Terra Cotta Research Articles

Fragments and Stitches of Ghanaian Idioms: A Catalogue of the Life and Works of Kwaku Asaku-Gyapon, An African Modernist Sculptor

This study sought to explore the practice and philosophical foundation of Kwaku Asaku-Gyapon (1932 – 2018), an artist educationist of the African modernist stock, from the 1960s to the 1980s that shaped the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) artistic traditions and generally the Ghanaian sculptural representation. The study seeks to contribute to existing literature on African modernism, following up on karî’kachä Seid’ou’s “J. C. Okyere’s Bequest of Concrete Statuary in the KNUST Collection: Special Emphasis on “Lonely Woman” which sheds light on the artist’s ethos and practice in the midst of seeming erasure and wrong attributions. The study looked at the artist’s three-decade practice, in mainly concrete statuary, terra cotta, wood, and metal (rarely), as part of mid-20th century Ghanaian nationalist repositioning. This is part of the African art that evolved by blending foreign materials and techniques with native African concepts in which artists used revolutionary tools and methods, along with indigenous storytelling practices, to tell their stories in various forms. The study adopted archival research and interviews of the artist as well as descriptive-analytic research methods of the qualitative approach. The study revealed that the artist’s concepts and themes emerged from his personal experiences, sociocultural environment, and political events of his era. It also shows the artist’s practice as commission-dependent in which personal explorations of materials (cement, metal, terrazzo, wood, clay) and techniques in life modelling, casting, and carving were prioritized. The Authors conclude that Kwaku Asaku-Gyapon was a prolific but less exposed Ghanaian modernist artist educationist, in the light of how he adopted the indigenous Asante storytelling approaches through the application of traditional and non-traditional materials and techniques. Keywords: Asaku-Gyapon, Ghanaian Idiom, Artworks, African Modernist Sculptor, Indigenous Storytelling

Evaluating the biocompatibility of ceramic materials for constructing artificial reefs

IntroductionCoastal ecosystems, including reefs, are becoming increasingly threatened as anthropogenic development continues to encroach on intertidal habitats with little initiative to establish ecologically considerate infrastructure. Submerging human-made, shelter-providing structures known as artificial reefs (AR) can contribute to the preservation of these ecosystems. ARs are historically used for promoting the abundance and biodiversity of marine species for aquaculture, conservation, and ecotourism; and are typically made of concretes or metal structures. An AR’s success correlates to its ability to establish a surface layer of microorganisms, such as microalgae and bacteria, known as a biofilm. The productivity of the biofilm can be influenced by material surface properties. It is hypothesized that material pH and porosity affect the rate of biofilm formation.MethodsHere - a range of concrete mixtures were cast and submerged in circulating seawater and mass per surface area of biofilm accumulation was measured to evaluate this theory. These mixtures included standard Portland Cement (PC), PC with admixtures of diatomaceous earth (PDC) and limestone (PLC), fine-aggregate high-performance concrete (DUC), and terra cotta (TER). ARs were manufactured as 38mm tall cylinders, 76mm in diameter, and submerged in circulating seawater to evaluate mass per surface area of biofilm accumulation.ResultsOur results indicate that biofilm formation is directly affected by surface porosity and less-so by pH, as determined by measuring material properties after submersion. We found that the PDC samples were most successful in forming a biofilm despite being more fragile than other concrete samples.DiscussionThis preliminary study provides insight into how different material properties influence the accumulation of biofilm as a starting point for designing ARs. Future work will investigate the long-term performance of such samples in relevant conditions.

Indoor radon concentrations in kindergartens in three Bulgarian districts.

This article examines the results of a study of radon concentrations in kindergartens in three districts of north-western Bulgaria. For the period from December 2019 to May 2020, passive radon measurements were accomplished in 1490 premises of 130 kindergartens. The highest arithmetic mean (AM) value of 219Bqm-3 and geometric mean (GM) value of 156Bqm-3 radon concentration were found in the state kindergartens of the Vratsa district. The radon values for the remaining two districts are as follows: Lovech-AM = 156Bqm-3 and GM = 114Bqm-3; Montana-AM = 125Bqm-3 and GM = 88Bqm-3. The effects of various factors on the radon concentration including district, year of building construction, presence of basement, place of premise, wall, and floor interior covering materials, and presence of a ventilation system were investigated. Factor Analysis was used to assess the combined effects of those factors on indoor radon concentration. The results revealed three combinations of the investigated factors: the first combined the district in which the kindergartens were located and the materials used for the floor of the premises, the second combined the year of construction of the building and the presence of a building foundation, and the third combined the rest of the investigated factors. It is concluded that a regional assessment of predictors of radon variability is needed. The walls in kindergartens should not be covered by gypsum, and floors should not be made from materials that can easily develop cracks such as terra cotta. The installation of a ventilation system reduces the radon concentrations in the premises, which is of particular importance in cases where the measured value is above the national reference levels.

Investigating the application of artificial hot and cold reference surfaces for improved ETc estimation using the UAS-METRIC energy balance model

The METRIC energy balance model requires the temperature of a hot (dry bare agricultural soil) and cold (fully transpiring crop) surfaces for the internal calibration and estimation of crop evapotranspiration (ETc). A previous study indicated that because of the limited field-of-view of UAS-based imagery, the application of unmanned aerial systems (UAS)-based METRIC could not guarantee the availability of representative hot and cold pixels in the field-of-view of the flight mission, even if the pixels were manually chosen. A study was conducted for two years (2017 and 2018) to evaluate the suitability of various artificial and portable hot (dry red mulch, dry terra cotta saucer plate, coconut fiber, wheat straw) and cold (surface of water, wet terra cotta saucer plate, green sponge, and white granite tile on top of polystyrene foam floating on water) artificial surfaces for use in the calibration of the UAS-METRIC model. The temperature of the surfaces was measured with a thermal infrared sensor mounted on a ground vehicle with a retractable mast (up to 7-m) facing downward to capture images at around the nadir hours (11 AM to 3 PM). The results showed that a green sponge floating in a water tray and a dry terra cotta saucer plate full of water best matched (rwet sponge= 0.93, rwet saucer =0.86) the temperature dynamics of fully irrigated short grass. Dry red mulch and a dry terra cotta saucer plate best matched (rdry red mulch= 0.98, rdry saucer =0.97) the temperature dynamics of bare and dry agricultural soil. These artificial hot and cold reference surfaces were then located within a field of view of nine different UAS flight missions over a spearmint field during the summer of 2021. Although the temperatures of the cold artificial surfaces correlated well with fully irrigated short grass planted near the spearmint field, they were 1.9–8.3 °C warmer than the taller spearmint crop canopy. The temperature of a dry red mulch/wet sponge and dry/wet terra cotta saucer plate used as artificial hot/cold anchor temperatures for ET estimation by the UAS-METRIC model resulted in overestimating the ETc obtained using field hot/cold pixels (dry bare soil/fully irrigated spearmint), or the ETc estimation based on a soil water balance measured by neutron probe and TEROS-10 sensors. The best hot/cold temperatures for internal calibration of the UAS-based imagery ET model are from dry soil and a fully irrigated canopy located in the field of view. In the absence of dry bare soil within the image, the use of dry red mulch is suggested. Additional research is needed to find artificial cold surfaces with temperatures closer to the temperature of fully irrigated canopies, which can be conveniently located for auto-selection within the images. In the meantime, for farm-scale applications, maintaining a field section guaranteed to be well irrigated is recommended.

Сane corso: Dogs in the park sculpture of Moscow in the first half of the 19th century

Animal images were rather common in decoration of gardens and parks in Russia in the first half of the nineteenth century, but images of dogs were relatively rare. The article examines the sculptures of two lying dogs, replicated in different materials (terra cotta, marble and bronze) in parks administered by the department of the Moscow Palace Office (Presnensky ponds, Petrovsky Park, Neskuchny Garden, Tsaritsyno). The realism of the images made it possible to determine the breed: These are not pugs, as previously suggested, but cane corso, dogs of Roman legionnaires. Reference to the Ancient Rome is very characteristic of the Russian neoclassicism and the custodian function of the sculptures proves itself clearly.

“In Honorable Remembrance to All Generations”: Commemoration and the Making of Mormon Battalion Memory, 1921–2021

“In Honorable Remembrance to All Generations”: Commemoration and the Making of Mormon Battalion Memory, 1921–2021

High sclerobiont calcification in marginal reefs of the eastern tropical Pacific

A sclerobiont is any organism capable of fouling hard substrates. Sclerobionts have recently received attention due to their notable calcium carbonate contributions to reef structures and potential to offset drops in carbonate budgets in degraded reefs. However, due to their encrusting nature, it is difficult to quantify net calcium carbonate production at the level of individual taxonomic groups, and knowledge regarding the main environmental factors that regulate their spatial distributions is limited. In addition, the material types used to create experimental substrates, their orientations, and their overall deployment times can influence settlement and the composition of the resulting communities. Thus, comparative evaluations of these variables are necessary to improve future research efforts. In this study, we used calcification accretion units (CAUs) to quantify the calcium carbonate contributions of sclerobionts at the taxonomic group level and evaluated the effects of two frequently used materials [i.e., polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and terracotta (TCT) tiles] on the recruitment and calcification of the sclerobiont community in the tropical Mexican Pacific and the Midriff Island Region of the Gulf of California over 6 and 15 months [n = 40; 5 CAUs x site (2) x deployment time (2) x material type (2)]. The net sclerobiont calcification rate (mean ± SD) reached maximum values at six months and was higher in the Mexican Pacific (2.15 ± 0.99 kg m−2 y−1) than in the Gulf of California (1.70 ± 0.67 kg m−2 y−1). Moreover, the calcification rate was slightly higher on the PVC-CAUs compared to that of the TCT-CAUs, although these differences were not consistent at the group level. In addition, cryptic microhabitats showed low calcification rates when compared to those of exposed microhabitats. Crustose coralline algae and barnacles dominated the exposed experimental surfaces, while bryozoans, mollusks, and serpulid polychaetes dominated cryptic surfaces. Regardless of the site, deployment time, or material type, barnacles made the greatest contributions to calcimass production (between 41 and 88%). Our results demonstrate that the orientation of the experimental substrate, and the material to a lesser extent, influence the sclerobiont community and the associated calcification rate. Upwelling-induced surface nutrient levels, low pH levels, and the aragonite saturation state (ΩAr) limit the early cementation of reef-building organisms in the tropical Mexican Pacific and promote high bioerosion rates in corals of the Gulf of California. Our findings demonstrate that sclerobionts significantly contribute to calcium carbonate production even under conditions of high environmental variability.

A preliminary mineralogical and physicochemical characterization of the Neogene clays from the Timgad Basin (Massif of Aur\xe8s, NE Algeria): potential use in the manufacturing of bricks and ceramic industry

This study aims at the mineralogical and physicochemical characterization of the clay formations of the Miocene age from the Timgad Basin (Massif of Aurès, NE Algeria), in order to evaluate their possible valorization, notably for their potential use in the manufacturing of bricks and ceramic industry. For this purpose, four samples were taken from a clay-dominated formation that outcrops 5 km east of the Timgad city. Each sample was collected, prepared, and analyzed by the appropriate analytical methods of characterization such as X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence, and scanning electron microscopy. Moreover, other complementary analyses are performed in this study such as laser granulometry and geotechnical tests. The results of the different tests revealed that the clay formations of the Timgad Basin are non-refractory clays and characterized by medium plasticity. These clays are constituted of more than 50% of fine fraction, mainly represented by kaolinite in association with non-negligible proportions of illite, chlorite, mixed-layer clay minerals, and traces of smectite. Besides, this clayey assemblage is accompanied by some proportion of quartz and calcite, as well as traces of hematite, feldspar, and gypsum. In the light of these results and in combination with the particle size distribution, as well as the results of geotechnical tests, it is concluded that the Neogene clays of the Timgad Basin present high limits of Atterberg. Consequently, their use in the field of manufacturing of bricks and terra cotta ‘Terre Cuite’ products is subordinated to a preliminary treatment with addition of a degreasing agent, in the form of coarse sand, in order to improve their plasticity.Article HighlightsMineralogical and physicochemical properties of the Neogene clays from the Timgad Basin have been investigated.The studied clays have ideal mineralogical composition and physicochemical properties thus making them applicable in the manufacturing of bricks and ceramic industry.Addition of coarse sand to the Neogene clays will greatly improve the plasticity of these raw materials.

Can the Couscous Pot speak?

That couscous has become a favorite dish of the French is often presented as an evidence, one that effectively obscures the crucial role that decolonization and food industrialization played in this North African specialty's introduction into the French culinary Pantheon. To track couscous' northward migration and this new taste's acquisition, I propose to consider the trajectory of the seemingly humble couscous pot from colonial Algeria to French kitchen shelves as a heuristic vehicle. A "joined tool", the couscous pot once was a piece of handmade domestic equipment that enabled a type of kitchen technology, steam cooking, that was foreign to most French consumers. It is also a fairly recent French lexical term and a cultural symbol. Colonization transformed this mobile kitchen utensil from a basketwork and terra cotta artifact into an industrial aluminum commodity. The dissemination and industrialization of this indigenous North African utensil shows how the colonized fed the colonizers not only exotic foods and commodity crops, but also savoir-faire. Yet, cooking utensils are products of history that literally shape tastes, values, as well as social and racial hierarchies. As such, the couscous pot remains a charged, if overlooked, colonial symbol.

Sustainable Use of Macrotermes spp. to Improve Traditional Poultry Farming through an Efficient Trapping System in Burkina Faso.

Simple SummaryIn West Africa, termites are commonly used as protein feed for poultry by smallholder farmers who trap them by placing containers filled with organic matters on termite tracks. The objective of this study conducted in Burkina Faso was to test and improve the technique to increase the availability of termites for traditional poultry farmers. The study focused on termites of the genus Macrotermes and found that the quantity of termites trapped varied with the containers’ types, substrates placed in the container, habitats, harvesting times, duration of trap deposition, and season. These results allow to provide information to farmers on how to optimize the trapping of Macrotermes species and increase the quantity of termites available as protein source for their poultry.This study aimed to promote the use of termites as feed in traditional poultry farming by developing sustainable and inexpensive termite trapping techniques. Various tests were carried out in Burkina Faso to improve the traditional technique of trapping termites of the genus Macrotermes using a reversed container filled with organic matters. We studied the effect of containers’ types, substrates, habitats, harvesting times, duration of trap deposition, and season on the quantity of termites trapped. Calabashes and terra cotta pots trapped more termites than iron boxes, but calabashes were quickly destroyed by termites. The quantity of termites harvested increased proportionally with the volume of the pot and was higher in a cultivated habitat than in a forest, despite the higher number of termite mounds in the forest. The quantity of termites harvested was lowest in the cold-dry season and highest during the rainy season, however, sizeable amounts of termites were collected throughout the year. Among six substrates and mixtures of substrates tested, maize cobs trapped the highest number of termites and cow dung the lowest. The best time of harvest varied among seasons and, if substrates are abundant, it is more efficient to empty the containers on a daily basis.

Facades of Manhattan Apartment Buildings from the 1902–1915 Period. I: Modes of Failure

The apartment buildings erected in New York City between 1902 and 1915 form a specific typology characterized by similarities in structural, architectural, and fire protection solutions. Except for a few municipal buildings and “skyscrapers” of the same period, the facades of this typology contain the highest percentage of ornamentation of New York City’s building stock. Several recent facade incidents have fueled new concerns about the condition of architectural ornaments. In Manhattan alone, about 3,500 buildings belong to this typology. The ornaments include materials such as stone, terra cotta, wrought iron, and pressed metal. Using findings from the examination of a sample of 171 facades of five- to seven-story masonry buildings, the author presents the performance of facade components and identifies their most common modes of failure. The findings are based on observed present deficiencies, comparisons with 1908 illustrations, and evidence of past distress mitigation. The inspections produced numerical results for the facades with deteriorating terra cotta, stone, brick masonry, and metals. This paper represents the first half of a study intended to evaluate the remaining life of the facades of this typology. In the follow-up paper, condition ratings and the history of recent repair activities are used to predict the remaining life of the facades.

Facial Paralysis in a Babylonian Plaque.

A terra cotta plaque [LMU 2551] from the Neo-Babylonian period (c.629-539 BCE), housed in the museum of the Archaeology Center at Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, is a representation of right peripheral facial paralysis. Ancient representations of pathology are rare and often difficult to identify. This is particularly true of Assyrian-Babylonian cultures where, despite numerous surviving medical texts, artistic examples of disease are almost non-existent. Precise caliper measurements and archaeological analysis of LMU 2551 were used to confirm the authors' hypothesis. The facial distortions portrayed in LMU 2551 are not accidental. Measurements show a pronounced asymmetry of the lower face where the length from the mid-philtrum to the oral commissure and from the lateral edge of the ala nasi to the mid-ipsilateral nasolabial fold are twice as long in the left than in the right side. The left eye is closed, whereas the right is widely open. The described plaque is among the oldest representations of facial paralysis on record. It correlates with contemporary Babylonian texts describing neurological disorders but its function is unknown.

Evaluation of Artificial Cover Units as a Sampling Technique and Habitat Enhancement for Madtoms in Rivers

AbstractInstream habitat degradation and loss are major threats to freshwater fishes and critical conservation issues among nongame species due to a lack of research and knowledge concerning their habitat requirements. Instream physical cover is an important component of fish habitat, especially for benthic species that require cover for reproduction and shelter from predators. One such species is the Carolina Madtom Noturus furiosus, a small, imperiled, nongame catfish that is endemic to the Neuse and Tar River basins of North Carolina. To enhance understanding of instream cover dynamics, we constructed artificial cover units from terra cotta materials and deployed them in rivers to (1) evaluate whether they could be an effective passive‐sampling technique to estimate detection and occupancy of the Carolina Madtom and (2) determine their potential to enhance habitat in systems where instream cover has been lost. Artificial cover units were deployed at eight sites in the Neuse and Tar River basins, and the units collected 30 Carolina Madtoms at two sites in the Tar River basin. Occupancy modeling estimated a Carolina Madtom detection probability of 0.92 using artificial cover units. Compared to other standardized sampling methods, artificial cover units were an efficient passive‐sampling technique for detecting Carolina Madtoms. Observations also revealed that artificial cover units were occupied by Carolina Madtoms for reproduction. These findings provide an additional means by which natural resource managers can assess the status of this imperiled species via an inexpensive passive‐sampling device that can provide spawning habitat and protection from predators as well as helping to mitigate the effects of instream habitat degradation.

Experimental and finite element analysis on thermal conductivity of burnt clay bricks reinforced with fibers

Buildings consume more than 30% of primary energy in order to maintain their indoor temperature which varied due to heating and cooling losses. This energy consumption has been increased dramatically through the last decade due to population explosion, more time is spent indoors along with climate changes. Energy efficient building materials are the ultimate requirement and several insulating materials have been developed to minimize the carbon foot prints. Current research work deals with the conversion of conventional terra cotta brick to porous low thermal conductive brick using various organic fibers. Bamboo, jute, coir, sisal and polyester fibers are used in this research work while all having low embodied energy. Water absorption index of fibers and brick, bulk density and porosity of all types of bricks were measured and relationships with water absorption were also established. Reduction in thermal conductivity was observed, using steady state conduction apparatus: upto 18% reduction in thermal conductivity. Reduction in bulk density, thermal conductivity, and increase in water absorption were all attributed to porosity created by burning of fibers. Thermal conductivity was also estimated analytically by using finite element simulation using ANSYS platform, heat flow and temperature at both ends were selected parameters for input, whereas heat flux and temperature gradient were output. The maximum difference between experimental and analytical thermal conductivity was varied up to 7.8%, which verify its applicability.

Making Bibelot: Casting material research within cultural frameworks

Material investigations in architecture often exclude practice implications by narrowly determining the scope and limitations of research. Such limitations are necessary and warranted for open-ended inquiries undertaken in controlled conditions. Working with commercial outfits in the context of a prescribed project, on the other hand, requires a clear attitude that accounts for the agency of the manufacturer. A small design-build intervention, completed with an in-kind donation from a terra cotta manufacturer in Buffalo, New York, gave us the opportunity to take on such a collaborative investigation. In order to explore the potentials of terra cotta as a building material to the greatest extent, we strategically increased the complexity of the endeavor, challenging the design and manufacturing team to address production problems in a timely manner to meet the project goals. In doing this, we relied on conceptual constructs that address specific material and institutional histories of terra cotta and the cultural context, registered as form, color, and ornamentation in the project. The paper gives a detailed account of the entire process and the working assumptions by bridging the design and manufacturing decisions in an interrelated manner.

A novel approach to in-depth façade assessments: Improved corrosion test methods for embedded steel framing in historic masonry clad buildings

Corrosion of structural steel frames and associated steel assemblies within ‘vintage’ buildings circa 1880s to 1930s pose a health and safety risk to the public in major urban centers. The projecting masonry elements pose a particular concern when the underlying steel assemblies and anchorage begin to corrode. Failed masonry has fallen from buildings, leading to death in worst case scenarios. While some signs of masonry cracking or displacement are usually visible prior to failure, the level of degradation of the embedded steel is not. With the equipment available to test these unforeseen conditions, methodologies need to be shifted to understand unobservable conditions to assist in condition state ratings of embedded steel. In many cities, building owners are being faced with large expenditures to strip and replace terra cotta or stone elements where the underlying steel is in fair condition. This paper will discuss the field-testing programs where a building elevations' masonry clad, steel assemblies (outriggers, anchorage and cross bracing) were evaluated for corrosion. The testing program assessed various steel components which either projected from the structure or were embedded at great depth with a bespoke, in-depth advanced testing program geared towards the development of condition state ratings for the façade elements.

Degas: A Passion for Perfection ed. by Jane Munro

Reviewed by: Degas: A Passion for Perfection ed. by Jane Munro James P. Gilroy Munro, Jane, ed. Degas: A Passion for Perfection. Yale UP, 2017. ISBN 978-0-300-22823-6. Pp. 272. This catalogue of an exhibit recently held at the Denver Art Museum and the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge (UK) includes eleven essays, five by editor Jane Munro and six by other scholars. Although the exhibit encompasses all of the forms of Degas's œuvre, including his paintings, there is a special focus on his sculptures, drawings, monotypes, and pastels. Several essays are very revealing in the ways they bring to light previously lesser-known aspects of his artistic personality and working habits. As the title of the exposition indicates, Degas was a perfectionist who not only did countless preliminary studies for his finished works but also frequently recast what might have been considered the final product. Among the insights that these essays provide is the amount of time and effort Degas devoted to copying the works of old masters in painting and sculpture in the Louvre and other museums. Although Degas produced the greatest number of these studies during the early years of his career, he continued this practice late into his life. Of course, what he sought and derived from [End Page 237] the earlier works were echoes and resonances of his own creative inspiration. It is also noteworthy that Degas never produced a bronze sculpture during his lifetime. His sculptures were made of beeswax, plaster, and other malleable materials, and, in keeping with his usual practice, he continually remodeled them until he achieved the image he sought to capture. Moreover, except for The Little Dancer, which was exhibited at the Impressionist Salon of 1881, Degas never displayed his many sculptures to the public. Only friends whom he invited to his studios in Montmartre got to see them. It was only after his death in 1917, when his works were sold at auction and several of his sculptures were cast in bronze, that the general public became cognizant of this whole phase of his artistic output. Often his sculptures were preliminary studies for paintings and pastels. They were part of his effort to bestow a three-dimensional quality to a two-dimensional surface. The subjects of his statues embraced a similar range as his pastels and included ballet dancers in performance or at rehearsal, nude women bathing often in awkward postures (works that have provoked criticism from feminist critics), and racehorses. Jill De Vonyar contributes an interesting essay about Degas's fascination with Greek sculpture and how it influenced his depiction of female dancers in motion. He was particularly taken with small terra cotta statuettes of the Late Classical period that had recently been excavated at the site of Tanagra in Boetia. He even acquired some for his own extensive collection of works by other artists. Several of the essays demonstrate Degas's wish to be at the forefront of the latest technical innovations in graphic art. One such technique that is well illustrated in the exhibit is his development of the monotype, or greasy ink drawing. This art form added a whole new tactile dimension to engravings. James P. Gilroy University of Denver (CO) Copyright © 2019 American Association of Teachers of Frenchs

Study of Architectural Ceramics of the Qal'a of Bani Hammad

In order to define with precision, the physicochemical characteristics of the architectural ceramic exhumed from the Qal'a of Bani Hammad’s site (inscribed on the UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1980), our study was conducted on a set of ceramics. The first analyses were focused on the color of the glazes, by optical absorption spectrophotometry (also called optical absorbance spectroscopy), on the texture by X-Ray diffraction, and on the elemental composition of the various constituent stages of these glazes and their terra cotta, by scanning electron microscopy and X-Ray fluorescence. Indeed, the study combining optical absorbance spectroscopy and X-Ray fluorescence enabled us to determine the origin of the monochromic green coloring of the glazes in some samples. This coloring can be attributed to the presence of the Cu2+ chemical element; but these glazes darkened due to the high iron content they contain. This could be explained by an intentional addition of iron, in tin-opacified leaded glazes, baked in an oxidizing atmosphere and put on a limestone-rich marlacious paste. The chemical and mineralogical analyses of all shards show that their paste is calcareous. This dataset will be exploitable for re-creation experiments. It also represents a first exploitable referential system, for potential comparisons with other samples belonging to other Algerian sites and different periods of time.

Study of Architectural Ceramics of the Qal’a of Bani Hammad

In order to define with precision, the physicochemical characteristics of the architectural ceramic exhumed from the Qal’a of Bani Hammad’s site (inscribed on the UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1980), our study was conducted on a set of ceramics. The first analyses were focused on the color of the glazes, by optical absorption spectrophotometry (also called optical absorbance spectroscopy), on the texture by X-Ray diffraction, and on the elemental composition of the various constituent stages of these glazes and their terra cotta, by scanning electron microscopy and X-Ray fluorescence. Indeed, the study combining optical absorbance spectroscopy and X-Ray fluorescence enabled us to determine the origin of the monochromic green coloring of the glazes in some samples. This coloring can be attributed to the presence of the Cu2 chemical element; but these glazes darkened due to the high iron content they contain. This could be explained by an intentional addition of iron, in tin-opacified leaded glazes, baked in an oxidizing atmosphere and put on a limestone-rich marlacious paste.
 The chemical and mineralogical analyses of all shards show that their paste is calcareous. This dataset will be exploitable for re-creation experiments. It also represents a first exploitable referential system, for potential comparisons with other samples belonging to other Algerian sites and different periods of time.

The Architecture Technology in Acceramic Neolithic Period (Kapargah Architecture)

The Architecture Technology in Acceramic Neolithic Period (Kapargah Architecture)