Pottery Samples Research Articles

Insights into the production technology of the Late Bronze Age pottery identified at Topolița (Neamț County)

The aim of this paper is to identify the technological features of the Late Bronze Age ceramic assemblage discovered at Topolița (Neamț County). The archaeological site is located in the Subcarpathian area of the eastern Romania and was assigned based on the typological features of the ceramic artefacts to the Noua culture (second half of the 16th century to the 12th century BC). The dataset investigated in this study consists in 30 samples, selected to represent the stylistic and functional variability detected at the site. For assessing the various stages of the chaîne opératoire (raw materials selection, paste preparation, manufacturing procedures, surface finishing and firing conditions), the pottery samples were studied by means of an integrated analytical approach combining macroscopic observation with petrographical and mineralogical investigations performed by X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD). This study revealed various aspects of the pottery production and emphasized a rather conservative behaviour in terms of raw materials selection combined with a significant degree of variability in the processing and finishing sequences. Besides, the technological analysis of the ceramic assemblage discovered at Topolița in terms of chaîne opératoire provided qualitative data to reconstruct technological features that corresponds to networks of socially linked object-makers.

Petrographic characterization of Late Roman African Pottery from J.W. Salomonson’s surveys: 2. The workshop of Sidi Aïch

This paper focuses on the petrographic characterization of pottery samples from the South Tunisian workshop of Sidi Aïch in the survey collection of J.W. Salomonson. Binocular observation and thin section analysis have been combined to identify the micro- and macroscopic markers of Sidi Aïch’s production and to cross-reference them with several samples from Salomonson’s surveys (already published, stored in France) as well as from the African pottery collection Aubert-Buès (Museum of Gap, Hautes-Alpes, France, ongoing study). In addition to the previously published ones, other fabrics have been identified, pointing to the presence of two larger fabric-families with different textural/technological features that can be correlated to distinct chronological phases and/or workshop areas. These new references will help improve the identification of Sidi Aïch products both in the Gap collection and at consumption sites.

Городища Башанта-I и Башанта-II эпохи Хазарского каганата

Introduction. In 2008 and 2015, two settlements of the Khazar era — referred to as Bashanta-I and Bashanta-II by the name of the locality respectively — were discovered. The joint archaeological expedition of Kalmyk Scientific Center (Russian Academy of Sciences) and Khalikov Institute of Archaeology (Tatarstan Academy of Sciences) headed by Dr. M. Ochir-Goryaeva is systematically exploring the monuments. The comprehensive research efforts involve the use of GIS methods. Analysis of animal bones resulted in five radiocarbon dates that may attest to that Bashanta-I and Bashanta-II are the earliest available sites of the Khazar domain. Further analysis of archaeological materials — Black Sea amphorae — confirms the mentioned radiocarbon-based conclusion. Goals. The paper seeks to review the newly discovered monuments comparing them to each other and other hillforts of the Khazar Khaganate. There have been a few excavation seasons only, and the observations are essentially preliminary. Results. In both the sites, large areas of cultural layers were opened. In Bashanta-I, this revealed remains of a stone building and a 189 meter long wall base composed of massive shell limestone blocks. The wall delineates the outer border of the once inhabited area. The eastern hill of Bashanta-II contains a similar fragmented wall base that served to separate the central part from the rest of the settlement. The wall encircled a number of round half dugout clay-and-wattle buildings and multiple middens. In Bashanta-II, the cultural layer contains (along with amphorae) numerous Saltovo-Mayaki pottery fragments and no traces of roof tiles. While ceramics of Bashanta-I is represented exclusively by amphorae fragments, and no samples of pottery or molded ceramics have been discovered. However, many fragments of roof tiles are observed along the wall base and the building area of Bashanta-I. It is noteworthy that all the roof tiles were brought in from offsite, and are distinguished by high quality, while other Khazar hillforts contain only scarce samples of locally-made tiles. Conclusion. According to G. Afanasiev’s typology, the obtained data make it possible to classify Bashanta-I as a fortress, and Bashanta-II as a fortified settlement.

Eksperimen Pengembangan Ragam Hias Keramik di Usaha Tembikar Lestari Deli Serdang

This study aims to develop a variety of decoration in the business of pottery business from the indicators of the principles of fine art that are carried out in Sustainable Pottery ceramics crafts on Jalan Medan Tanjung Morawa, Deli Serdang Regency. This research uses a development method. Data collection methods used are observation and documentation. The results of this study show the results of the development of ornamental variations on 10 samples of pottery produced by craftsmen, the authors made 10 decorative designs to develop decorative designs before, as a tangible result in this study an experimental action was carried out by researchers assisted by craftsmen by applying directly to pottery, The researcher chose 2 out of 10 development results and applied them directly to the pottery as a result of this study.

Of the sea and volcano: A petrographic provenance investigation of locally produced and imported ware of Pre-Younger Dryas Tanegashima Island, Japan

In the southern part of Kyushu Island in southern Japan and the small islands further south the earliest pottery is found beneath the Satsuma tephra, which has been well dated to ca. 12,800 cal BP. Here we focus on Incipient Jomon pottery, 14,000/13,500–12,800 cal BP, from the Sankakuyama I site on Tanegashima Island. Previous visual analysis of the fabrics suggested that about half of the vessels were not locally made. In this study, we conducted both ceramic and raw material petrography and an electron microprobe study on samples of pottery. Our results indicate that pottery was mainly produced in situ, away from the coast, but that there is some clear non-local material which came from either Yakushima Island or Kyushu Island proper. Yakushima has no reported Incipient Jomon sites. There should be undiscovered sites on Yakushima if pottery circulated from there rather than Sankakuyama I residents embedding production in their logistical moves on Yakushima. Minor signatures of non-local geology in locally produced pottery are probably the result of volcanic eruptions and sea currents. Pottery production began when Tanegashima was disconnected from Kyushu and probably about to be separated from Yakushima. During the Incipient Jomon period, Tanegashima had become isolated. We conclude that pottery producers were hunter-gatherers who were mainly sedentary, living in a mild environmental with ecotone properties. They occasionally engaged in costly communication and exchange, which may have involved transporting pottery by watercraft and on foot, to buffer risks. Our study is among the first to investigate the pottery economy of the late Pleistocene and the decisions made by its producers and users in response to environmental variability and change. The research contributes to the debate on the origins of pottery and the Upper Paleolithic to Neolithic transition.

Evidence from plant starch residues of the function of early pottery and the plant diet of Neolithic inhabitants of Inner Mongolia, North China

Studies of the East Asian Neolithic have been conducted for more than a century and many attempts have been made to interpret the functions of prehistoric pottery, particularly the earliest ceramics. The unsophisticated pottery discovered in the Weijiawopu site opens a window for the study of early ceramic function. We conducted plant residue analyses of ceramics from the Weijiawopu Neolithic site; the largest Hongshan Culture settlement in Inner Mongolia, China. The site is thought to belong to the early to middle period of the Hongshan Culture, approximately 6500-5500 cal BP. Based on evidence from starch grains, we identified four main plant resources: 1) cereal grains; 2) Dioscorea plant tubers; 3) beans; and 4) nuts. None of the individual starch grains exhibit surface damage, indicating they did not undergo extensive processing such as grinding or cooking. Hence, we conclude that the pottery samples analyzed derive from food storage containers, indicating one major function of early pottery at the site. Furthermore, wild plants are thought to have been an essential part of the Weijiawopu people's subsistence base, suggesting a mixed economic pattern based upon both domestication activities and hunting-gathering-foraging lifeways.

Ceramics from Samshvilde (Georgia): A pilot archaeometric study

This archaeometric study deals with seven samples of prehistoric pottery and, for the first time in Georgian studies, thirteen samples of glazed medieval pottery. All specimens were collected at Samshvilde, the most remarkable archaeological complex in southern Georgia and believed to represent locally-manufactured products. Two additional samples of raw materials composed of clay, silt, and sand were collected near the site and used to compare composition. Several analytical techniques were applied: Optical Microscopy (OM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Electron Probe Microanalysis (EPMA), X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and X-ray Fluorescence (XRF). The results allowed to build a complex scenario in terms of exploitation of raw materials and technological choices. The raw materials indicate a volcanic environment and correspond to the geological settings of the territory of Samshvilde. The glazed ceramics were characterised as alkali, low alkali – low lead, lead, high lead and tin-opacified mixed-alkaline lead glazes. The compositional comparisons extend from east to west and place these ceramics in the wider framework of Islamic ceramics.

Effects of sample processing on XRF results from archeological pottery

ABSTRACT The aim of this paper is to present the results of XRF analysis of archeological samples in two different states of preservation: intact vessel surfaces and transformed into powder. To investigate the effect of sample processing for XRF analysis, a handheld spectrometer was used. In total, 41 pottery samples were measured. The samples were extracted from Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age ceramic vessels of two different technological traditions: local (hand-made pottery) and exogenous (wheel-thrown pottery) from the archeological site of Setefilla (western Andalusia, Spain). Multiple statistical tests were used to examine the effect of sample processing on the semi-quantitative outcome of XRF analysis of pottery. The results obtained from intact samples are considerably different from the results obtained from pulverized samples. The analyses revealed that levels of Co, Sb, Sn, Al, Si, Ca, Fe, S, K, Sr and Nb were higher in the group of intact samples. This study underlines the need to evaluate sample preparation when designing archeometric research programs.

Ceramic technology: how to characterise black Fe-based glass-ceramic coatings

The study of the ancient black ceramic coating that decorates the surface of Classical and Hellenistic pottery from Attica and other main production centres in the Mediterranean has been the subject of more than three centuries of research. The physicochemical characterisation and analysis of the black glaze/gloss (BG) with the use of a broad spectrum of analytical techniques has gradually revealed its nature as an iron-based glass-ceramic material. At its best, it is coloured by polycrystalline nanoparticles of magnetite or mixed magnetite/hercynite spinels, dispersed in the amorphous K-aluminosilicate phase doped by Fe2+/Fe3+. We discuss the technique to produce the BGc (black glass-ceramic, hereafter), known as the “iron reduction technique”, with emphasis on the 3-stage firing under oxidising-reducing-oxidising (ORO) conditions as well as the latest analytical results through XPS, high-resolution TEM, SR-micro XRD and XANES. The discussion is based on data and research experience accumulated over the years from the application of conventional techniques (such as SEM-EDS and hhXRF) on ancient samples, laboratory reproductions and contemporary full-scale reproduction of similar artefacts. We show that the parameters affecting the quality of the BGc (sheen, colour, micromorphology) depend on the nature of the clay-slip, the application process, the ORO firing scheme and weathering mechanisms due to burial in humid terrestrial or marine environment. The proposed analytical protocol for the routine characterisation of the micromorphology and the analysis of the BGc and the ceramic body involves the use of non-destructive or minutely destructive techniques with special emphasis on the pottery sample classification and documentation.

Analysis of ancient ceramics using terahertz imaging and photogrammetry.

Imaging using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy is a valuable diagnostic tool for material inspection. However, in the case of samples with inhomogeneous shape and composition, the reliable extraction of spatially varying dielectric properties can be very challenging. Here, we demonstrate a new approach which combines THz-TDS with photogrammetric reconstruction. We show that this technique can be used to estimate the local refractive index of samples with a complex geometry. We employ this method to study samples of ancient pottery, and demonstrate that THz techniques can provide a valuable new tool for this branch of archaeological science.

A multi-analytical study of Bronze Age pottery from the UNESCO site of Al-Khutm (Bat, Oman)

The extensive investigation carried out in recent years at the UNESCO site of Al-Khutm (Ibri, Oman) has allowed to uncover the monumental remains of a tower dated back to the third millennium BC and to collect an abundant ceramic assemblage from the associated soil deposits. Eighteen selected pottery samples have been investigated using a multi-analytical approach including microfocus X-ray computed tomography, X-ray diffraction, optical microscopy and prompt gamma activation analysis to analyse the vessel-forming technique and to characterise their micro-structure, mineralogical and chemical composition to recognise possible local vs. non-local raw materials. The results provided new insights on ancient manufacturing processes and revealed that most of the vessels were locally produced exploiting raw materials from the surroundings of the site with the exception of a fragment of a black slipped jar. The chemical results suggest that the latter was imported from the Indus area in nowadays Pakistan. This evidence integrates our knowledge about the presence of this type of vessels in Oman and confirms the involvement of inland centres like Bat and Al-Khutm into a large-scale exchange system.

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.

Archaeometrical studies of prehistoric pottery using portable ED-XRF

This article presents the studies of archaeological ceramic materials from two sites located in Poland within the region called Kuyavia: Grabkowo no.7 and no. 8 yielded pottery dated to the younger pre-Roman Iron-Age and they represent two cultures and different traditions in the pottery production. This case allows to follow and analyse the differences and similarities between these materials chemical composition with the use of portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer. The knowledge of elemental composition of pottery samples have been applied in the archaeometric studies of ceramic differentiation. The methodology points to the possibility of identifying different pottery traditions in the production of mass archaeological material.

Provenance identification of ancient pottery from Hachijojima Island, part of Izu Islands (Tokyo, Japan), using X‐ray fluorescence spectrometry

AbstractA total of 47 pottery fragments were unearthed in Hachijojima Island, part of the Izu Islands (Tokyo, Japan). Among these samples, 36 found in the Kurawa site had designs resembling pottery dating back to the Jomon period (14,000–300 BC) distributed throughout Japan's main island, Honshu; five samples from the Jomon period found in the Yubama site were “undesigned”; the rest, found in the Yaene site, were undesigned Haji pottery samples dating back to the beginning of the late Kofun period (490–549 AD). X‐ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) was used to determine the chemical composition (in terms of 10 major oxides and 12 minor elements) of the samples to identify their provenance, that is, local versus nonlocal. For this purpose, a portion of each pottery fragment was processed to obtain a glass bead specimen. The pottery samples were classified by multivariate statistical approaches, including principal component analysis and cluster analysis, on the basis of their chemical composition. Additionally, the XRF results were compared to geochemical data from Hachijojima Island using scatter diagrams. The data thus collected allowed the provenance of the pottery samples to be inferred. In particular, the 36 samples from the Kurawa site were concluded to have been brought to Hachijojima Island from Honshu in prehistoric times, whereas the other samples were concluded to have been manufactured locally.

A Data Mining Perspective of XRF Elemental Analysis from Pueblo People’s Pottery

Hierarchical clustering was used to identify elemental signatures in artifacts attributed to the Pueblo peoples. The artifacts in this study are pottery samples found at different sites in the state of New Mexico, USA. Three methods were applied: complete, average, and Ward. Their corresponding cophenetic correlation coefficients were used to contrast the three methods. Elemental characterization was only based on X-ray fluorescence excitation from a portable spectrometer with the silver anode. The elemental correlations here disclosed by data mining techniques are expected to guide further archaeological studies and assist experts in the assessment of provenance and historical ethnographic studies. XRF elemental analysis

Comparative and Experimental Studies for Evaluation of Paraloid B-72 in Traditional and Nano Forms for Joining of Pottery Samples

Many of the excavated pottery artifacts are suffering from different deterioration aspects. The pressure of burial environment is considered the most deteriorative agent for pottery in soil, which leads to damage of the artifact. Therefore, it is necessary to join these damaged parts to be suitable for museum display. The adhesive materials play a significant role in the joining processes of these artifacts. In this study, Paraloid B-72 in its traditional and nano form was prepared (50% in acetone) as adhesive for pottery artifacts. Twelve pottery tiles (14 ×4×1 cm) were prepared and then were adhered together with the adhesive in traditional and nano forms. The pottery samples were exposed to artificial aging as follows; accelerated heat-humid aging (temperature 100°C and 60% relative humidity) and light aging by U.V lamp for 100 hours. Visual assessment and several analytical techniques were used for the evaluation of the selected adhesive. The analytical techniques are transmission electron microscope (TEM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), color change and tensile strength. The results obtained from transmission electron microscope showed that grain size of nano paraloid was ranging from 33 to 51 nm where the particle size of the traditional paraloid was in the range between 103 to 150 nm. Visual assessment proved that nano paraloid had some simple changes in appearance. Scanning electron microscope revealed that the nano paraloid was more resistance for aging than traditional form. Color change revealed that nano paraloid gave the lowest level of total color differences (ΔE) after light, heat-humid and light-heat aging with 2.31, 3.26 and 4.60 respectively. The tensile strength revealed that nano paraloid gave highest tensile strength (81.3 N/mm2). According to these results, we recommend the use of nano paraloid in joining of archaeological pottery artifacts.

The natural variability of clay and its impact on provenance study of pottery in Vanuatu and further afield

AbstractThis article documents the significant horizontal (across the landscape) and vertical (across the stratigraphy) chemical variability of volcanic clays from Vanuatu, South Pacific. Data illustrate why the chemical composition of the clay matrix in pottery should be used very cautiously in characterization or provenance studies. The variability of natural clays on Efate, Erromango, and Malekula is so significant that the data set disproves the assumption that two pottery samples with clay matrices showing similar chemical composition necessarily originate from the same location, the same bedrock, the same region, or even from the same island. This study is also a reminder that the outcomes of chemical characterizations and provenance studies of pottery are directly dependent on the scale at which the investigation is undertaken. In light of the data, it is also clear that such studies should not be undertaken in other similar insular environments affected by regular volcanic activity along the Circum‐Pacific Belt without assessing the natural variability of the raw material. Without an adequate sampling of natural clay representative of the vertical and geographic variability, the results from the chemical analysis of clay matrices risk of leading to incorrect associations between pots and procurement areas.

Geochemical analyses result of prehistoric pottery from the site of Tol-e Kamin (Fars, Iran) by pXRF

ABSTRACT A series of pottery samples from the Iranian site Tol-e Kamin, ranging from pre-historical period to the New Elamite, were analyzed in order to study the geochemical variability of the pottery assemblage. A total amount of 168 measurements were obtained using a portable XRF device and were statistically handled. The results could successfully distinguish the geochemical composition of potteries from the chalcolithic to the New Elamite periods in the Kur River Basin. A major shift in the use of different clay sources could be detected since the Proto Elamite period and afterward, in which the carbonated and marl content clays represented by Ca, Ba and Sr shifted to clay sources with a tendency to non-carbonate silty clay Al, Ti, and Fe from a different geological background. The results stress the importance of further provenance studies to address issues of trade and exchange possibilities in southwestern Iran.

Alfarería del prehispánico Tardío en las quebradas altas del Calchaquí (Salta): una primera aproximación a los estudios de pastas de Tacuil y Gualfín

Se presenta información de una muestra de alfarería recuperada en asentamientos de las quebradas altas del valle Calchaquí, provincia de Salta. Los conjuntos analizados provienen de excavaciones y recolecciones de superficie realizadas en el Fuerte de Tacuil y Gualfín, y en los recintos bajos asociados a los mismos. Asentamientos que presentan ocupaciones que fueron fechadas mediante dataciones radiocarbónicas entre, por lo menos, los años 1200 y 1600 dC. Se realizaron caracterizaciones de pastas cerámicas a nivel submacroscópico y microscópico integrando datos de los análisis estilísticos. Los resultados alcanzados permiten proponer, a manera de hipótesis, una producción local de alfarería en la zona, una variabilidad a nivel tecnológico/estilístico y una circulación de ciertos estilos, durante momentos del Período de Desarrollos Regionales e Inca, que llevó a sugerir la participación de las poblaciones de las quebradas altas en circuitos de interacción que incluían sectores aledaños a Calchaquí, como la actual puna de Catamarca.

Leftovers: The presence of manufacture‐derived aquatic lipids in Alaskan pottery

Lipids preserved within the walls of ancient pottery vessels are routinely analysed to reveal their original contents. The provenience of aquatic lipids in pottery is generally connected to vessel function (e.g., for cooking or storing fish, shellfish and aquatic mammals). However, ethnographic reports from early historic Alaska mention the use of aquatic oils for waterproofing low‐fired pottery. Results of lipid residue studies on Alaskan pottery reflect an exclusive function of pottery to process aquatic resources. However, can one be sure these residues are the product of vessel function and not a remnant of the manufacturing process? The study presents the results of an experiment where the preservation of aquatic lipids during the firing process at different temperatures was measured. It was found that nearly all lipids were removed at firing temperatures of ≥ 400°C. Petrographic analysis of Alaskan pottery samples indicates that firing temperatures were generally > 550°C but < 800°C. The contribution of pre‐firing manufacture‐derived lipids to samples fired at these temperatures may be regarded as negligible. While the possible presence of aquatic lipids from post‐firing surface treatments cannot be excluded, such treatments appear unnecessary for well‐fired pottery.