Portuguese Blue‐on‐Blue 16th–17th Century Pottery

Blue‐on‐blue (‘berettino’) sherds have appeared in numerous production and consumption archaeological excavations in Lisbon and other archaeological sites in Portugal (dated from the mid‐16th century to the beginning of the 17th century). The abundance of this interesting faience led us to compare it with similar pottery from other well‐known production centres in Italy, namely Liguria (Savona and Albisola), Spain (the Triana kilns) and the Low Countries. Differences in the diffraction patterns of the sherds' pastes from the four countries were observed. In most samples, cobalt blue silicate (cobalt olivine) was identified in the dark blue or light blue glazes through the use of micro‐Raman spectroscopy and diffuse reflectance spectra. A remarkable difference in the calcite contents of the Lisbon and Seville pottery sherds was observed, in accordance with previous observations of high calcite contents of Seville ceramics. A comparison was also made for all of the blue‐on‐blue sherds studied here with many other 16th–17th century sherds from Lisbon using bivariate plots of K/Si versus Ca/Si. Lisbon and Seville pottery behave very differently, whereas sherds from Italy and the Low Countries occupy intermediate positions.     

Pottery production on Rishiri Island,Japan: perspectives from X‐ray fluorescence studies

Energy‐dispersive X‐ray fluorescence (EDXRF) was used to determine the minor and trace element composition of 54 sherds of pottery dating from the Final Jomon to Okhotsk periods. The majority of the sherds came from Rishiri Island, Japan. Principal component (PC) scores were calculated using the log transformed concentration values, and groups were sought in the PC scores using kernel density estimates (KDEs). Two main groups were found in the data; linear and quadratic discriminant analysis classified both groups successfully. Significant differences in the concentrations of Cu, Fe, K, Nb, Pb, Rb, Th and Zr were found to exist between the two groups. The lack of correspondence between chronological ware types and geochemical groups implies that the same raw materials and paste recipes were in use during the Epi‐Jomon and Okhotsk eras on Rishiri Island. One possiblity is that the Epi‐Jomon and Okhotsk potters used the same clays and tempers, since no other alternatives were available. Alternatively, the Okhotsk potters could have adopted the same paste recipes as the Epi‐Jomon potters, or the Okhotsk pottery tradition could be descended from the Epi‐Jomon pottery tradition.     

江西仙人洞遗址两万年前陶器的年代研究

陶器的出现使得人类生存和社会行为发生了重要转变。我们对江西万年仙人洞遗址出土陶器进行了年代研究、对陶片和碳十四测年样品层位关系开展地层显微结构分析,结果显示遗址出土最早的陶片年代为距今19,000～20,000年,比东亚和其他地区的陶器早了2000～3000年。洞穴内遗存证明这些陶器是在末次冰盛期由采集狩猎者所制造,可能被用做炊煮器。说明陶器在农业出现以前一万年甚至更早就被制造和使用了。     

BYZANTINE AND UMAYYAD PERIOD POTTERY AT BARSINIA (2006 SEASON OF EXCAVATION)

Abstract

Until recent pottery studies of the ancient Classical and Early Islamic rural sites in northern Jordan were of less interest to archaeologists. This article focuses on the Byzantine and Umayyad period pottery that has been discovered during the first season of excavation at Barsinia in the north-western part of Jordan. Fifty-two indicative pottery sherds were sorted according to their date and function into two main groups: the early Byzantine pottery (fourth–sixth centuries) and the Late Byzantine–Umayyad pottery (sixth–eighth centuries). Since Barsinia is one of the small rural archaeological sites, and such sites were rarely mentioned in ancient literary sources, the study of material remains at such locations is essential for elucidating regional development and trade. It also sheds more light on the relation between the site and the surroundings through the comparative study of the pottery objects.     

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.     

Preliminary Provenance Research on Chinese Neolithic Pottery: Huating (Xinyi County) and Three Yellow River Valley Sites

Instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) was applied to sherds from the important site of Huating and, for comparison, several Neolithic sites in the valley of the Yellow River. We hoped to compare the compositions of two stylistically different ceramics found at Huating, and to evaluate the degree of compositional clustering and inter‐site resolution that could be expected in an area that is noted for its extensive, and possibly very homogeneous, loess deposits. In addition, pottery sherds from Huating have been examined by microscopic petrography. All of these results will provide needed input in the planning of research towards the formation of a Neolithic/Shang Dynasty ceramic database for future use in archaeological research in China.     

Chemical characterization of ancient pottery from sudan by x‐ray fluorescence spectrometry (xrf), electron microprobe analyses (empa) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP–MS)*

Sixty‐four sherds and seven natural clays from prehistoric sites in northwestern Sudan have been submitted to petrological and chemical analysis using XRF spectrometry, EMPA and ICP–MS. According to their texture, the sherds form five different groups. The high contents of P₂O₅ (more than 0.5 wt%) discerned in 19 samples and the variation of the P₂O₅ content in two samples of the same vessel can be explained by post‐depositional processes or by the ancient organic contents (e.g., milk) of the vessel. Chemical classification of the pottery bulk suggests that vessels were made locally, as only sherds from the same area show homogeneity of data.     

广东博罗先秦硬陶的XRF和INAA研究

为揭示广东博罗梅花墩、银岗、横岭山三地古陶器的产源、烧造工艺、技术传播和化交流等方面情况,用波长色散X射线荧光分析(WDXRF)、仪器中子活化分析(INAA)同时测量了广东博罗梅花墩、银岗、横岭山等三地点所出38片西周至春秋、战国硬陶中Al、Ba等元素的含量。并用主成分分析分别处理了测量数据。两套数据的分析结果均表明,梅花墩、银岗和横岭山的硬陶原料互不相同,各地点硬陶可能主要是“自烧自用”。数据分析还表明在南方各省区中,广东硬陶具有Al2O3含量偏高这一明显的地区特征。     

Traces of Early Austronesian Expansion to East Indonesia? New Discovery of Dentate-Stamped and Lime-Infilled Pottery from Central Sulawesi

This short article report about the new findings of finely made dentate-stamped and lime infilled potteries from the Goa Topogaro site in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Most of them are red-slipped pottery decorated with dentate-stamped, lime infilled, and can be identified as burial potteries as they are excavated with secondly burials of the Early Metal Age possibly dated around 2000-1800 years ago. When comparing these finds with common decorative patterns seen in early dentate-stamped pottery assemblages in the Philippines, Mariana Islands, and early Lapita sites, the Topogaro dentate-stamped pots lack some common early patterns, but exhibit a wider variety of designs. It is now argued that dentate-stamped decorations at Lapita sites mainly disappeared by around 2800 BP or at least by 2000 BP in the Pacific, but the Topogaro dentate-stamped sherds may indicate that this pottery tradition continued and further developed in Island Southeast Asia or Sulawesi at least until the Early Metal Age. The detailed analysis of these new finds and further comparative study on production technique, variety of design, forms, and styles of both dentate-stamped ceramics in Southeast Asia and Oceania is required.     

Woodland Pottery Function,Cooking, and Diet in the Upper Great Lakes of North America

A multidimensional approach to functional analysis was employed to examine pottery use, cooking, and subsistence in pre-European North American contexts. A variety of analytic techniques were applied to ceramic assemblages from two sites on the south shore of Lake Superior: the Middle Woodland Naomikong Point site and the Late Woodland Sand Point site. The analyses of both technical attributes and use-alteration traces suggest that a majority of pottery vessels from these sites were used for cooking throughout the Woodland period. Lipid residue analysis corroborates traditional subsistence information but specifies which foods were cooked in pottery vessels. Vessel size varies according to context rather than by time or by function, with larger vessels associated with ritual areas and smaller vessels originating from domestic spheres, a trend potentially related to feasting behavior. Interior carbonization patterns change in frequency between the Middle and Late Woodland periods, suggesting a shift in cooking and possibly subsistence practices.     

A Study Of The Firing Technique Of Pottery From Kaman‐Kalehöyük,Turkey, by Synchrotron Radiation‐Induced Fluorescence X‐Ray Absorption Near‐Edge Structure (Xanes) Analysis*

Fe K‐XANES spectra of a series of pottery sherds excavated from the archaeological site of Kaman‐Kalehöyük, Turkey, were measured to reveal the firing technique of the pottery. The analysis disclosed relationships among the chemical form of the iron, the firing conditions and the colour of the pottery. The pottery referred to as ‘Grey Ware’ found at this site was classified into two groups according to the chemical form of the iron. Also, it was revealed that the Iron Age pottery referred to as ‘Cream Ware’ was produced first under reducing conditions, and then fired under oxidizing conditions.     

Characterization of Iron age pottery from eastern Turkey by laser- induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS)

Selected pottery sherds coming from the Ayanis, Dilkaya and Karagündüz excavations in eastern Turkey and dated from the Early to Middle Iron Age were examined as regards their composition by using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). The objective of the study was first to investigate the potential of the LIBS technique in the compositional analysis of pottery and further to explore correlations in spectral data, by using chemometrics methods that would possibly enable discrimination among different sherds. This work is part of a broader study aiming to examine clay variability both before and during the Urartian State period and to explore possible relationships and differences among pottery objects from fortresses and settlements or settlements and cemeteries on the basis of the clay composition of sherds. Preliminary results demonstrate that by using the LIBS technique it is possible to analyse pottery sherds in qualitative and semi-quantitative ways, providing information on the clay and slip composition. Furthermore, encouraging results have been obtained by carrying out principal component analysis (PCA) on the LIBS spectra, which suggest that in certain cases, it is possible to directly correlate spectral information with the origin of pottery sherds.     

Technological Choices in Hand‐Made Indigenous Pottery from Western Mallorca (Balearic Islands,Spain) (C.1200–75 bc): An Archaeometric Approach

This paper addresses the technological choices observed in Mallorca (Spain) for the production of hand‐made pottery during the Late Bronze and Iron Age. We have conducted a diachronic analysis of the ceramic assemblages recovered from two archaeological sites placed in the same territory by means of X‐ray fluorescence and optical microscopy by thin‐section analysis. The archaeometric characterization of the hand‐made vessels allows us to establish several compositional groups related to the use of different raw materials and certain paste recipes associated with the archaeological sites and periods considered. Thus, this study evidences different productive strategies in each site and across time in the same geographical area.     

Ancient Egyptian Pottery from the Subsurface Floodplain of the Saqqara–Memphis Area: Its Mineralogical and Geochemical Implications*

Potsherds recovered from the Saqqara–Memphis floodplain in Egypt, dated according to their typology and radiocarbon dating of the included sediments, are analysed geochemically and mineralogically to identify source materials and fabrication characteristics. Pottery layers were identified and potsherds were recovered from several settlement levels. Sherd typology was used to identify sherds from four periods (the Old and New Kingdoms, and from the Late Period to the Ptolemaic). The Pharaonic pieces were found at depths of between 8 and 12 m and the later material was between 6 and 3 m. Chemical analyses of the potsherds revealed three main source materials: local Nile silt, marl clay and mixed Nile silt–marl. Two marl clay types were recognized: marl clay from Upper Cretaceous marine sediment and another one from Late Pliocene deltaic sediments. The mineralogical composition of the pottery samples shows that the estimated firing temperature was about 850–900°C. No consistent differences in sherd mineralogy and geochemistry were found according to pottery types, so that the ancient Egyptian potters used essentially the same materials throughout the Pharaonic period. However, this initial study has revealed the existence of extensive pottery‐rich occupation sites buried within the Nile floodplain deposits between Memphis and Saqqara.     

Anglo‐Saxon Style Pottery from the Northern Netherlands and North‐Western Germany: Fabrics and Finish,Regional and Chronological Patterns,and their Implications

This paper presents the results of a study of Anglo‐Saxon style pottery in the northern Netherlands and north‐western Germany, involving macroscopic and microscopic analysis of fabrics and finish. Both regions show similar developments in form and decoration in the pottery of the fourth and fifth centuries ad , the late Roman and Migration period, resulting in the typical decoration and shapes that are known as the Anglo‐Saxon style. In the northern Netherlands, this style is traditionally associated with Anglo‐Saxon immigrants. It has, however, been suggested that this style was, rather, part of an indigenous development in areas in the northern Netherlands where occupation was continuous, though influenced by stylistic developments in north‐western Germany. That hypothesis is supported by the analysis of fabrics and finish presented here. The characteristic of fabrics and surface treatment indicate technological continuity. The use of local clay sources for Anglo‐Saxon style pottery and for contemporary regional types indicates that most of the Anglo‐Saxon style pottery in the northern Netherlands was not brought by Anglo‐Saxon immigrants or as imports, but must have been made locally. That applies to settlements with continuous habitation, as well as settlements in the coastal area that were not inhabited during the fourth century ad .     

徐州地区西汉陶俑的发现及初步研究

徐州地区西汉陶俑可分为兵俑、乐舞俑、仪仗俑、侍俑四个大类。并由俱象写实向形神兼备的方向演变,其乐舞俑生动的形象栩栩如生,成为汉代陶俑的经典之作。     

甘肃新石器时代与青铜代陶器研究的内容和科学意义

综述了现代分析测试方法和数学方法在古代陶器成分分析、年代测定、制作工艺、产地判断、形态分析方面的应用以及甘肃新石器与青铜时代陶器研究的意义。     

Seventeenth-century Pottery from Ash,Surrey

Abstract

About 2,000 sherds, mainly in white fabric, were found on a site at Ash which was one of several producing similar wares on the West Surrey and Hampshire borders. Some of the sherds were medieval, but the remainder were 17th century and are analysed in an attempt to assess the forms and characteristics of the post-medieval pottery made at Ash. Documentary evidence discloses the presence of potters in Ash in the 17th and 18th centuries, although there is no direct link with the site, and also indicates possible sources for the potters’ clay.     

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.     

Coupling lead isotope analysis and petrography to characterize fabrics of storage and trade containers from Hala Sultan Tekke (Cyprus)*

Lead isotopes, thin‐ and sherd‐section analyses are coupled on pottery‐vessel fragments excavated from the Late Bronze Age site of Hala Sultan Tekke (south‐east Cyprus) and representing fabrics used for the production of storage and trade containers. The fabrics of the sherds are first described according to general macroscopic observations. Based on the different fabrics identified, a petrographic analysis is carried out on thin sections and compared to lead isotope results on the same samples. This study shows that a specific fabric corresponds to a specific lead isotopic composition and proposes different sources for the various groups of associated sherds/fabrics. It also demonstrates the compatibility and complementarity of petrography and lead isotopes within pottery provenance study.