante óseo en el Neolítico peninsular. Estudio arqueométrico de materiales cerámicos de Madrid (5300-3400 cal AC)

The archaeometric characterization of a set of potsherds from six Neolithic sites from the Madrid region has allowed the identification of a new and time-persisting regional technological tradition, based on the deliberated addition of crushed bone as temper in most pottery containers. This is the first known case in Iberia, and is outstanding because of its early chronologies and persistence in time: from 5300 to perhaps 3400 cal BC. Samples were characterized by complementary mineralogical and geochemical techniques such as thin-section, conventional and grazing angle X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF). The addition of bone temper created a light and resistant ceramic material, with technological advantages for both the storage and transportation. Such advantages might be linked to mobile or semi-sedentary groups.

Petrography as a technique for investigating Iroquoian ceramic production and smoking rituals

Petrographic data and macroscopic observations are used to examine some of the social contexts and functional considerations underlying the production of pottery containers and smoking pipes at Antrex, a Middle Ontario Iroquoian village site located in southern Ontario. Results suggest that while pottery was produced by small groups of people for widespread consumption within the community, pipes were made by individuals for their own personal use. Overall, this research supports the hypothesis that by the beginning of the Late Woodland period, a shift away from communal ritual practices led by ritual specialists or shamans had occurred. Smoking might have, in some contexts, become a solitary religious experience.