Publications New Archaeological Books and Journals

Abstract

In 1938 Erich Schmidt, taking time out from his major work at Persepolis, excavated for three weeks the site of Surkh Dum in eastern Luristan, in western Iran. Although very little has been published on the finds and architecture, aside from two brief and summary reports by Schmidt and Maurits van Loon, Surkh Dum is recognized by Iranian archaeologists to be one of the most important sites in Luristan, and in Iran in general. Not only was Surkh Dum a settlement site, rather than a cemetery—which is the typical circumstance in the archaeological history of Luristan—but many hundreds of objects of bronze, ivory, bone, faience, and terracotta, as well as about 200 cylinder and stamp seals, were recovered. To date, only seven of the objects have been published, and nothing has been published about the two buildings partially uncovered. In 1943 The Metropolitan Museum of Art acquired 41 objects excavated at Surkh Dum, only five of which had previously been published. Because of the importance of the material for modern knowledge of the art and archaeology of Luristan, an area plundered since the late 1920s, and the source of countless thousands of unexcavated objects, the presentation of even a small group of excavated artifacts from Luristan is considered to be of great value. The present paper offers a history of our present knowledge of the site, a tentative discussion of its chronology, and a catalogue discussion of the Surkh Dum material in The Metropolitan Museum of Art.     

An assemblage of 17th-century pottery from Bombay Wharf,Rotherhithe, London SE16

Abstract

A detailed examination of an assemblage of pottery deposited during the last quarter of the 17th century at Bombay Wharf, in Rotherhithe, London, provides the opportunity to look at the wider context of painted earthenwares made at selected centres on the Continent and found in London. The Rotherhithe material includes a high proportion of imported pottery, with fine examples of Portuguese faience, Ligurian maiolica and Dutch tin-glazed ware. The wider distribution of these wares in London is considered, as well as questions of the original context in which they appeared and the circumstances of their disposal.     

Colour in Minoan faience

The microstructures and chemical compositions of some 15 faience objects from Crete spanning the period from Middle Minoan IIIA through to Late Minoan IA are determined using analytical scanning electron microscopy. The Minoan faience is compared with replicate faience beads produced in the laboratory using various combinations of manganese, copper and iron as colorants. The alkali contents of the replicate beads are varied so that the colorants are present both as ions in a glass phase and as particulate oxides. These data are then used to try to infer the original colour of the Minoan faience, the great majority of which has suffered severe weathering during burial. The results suggest that instead of the present day “hallmark greys and browns” and “subtle greens and blues”, Minoan faience originally exhibited a wide range of colours, including bright turquoise blue, purple and violet, and pale yellow-green and greenish turquoise.     

The revival of rituals among the Sakha‐Yakut and the Hokkaido Ainu

The revival of rituals has been one of the serious concerns of indigenous peoples. This paper deals with cultural revitalization movements among the Sakha‐Yakut in eastern Siberia and the Ainu in Hokkaido. First, it examines the revival of rituals among the Sakha. The relationship between recent cultural revitalization movements and shamanism in a broad sense, as well as the revival of rituals, focussing especially on the ysyakh festival, are examined, and the motivation for this revival is discussed. Second, the cultural revitalization movements among the Ainu after the Second World War and the recent revival of their rituals are described and the motivation for it discussed. Finally, the paper compares the revival of rituals among these two different ethnic groups and discusses its significance.     

DARK AND SHINY: THE DISCOVERY OF CHROMITE IN BRONZE AGE FAIENCE*

The Late Bronze Age (1550–1200 bc ) in the Near East was a period of cultural development, international trade and technological innovation, notably in metallurgy and silicate technology. As a spin‐off of the new glass technology, new colorants were also applied to faience glazes presumably to increase their aesthetic value. Here, we report on the presence of chromite minerals in the glaze of a faience vessel from Deir ‘Alla, Jordan, 1200 years earlier than reported so far. Importantly, chromite was not only used as a greyish pigment, but also as a nucleating agent for spherulitic crystallization of augite in the amorphous glaze. These synthetic augite formations give a unique, sparkly appearance to the faience vessel, apparently imitating a metallic look. The making of such an intricate glaze and its contemporary significance reflect not only the high level but also the appreciation of innovation in that region at that time.     

The canopic jars of Rameses II: real use revealed by molecular study of organic residues

Four blue-glazed faience jars, on exhibition in the Louvre Museum, are referred to as the canopic jars of Rameses II. Their recent typological re-examination rendered this original assignment questionable. In order to clearly determine their use, a study of two successive organic residues from the canopic jars, using molecular biomarkers analysed by GC-MS and LC-MS and absolute dating by ¹⁴C, was initiated. The results revealed that these two materials were not contemporary to the reign of Rameses II. The first one, scraped from the interior face of one jar, was identified as an unguent made of coniferous oil and animal fat and dated from the Third Intermediate Period. The second one, originally stored with glued linen inside one jar, is likely an embalming substance, made of pure vegetable resin (Pistacia) and dated from the Ptolemaic Period. These results clarify a controversy which has been lasting over a century. The famous blue-glazed faience jars are not the canopic jars of Rameses II but are confirmed as situlae which were reused at least two times: first to store unguents during the Intermediate Period and later to store embalming packages of an unknown person during the Ptolemaic period.     

Post-medieval archaeology in Portugal

Abstract

Portuguese post-medieval archaeology corresponds to the period between the early 16th century and the late 18th century, identified in the archaeological record through several distinct artefact categories, of which ceramics are the most abundant. New products such as thin-walled moulded coarsewares and faience are found together with imports from different European countries, China and other Eastern lands. Although sites and finds are mentioned in Portuguese archaeological and art-historical literature from the late 19th century, it only became a scientific discipline in the 1980s. This paper aims to provide a general view of investigations in post-medieval archaeology for more than a century, focusing on contexts and finds, but also looking towards the discipline’s future.     

A technological study of ancient faience from Egypt

The chemical compositions and microstructures of some 35 faience objects from Egypt spanning the period from the Middle Kingdom through to the 22nd dynasty are determined using analytical scanning electron microscopy. Replicate faience beads glazed in the laboratory using the efflorescence and cementation methods are similarly investigated. In efflorescence glazing, there appears to be preferential efflorescence of soda over potash, and in cementation glazing, preferential take up of potash over soda into the glaze. These data are then used to try to infer the raw materials and methods of glazing employed in the production of the ancient faience. The glaze/glass phases present in the faience differ significantly in composition from that of New Kingdom glass. This could be due either to the use of different plant ashes or to changes in the composition of the plant ashes during the production of faience and/or glass. Although it is only rarely possible to determine with certainty whether ancient faience was glazed by efflorescence, cementation or application, the observed microstructures provide an indication of the approach adopted to achieve desired performance characteristics such as strength.     

The Origin of 18th–19th Century Tin‐Glazed Pottery from Lorraine,France

Forty‐eight tin‐glazed ceramic fragments (faiences) from Lorraine, found in excavations or pertaining to objects in collections, were subjected to X‐ray fluorescence analysis to determine the bulk, major, minor and trace element compositions. Sixteen superficially clay layers from the surroundings of Lunéville and Saint‐Clément were also analysed. The faiences are, with four exceptions, MgO rich. The combination of stylistic and chemical arguments allowed the recognition of 28 objects that were attributable to the important faience manufactory of Jacques II Chambrette in Lunéville. This reference group was used to test the provenance of high‐Mg faiences from private collections. The latter are not from the manufactory of Le Bois d'Épense/Les Islettes as commonly assumed, but most probably belong to Lunéville and Saint‐Clément. According to archival sources, the potters mixed three clays for the pastes. Some prospected clays are MgO rich due to the presence of dolomite and other Mg‐bearing minerals, but not as high as the faiences, a fact that can be explained by the sampling of de‐carbonatized layers.     

甘肃张家川马家塬战国墓地M4出土料珠研究

甘肃马家塬墓地是战国晚期至秦初的西戎墓地,本研究以该墓地M4出土的料珠为研究对象,以期通过分析其成分和结构特征,讨论其工艺特征,以丰富对战国时期费昂斯的相关认识。研究使用扫描电子显微镜-能谱和激光拉曼光谱仪,分析结果显示料珠为费昂斯制品,其釉层玻璃化程度很高,经历腐蚀后熔剂流失严重,明显区别于西周时期的费昂斯制品。同时确定釉层中的一些高锡颗粒物为SnO_2,表明当时在釉层制作中加入锡石或锡粉末。该费昂斯制品应采取了直接施釉或包埋施釉工艺。研究结果可为我国费昂斯发展历程演变提供信息。     

On Weapons and Armour Formed of Horn

Abstract

Excavations in 1975 and 1976 at a Republican healing-sanctuary, situated on the Via Praenestina, nine Roman miles to the east of Rome, yielded more than eight thousand terracotta ex-votos. The great majority represented parts of the body. Quantitative and medical studies suggest that the sanctuary specialised particularly in the cure of foot and hand injuries, and in the main served a rural population. Some other sanctuaries also appear to have had their areas of medical specialisation. The origins of the practice of dedicating votives in Italy are examined, as is the apparent demise of the cult in the second to first centuries B.C.     

The composition of the soda-rich and mixed alkali plant ashes used in the production of glass

Soda-rich plant ashes have been used in the Near East and Egypt in the production of glass and faience from the 4th millennium BC onwards, and mixed alkali plant ashes have been similarly used in western Europe during the 2nd and first half of the 1st millennia BC. In the production of these ashes, the plants of interest are salt resistant, halophytic plants of the Chenopodiaceae family, growing in coastal, salt marsh and desert regions. A primary criterion in selecting ashes for glass and faience production is that the alkalis are predominantly in the form of carbonates, bicarbonates and hydroxides rather than either chlorides or sulphates. In the current paper, previously published data for such ashes are brought together and re-assessed, and new analytical data are presented for ashes produced from plants collected in Egypt, Greece and the UK. For the ashes produced from Salsola kali plants collected from Greece and the UK, the soda to potash ratios (0.3–1.8) do not show any systematic differences between the regions in which the plant was growing, but instead reflect the fact that this species favours the accumulation of K⁺ over Na⁺ ions. Further, the results suggest that S. kali could have been the source of the mixed alkali ashes used in western Europe, if the ashes had first been treated in some way in order to reduce their lime-plus-magnesia contents.     

SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION OF FAIENCE FRAGMENTS ATTRIBUTED TO THE TOWN MOSAIC AT KNOSSOS*

We analysed a faience fragment from Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, to determine whether it belonged to the Town Mosaic, excavated at Knossos. Three Town Mosaic fragments from the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford were also examined. The objects were analysed using non‐destructive variable‐pressure scanning electron microscopy with energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectrometry. The Bristol object's composition and microstructures are similar to those of the Town Mosaic samples. Our results are also comparable to those from polished samples of Minoan faience (Tite et al. 2009 ), showing that VP SEM–EDX gives reliable results without invasive sampling. Silicaceous, copper‐rich microspheres were identified for the first time in two of the Ashmolean objects.     

湖北宜昌万福垴遗址出土费昂斯珠科技分析与研究

湖北宜昌万福垴遗址是西周中晚期至春秋时期的以楚文化为主的遗存,以该遗址M8出土的费昂斯(faience)珠为研究对象,以期通过分析其成分和结构特征并讨论其工艺特征,丰富对长江中下游地区该时期费昂斯的相关认识。本研究使用扫描电子显微镜,分析结果显示费昂斯制品以富钾费昂斯及混合碱费昂斯为主。再依据以往发表的西周时期费昂斯制品的科技研究,结合考古发掘相关材料,试图从费昂斯器物使用方式的角度,窥视其在古人精神文明进程中的角色,反观费昂斯在中原地区的发展脉络。     

Boole Reviews

Abstract

The roof of the Archaic Temple of Poseidon (early 7th century B.C.) at the Sanctuary of Poseidon on the Corinthian Isthmus in Greece was covered by unusually large terracotta tiles. The construction of a stone temple with a tile roof represented a major advance in building design. The tiles themselves are representative of the growth in technology at that time. Reproduction of the tiles was recently undertaken as a demonstration of the tools, skills, and manpower requirements of the new technology. It is shown here that a relatively small group of men using local materials could make all of the tiles and the kiln(s) to fire them in less than two years. The major innovation was the design of the mold.     

Varieties of mystical experience in William James and other moderns

ABSTRACT

In 1902, William James gave his Gifford Lectures in Edinburgh, entitled The Varieties of Religious Experience, in which he claimed that such experience was a part of human nature, and was necessarily the foundation of all institutional religion. His work has often been singled out as leading to an increasingly private and individualistic understanding of religion, but this paper places his work in a broader movement of the early twentieth century that heralded a revival of interest in religious experience and, especially, mysticism. It explores the work of two English writers, W.R. Inge and Evelyn Underhill, in relation to James, and argues that the revival of interest in mysticism was a significant response to the intellectual challenges to faith in modernity.     

Nettle Fibre: Its Prospects,Uses and Problems in Historical Perspective

Abstract

The stinging nettle plant (Urtica dioica L.) is perhaps best known as an abundant and perennial weed, but throughout history it has been used as a source of fibre in many parts of the world. This paper explores the potential uses of nettle fibre within a historical context and describes efforts made by the German and UK governments to cultivate and process the fibre for special war purposes during World War I and II. There has recently been a revival of interest in this fascinating fibre, and recent attempts to commercialise production are discussed.     

Pascalian Suite. Elements of an Apologia

Abstract

This article considers the thought of Claude Lefort as a response to Leo Strauss. It compares their views on the task of political philosophy as such, and on its specific relation to modernity, religion, and democracy. For Strauss, the revival of political philosophy under modern conditions requires a return to its ancient roots. While Lefort agrees that such a restoration is necessary, he argues that this requires a departure from ancient thought: political philosophy must recognize modern democracy as a new kind of regime, independent of theologico-political norms.     

Women in European culture and society

Summary

Historians of all kinds are beginning to return to temporally expansive studies after decades of aversion and neglect. There are even signs that intellectual historians are returning to the longue durée. What are the reasons for this revival of long-range intellectual history? And how might it be rendered methodologically robust as well as historically compelling? This article proposes a model of transtemporal history, proceeding via serial contextualism to create a history in ideas spanning centuries, even millennia: key examples come from work in progress on ideas of civil war from ancient Rome to the present. The article concludes with brief reflections on the potential impact of the digital humanities on the practice of long-range intellectual history.