Chemical and Petrographic Analysis of Pre‐Hispanic Pottery from the Southern Abaucán Valley,Catamarca, Argentina

Neutron activation (NAA) and petrographic analyses were carried out on Late and Inca Period pottery from 15 archaeological sites and several clay samples in the southern Abaucán Valley, Catamarca, Argentina. The results from the NAA and petrographic analyses provide new data concerning local versus non‐local pottery production and vessel exchange for these two pre‐Hispanic cultural periods. The chemical data demonstrate the use of different clay sources over time until the Inca appearance in the region, when a more structured and controlled production is observed. Petrographic analyses show a similar change in the ceramic paste recipes used by ancient potters.     

The Source Provenance of Bronze Age and Roman pottery from Cyprus

Archaeological interpretations of ancient economies have been strengthened by chemical analyses of ceramics, which provide the clearest evidence for economic activity, and comprise both the objects of exchange and its means. Pottery is often manufactured from local materials, but its compositional diversity typically prevents significant patterns of resource utilization from being identified. Centrally located and positioned on traditional shipping routes, Cyprus maintained ties with and supplied a variety of distinctive ceramic products to the major commercial centres in the eastern Mediterranean throughout Antiquity. We analysed two Cypriot .ne wares and a variety of utilitarian pottery, as well as samples of extant Cypriot clays to determine source provenance. These chemical analyses provide an objective indication of the origins of ancient (Bronze Age and Roman) ceramics manufactured on Cyprus. The distribution of the probable clay sources and the links between pottery style and the material environment also afford a perspective on the spatial organization of large‐scale pottery production on the island. Compositional analysis provides the means to assemble geographies of pottery production and to unravel the interregional system of exchange that operated in Antiquity, but the ability to accomplish these tasks is predicated on systematic analyses of ceramic products and raw materials that are found far beyond the bounds of individual archaeological sites.     

Early Medieval Jet-like Jewellery in Ireland: Production,Distribution and Consumption

JET-LIKE JEWELLERY, encompassing polished black stone arm-rings, bangles and bracelets, has not been subject to detailed study in Ireland for over 50 years. This paper refocuses attention on the archaeological evidence for the indigenous production of this type of jewellery in early medieval Ireland, with the aims of exploring its distribution and consumption, and its relevance to networks of social control and economic expansion. Using geospatial and stratigraphic interrogation of the archaeological record, and contemporary comparison with recent studies from Scotland, this article demonstrates a hitherto unrecognised level of complexity and diversity in the handling of this ubiquitous luxury item. Regional specialised production centres and separate distribution centres are identified, and while a focus on indigenous sources is apparent, this is not exclusive. Degrees of cooperation and exclusivity are suggested for ecclesiastical and secular social hierarchies.     

The distribution and sources of archaeological pitchstone in Britain

Pitchstone is a glassy volcanic rock, distinguishable from obsidian by having a higher water content. It forms lava flows and minor intrusions at several centres within the British Tertiary Volcanic Province (BTVP) in the west of Scotland and Ireland. Pitchstone artifacts and waste pieces have been recorded from 101 archaeological localities in Scotland and northern England, ranging in time from possibly Mesolithic to Bronze Age. To characterize the sources, 17 pitchstone samples from 11 sources within the BTVP were analysed for major elements by energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF), and for trace elements by instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA). 28 pitchstone pieces from 22 archaeological sites were analysed, mainly non-destructively, by INAA and interpreted as having originated from Arran sources. The Arran sources are divided into four petrographic types; the Corrygills, Tormore, Glen Shurig and Glen Cloy Types. Petrographic study of 15 archaeological samples indicated that three were of Corrygills type and two were of Tormore type. The remainder were less confidently attributed to the petrographic types distinguished. Arran pitchstone is found as far as 300 km from the Arran sources, at the chambered tomb of Ord North in Highland.     

Chemical Variability in Clays and Pottery from a Traditional Cooking Pot Production Village: Testing Assumptions in Pereruela*

This paper explores analytically the contemporary pottery‐making community of Pereruela (north‐west Spain) that produces cooking pots from a mixture of red clay and kaolin. Analyses by different techniques (XRF, NAA, XRD, SEM and petrography) showed an extremely high variability for cooking ware pottery produced in a single production centre, by the same technology and using local clays. The main source of chemical variation is related to the use of different red clays and the presence of non‐normally distributed inclusions of monazite. These two factors induce a high chemical variability, not only in the output of a single production centre, but even in the paste of a single pot, to an extent to which chemical compositions from one ‘workshop’, or even one ‘pot’, could be classified as having different provenances. The implications for the chemical characterization and for provenance studies of archaeological ceramics are addressed.     

Foreign ceramic tradition,local clays: the Handmade Burnished Ware of Tell Kazel (Syria)

Late Bronze Age Handmade Burnished Ware (HMBW) from Tell Kazel was studied by thin-section petrography and neutron activation analysis in order to investigate its manufacturing technology and origin of production. Results show that the majority of the HMBW fabric groups point to a local area of production while a few petrographic loners might have been produced elsewhere in the Akkar Plain or imported. The manufacturing technique, in terms of clay paste recipe, forming and finishing techniques, is however new in the Tell Kazel pottery assemblage, hinting at the work of foreigners present at the site. The historical and archaeological contexts further suggest that these foreigners were some of the Sea Peoples and the stylistic and analytical data further reinforce the link between the northern Levant and the western Mediterranean.     

Tracing the clay source of Nasca polychrome pottery: results from a preliminary raw material survey

This paper describes the results of the first season of a survey in which clays suitable for the production of Nasca polychrome pottery were collected in an effort to (1) determine the geological variability of clay sources in the Nasca region and (2) match clays compositionally to paste groups from previous provenance analyses. Clays were collected, processed, fired, and analyzed using neutron activation. The results demonstrate that clays in the region were compositionally heterogeneous, and that the clay source for the majority of Nasca polychrome pottery sampled thus far can be traced to lower valleys in the region near the ancient ceremonial center Cahuachi. The results have implications for understanding the nature of polychrome pottery production in the Nasca region, and suggest centralized production near the ceremonial center of the majority of painted ceramics consumed in the Southern Nasca Region.     

Technological features of Apulian red figured pottery

Apulian red figured pottery samples, dating back to the 5th and 4th centuries BC, from the archaeological site of Monte Sannace (Gioia del Colle, Bari, Italy) have been characterized from the physical–chemical, mineralogical and morphological points of view. Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and atomic spectroscopy investigations have been carried out on the ceramic body, red decorated area and black gloss of the fragments, with the aim of outlining the technological features and of defining the nature of coatings and decorations. All 5th century fragments show the same features: fine texture of the ceramic body, red figures saved from the ceramic paste and black gloss painted directly on the ceramic body. The statistical treatment of compositional data of ceramic bodies excludes the local production of these objects. As regards the 4th century fragments, some show similar features to the 5th century ones; however others are characterized by the coarse texture of their ceramic body and an intermediate red layer of finer clay between the black gloss and the ceramic body. The analytical results make it possible to distinguish two different production technologies of red figured Apulian vases in Monte Sannace during the 4th century BC. Certain vases were produced using the “classic” Attic technology and others with a different technique, not previously known, which involved the application of a red engobe layer on the clay paste, before the black gloss painting.     

Minero-petrographic characterization of fine ware from Cales (South Italy)

79 samples of black glazed pottery, Terra sigillata, fine common ware, and production indicators were recovered in the archaeological site of Cales and investigated via a multi-analytical program (polarized light microscopy, thermal analyses, XRPD, XRF, FESEM, FESEM-EDS). Among the materials, finds of important production indicators, represented by welded pieces of black glazed pottery and spacers, attest a local production. Polarized light microscopy shows that the inclusions consist of feldspar, quartz, mica, calcite, and lithic fragments of both volcanic and sedimentary nature. Additional information about the mineralogical assemblage comes from the XRPD that revealed the presence of neoformed Ca-silicates, indicating equivalent firing temperatures ranging from 750 to 1050°C. All the samples show a Ca-rich character and an extreme compositional homogeneity, including the production indicators. The comparison with some Ca-rich Campanian clay raw materials shows a greater affinity with the Mio-Pliocene marine clay sediments of the Apennine sector, which include local clays. This allowed us to formulate the first hypotheses about clay sources used to produce fine pottery during the third century BCE to the early imperial period in Cales.     

Provenance of Red‐Figure Pottery of the Classical Period Excavated at Olympia

Neutron activation analysis (NAA) has been applied to a set of red‐figure pottery fragments excavated in Olympia, in Elis: (a) to determine the provenance of these vases, since this is difficult by archaeological means, and the vessels might be local Elean or Attic, Corinthian or Italian products; and (b) to determine the characteristic elemental pattern of the clay paste prepared by the potters of this Elean region. Included for comparison are several Corinthian sherds excavated in Kyme, Italy, that are archaeologically classified as exports from Corinthia to Italy, and fragments of local Italian Corinthian imitations. The majority of the red‐figure vases were made locally in the north‐western Peloponnese and show the elemental pattern termed OlyA, which is represented in many vases and clay samples from this region that were known previously. It is not very different from the well‐known pattern of the north‐eastern Peloponnese (Argolid/Corinth) termed MYBE (Mycenae/Berbati), but can be separated by its lower Cs, Rb and K concentrations, as proven by many sherds from the Argolid and wasters from Berbati. Only a few red‐figure vessels are imports from Attica, but none come from Italy.     

Ashes to ashes, charcoal to dust: micromorphological evidence for ash-induced disintegration of charcoal in Early Neolithic (LBK) soil features in Elsloo (The Netherlands)

Charcoal and other forms of charred organic material - an important part of the archaeological record - consist of benzenoids. Such components are unstable in basic or alkaline conditions. Since ashes are alkaline, this means that archaeological charcoal may have been disintegrated and lost if they were buried together with ashes, e.g. as in fireplaces. Ash may also cause clay translocation in decalcified loess because of the disaggregating effect of K⁺ ions in the soil solutions. We investigated the interplay of these two processes, using micromorphological samples from the Early Neolithic site at the Joannes Riviusstraat in Elsloo. Evidence for charcoal disintegration was found in the form of cavities in charcoal fragments, most commonly filled in with thick reddish limpid clay coatings. The combination of cavities and clay coatings are evidence for the disintegration of charcoal under the influence of ash. Ash may also have been instrumental in preserving small bone fragments in these decalcified well-drained loess soils. The evidence of ash-induced charcoal disintegration implies that charcoal preservation in the archaeological record is dependent on (1) whether or not is was buried alongside with ashes, and (2) on various soil characteristics that determine that determine how quickly the ash-derived alkalinity and potassium ions are leached.     

A Rock‐Magnetic Quest for Possible Ore Sources for the Ancient Iron‐Smelting Industry in the Olkhon Region (Lake Baikal,Siberia)

Rock‐magnetic techniques were used to examine the topsoil layer of Kurma archaeological site (in the Olkhon region, on the north‐western coast of Lake Baikal, Siberia) in an effort to determine the possible sources of iron ores for iron‐smelting centres (at about the bc /ad boundary). Measurements have shown a magnetic enhancement of the topsoil due to magnetite grains resulting from weathering of strongly magnetic crystalline rocks. They have also revealed a preliminary picture of the distribution of strongly magnetic topsoils around the ancient iron‐smelting centres. Perhaps, in addition to traditional sources of raw materials, the ancient metallurgists used black sand talus as an ore deposit.     

Using hearths for temper: petrographic analysis of Middle Woodland charcoal-tempered pottery in Northeast Florida

Charcoal-tempered pottery is uncommon in North America, but was produced with notable frequency in Northeast Florida from ca. AD 300–600. Thirty-six thin sections of pottery were analyzed by petrographic analysis and compared to 10 clay samples in order to characterize the paste of charcoal-tempered wares in terms of charcoal and mineralogical composition and abundance, assess the number of clay sources used to make the pottery, identify the species of wood represented in charcoal inclusions, and infer techniques of ceramic production. This analysis identified four temper categories, three texture groups, and three distinct clay resources used to make charcoal-tempered pottery, all of which were likely local to Northeast Florida. Identified wood taxa include pine (Pinus sp.), cedar (cf. Juniperus sp.), cypress (cf. Taxodium sp.), and sassafras (Sassafras albidum), with pine suspected to be the most common. These genera of charred wood, which exhibit minimal shrinkage in the samples, along with the prevalence of bone and grog inclusions, indicate that hearth contents were processed as temper, sometimes in combination with quartz sand. Potential reasons for the use of hearth contents as temper are considered.     

Dual Energy Computed Tomography for the Non‐destructive Analysis of Ancient Ceramics

Ceramics are usually the most common artefact found on any ancient archaeological site. Compositional analysis of this pottery, and characterization of the clay fabrics from which they are made, has the potential to pinpoint sources of manufacture as well as identify trade routes and consumption patterns in the ancient world. Currently, most analytical techniques require the partial or total destruction of the ceramic sample. This research investigates the use of dual energy computed tomography (DECT) to analyse Black Gloss and Vesuvian Sigillata from Pompeii. The results indicate that DECT may be a viable adjunct or alternative to conventional analytical techniques. Importantly, unlike traditional methods, DECT is totally non‐destructive, a highly significant factor when analysing irreplaceable artefacts.     

THE USE OF TRACE ELEMENT ANALYSIS OF ENTRAPPED SLAG INCLUSIONS TO ESTABLISH ORE – BAR IRON LINKS: EXAMPLES FROM TWO GALLO‐ROMAN IRON‐MAKING SITES IN FRANCE (LES MARTYS,MONTAGNE NOIRE,AND LES FERRYS,LOIRET)*

Knowledge of the iron trade in ancient times rests on determining the source of the objects recovered during archaeological excavations. Unfortunately, attributing the origin is not always possible using archaeological tools alone. Trace element data of the ore and the archaeological material (reduction and reheating slags, entrapped slag inclusions from the bloom, bar iron and iron blades) from two Gallo‐Roman iron‐making centres, Les Martys (Montagne Noire) and Les Ferrys (Loiret), were determined using ICP–AES/MS and LA–ICP–MS. The results highlight a continuity of composition that makes it possible to establish a link between the initial ore and the semi‐finished iron products.     

A case for lead-glaze experimentation by late eighteenth-century Catawba using portable X-ray Fluorescence (pXRF)

ABSTRACT

Recent research has demonstrated that Catawba ceramic practices changed abruptly and dramatically after 1759 following a devastating smallpox epidemic and subsequent community relocation. Pottery from the historically documented Catawba town of Old Town and others indicate potters adopted new techniques and styles as they adjusted to new economic and social conditions, including copying European vessel forms, experimenting with new ceramic paste recipes, and utilizing new decorative motifs. The identification of four lead-glazed sherds on otherwise Catawba-looking pale-bodied paste raises the possibility that Catawba potters may have also experimented with lead glazing. This paper presents the results of an elemental analysis of nearly 70 ceramic samples using pXRF and multivariate statistical techniques to identify patterns of production within pale-bodied colonowares. The results indicate that the glazed pottery fragments were made with elementally similar clay used by Catawbas in the Twelvemile Creek locality. I argue that in addition to modifying nearly every aspect of their ceramic repertoire, at least one Catawba potter experimented with lead glazing, providing further insights into the emergent Catawba pottery trade.     

Factors Determining Magnetic Enhancement of Burnt Clay from Archaeological Sites

The magnetic susceptibility of a collection of 212 archaeological samples of burnt clay of different origin (burnt soil, ovens and bricks) taken from 60 archaeological sites from Bulgaria, were studied in order to determine factors which may have affected their magnetic enhancement. The highest magentic susceptibility values were obtained for bricks, and the lowest for burnt soils, suggesting that the firing temperature and the duration of burning are important conditions for determining magnetic enhancement. Specific spatial pattern of the low-field magnetic susceptibility was also observed, characterized by separation of sites situated in northern and southern parts of the country, divided by the west-east trending mountain chain Stara Planina. Maximum susceptibility values are obtained for burnt soils in southern Bulgaria and minima in northern Bulgaria. In contrast, burnt clay plasters and bricks show the opposite picture. It is supposed that the observed pattern is due to differences in the outcropped geological formations and variable climate conditions between the two regions which determine different iron-supply during burning of initial clay material. Results from the thermomagnetic analyses show that the dominant ferrimagnetic mineral in all burnt clay materials studied, is magnetite/titanomagnetite with low Ti content and different grain-sizes. High values of frequency-dependent magnetic susceptibility indicate the presence of significant amount of fine-grained (d<0·015 μm) superparamagnetic magnetite.     

Western Mediterranean sand deposits as a raw material for Roman glass production

During the Late Roman and Byzantine period, natron glass was made from its raw materials in a limited number of primary production centres in Egypt and Syro-Palestine. For the earlier Hellenistic and Roman period, no primary furnaces have been found and the location of primary production during this era remains unclear. Ancient authors such as Strabo and Pliny the Elder suggest that glassmaking sands were found near the River Belus (Israel), in Egypt, near the mouth of the Volturno River (Italy) and also in Spain and France. However, primary production in the western part of the Mediterranean is not supported by any direct archaeological evidence and possible sand raw materials from these regions have never been evaluated for their suitability to produce glass.     

Development of a Methodological Framework for Handling Urban Archaeological Resources: Tarsus Historic City Centre,Turkey

In Turkey, most of the historic city centres have been continuously occupied since early ages, and ongoing research or ad hoc findings indicate urban archaeological resources beneath modern cities. According to the results of such research, archaeological and conservation sites are determined in terms of current legal frameworks. However, urban archaeological resources have not been included in the planning process because of inadequacy in spatial documentation, so archaeological deposits have been seen as problem areas in urban development. Thus, urban archaeological resources — not only subsoil resources, even monumental sites — could not be integrated into urban daily life, so most citizens are not aware of archaeological layers beneath their feet. The research project in Tarsus historic city centre, which is supported by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK), primarily aims to develop a method to include urban archaeology — especially subsoil archaeological resources — into the urban conservation planning process of multilayered historic city centres in Turkey. In this way, planners would be informed, aware, and equipped about the urban archaeological potential at the earliest stages of the planning process. Consequently, urban archaeology, as an inter-/ multi-disciplinary field of research, is going to evolve as a crucial planning analysis in urban conservation including not only archaeological research, but also in evaluating settlement history and issues in urban development.     

Detecting Apprentices and Innovators in the Archaeological Record: The Shell Bead-Making Industry of the Channel Islands

Archaeologists have demonstrated that it is challenging but feasible to identify the material remains of apprenticing activities associated with stone tool and ceramic assemblages. Building on this work, I explore apprenticing behavior in North America??s most intensive ancient shellworking context, using the large bead-making assemblages from California's Channel Islands. I examine a spectrum of production errors associated with a newly identified variant of Olivella shell bead and offer generalizations about what we should find in the material record of apprentices engaged in manufacturing ornamental goods. I also explore how we may distinguish novices?? errors from the mistakes of skilled experts experimenting with new bead forms. Existing ethnoarchaeological studies of children??s roles and contemporary craft practitioners specializing in ceramics, bead making, stone work, and other materials are foundational sources of data for this project, providing insights into the transmission of technical information from experts to novices in communities of practice. Such work directly informs archaeological research and facilitates our understanding of apprenticing from periods and regions where ethnographic information is insufficient or inapplicable.