Shipwreck Evidence from Kilwa,Tanzania

This article reports on the artefacts and environment of marine ballast and pottery sites identified through inter‐tidal and underwater survey around Kilwa, Tanzania, one of the most important medieval sultanates along the east African coast. An inter‐tidal site on the limestone fringing reef on the approaches to Kilwa Kisiwani Harbour and an underwater site within the harbour have been dated from associated pottery to c.8th–10th century and the 13th–16th century respectively. The presence of exotic basalt ballast is discussed as an indicator of wreck‐sites.     

THE DISCOVERY OF ANOMALOUSLY HIGH SILVER ABUNDANCES IN POTTERY FROM EARLY ROMAN EXCAVATION CONTEXTS IN JERUSALEM*

This is the first study on the differential distribution and concentrations of silver in ceramics recovered from archaeological excavations. The chemical compositions of 1174 pottery vessels from 38 Roman‐period sites in Israel have been determined. Unusually high and variable abundances of silver were discovered in pottery samples of all vessel types and chemical compositions from four distinct archaeological contexts dating to late first century bce to 70 ce Jerusalem. The large majority of the Jerusalem vessels could be distinguished by their silver abundances from all analysed pottery pieces recovered at rural sites outside Jerusalem, even when the pottery types and chemical compositions, except for silver, of pottery found within and outside Jerusalem were indistinguishable. The evidence is suggestive of a human origin for the high and variable silver abundances, and dispersion of the silver by aqueous transport. The differential silver concentrations found in excavated pottery from Jerusalem and other urban and rural sites suggest that attention to the distribution of silver in pottery from excavated contexts may be helpful for evaluating the nature and function of archaeological remains and patterns of urban contamination.     

Radiocarbon pottery dating: the chemical compounds of organic fractions, the reliability of 14C dates (preliminary results)

In recent times, a large number of radiocarbon dates appeared for the Southern Neolithic on the basis of pottery dating because other organic matter has practically not been preserved. There are two organic fractions of pottery useful for dating: food residues and carbon from the pottery matrix itself. Food residues are often dated, but this material is not always preserved and is prone to being removed during the cleaning of the pottery. The clay mass of the pottery contains carbon, often directly visible upon breaking of the pottery. The article focusses on determining the chemical composition of the organic fractions in the pottery and the origin of the carbon. For this aim we used the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) method to identify the chemical compounds in the food residue and in the pottery matrix. As an example we used pottery from the Neolithic sites: Zamost??e (Central Russia) and the Varfolomeevskay sites (Southern European Russia, Low Volga region) from archaeological collections. The results obtained demonstrate that the food residue and the pottery matrix contain practically the same organic compounds, even if the relative abundances of various compounds are different in these materials. The origin of the carbon from pottery is discussed.     

Evidence of early medieval trade and migration between Wales and the Mediterranean Sea region

Imported Mediterranean pottery recovered from 5th–7th century settlement sites along the south Wales coast indicates that trade and contact between Wales and Byzantium continued following the collapse of the Roman Empire in the early-5th century. It is hypothesised that people as well as pottery continued to travel to Wales from Byzantium, some of whom subsequently settled amongst the local communities. Strontium and oxygen isotope analysis was undertaken on human remains (n = 33 individuals) from four early medieval cemeteries from south Wales. The study identified individuals who may not have been local to the British Isles, thus demonstrating that the isotopic analysis of human remains from Wales can further our understanding of migration to Britain during the early medieval period.     

The Latest Objects from Silchester,Hants

THIS paper brings together for the first time a selection of medieval glass and pottery distilling-vessels from British sites. A discussion on the technical aspects of distilling by F. Greenaway (Part I) is followed by a report on two important groups of glass and pottery distilling-apparatus from Selborne and Pontefract priories of the middle and late 15th century respectively (Part II). Part III discusses pottery distilling-vessels from other finds in Britain. Two types of pottery alembic are distinguished and their use in association with bases of either furnace or bowl type is suggested; industrial bottles connected with distilling are also briefly considered. The survey has brought much information to light but has also left many problems unanswered. Coordination of documentary research into techniques, archaeological recognition of vessels, and the chemical analysis of residues is necessary before firm decisions can be made about the uses of the vessels and the types of unit required for specific operations. It is hoped that this paper will stimulate further work in this field.     

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.     

The Peak Dwellers

LONGBURY BANK, Dyfed is a native British early medieval settlement occupied in the 6th and 7th centuries A. D. The excavations in 1988–89 produced a series of artefacts which provide evidence of high status: imported Mediterranean pottery; continental pottery and glass; fine metalworking debris; and an unusual Type G penannular brooch. The site is unusual in being undefended and it is suggested that it belongs to a newly recognized class of undefended high status secular sites, other possible examples of which are discussed. The site is placed in its historical and landscape context through the use of pre-Norman and later documentation which appears to show a major shift in settlement in the 8th or 9th centuries.     

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。     

CYPRIOT BYZANTINE GLAZED POTTERY: A STUDY OF THE PAPHOS WORKSHOPS

Twenty‐five samples of Byzantine glazed pottery from two archaeological sites between Limassol and Paphos region (Cyprus), dated between the 12th and 15th century ad were studied using micro X‐ray fluorescence spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and X‐ray diffraction analysis. It was found that all the glazes contain lead, following the main manufacturing process of medieval pottery in the Mediterranean territory, while some of them contain tin, possibly for better opacity. Furthermore, it is shown that copper, iron and cobalt with nickel are responsible for the decoration colours. Finally, the application of principal component analysis revealed significant differentiation for some of the samples.     

Medieval Painted Pottery in South and Central Italy

DURING the 9th century unglazed pottery decorated with red or brown slip came into production along the middle Rhine. This pottery, known as Pingsdorf ware, was exported in large quantities to the North Sea region and even to the Baltic coast.² By the 12th century red-painted pottery, often imitating Pingsdorf ware, was made at a number of sites in the Low Countries and western France.³

It has long been known that painted pottery was manufactured throughout the medieval Islamic world, including north Africa, and isolated finds of painted ware have been published in Italy and Spain.⁴ Nevertheless, little attempt has been made to explore the possible connexions between painted pottery in the Mediterranean basin and western Europe,⁵ A serious obstacle to such an attempt is the inadequacy of most publications of Mediterranean finds. This paper offers an account of the painted wares in one area of the Mediterranean, peninsular Italy, and suggests that the pottery found there may indeed be related to the earliest painted wares north of the Alps. It must be emphasized, however, that the study of Italian medieval pottery is in its infancy and that the suggestions made here are of an entirely speculative nature.     

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.     

Exploring Diversity in Household Pottery Traditions in Crusader Greece: a Case Study from the City of Thebes,Boeotia

This paper provides new data on an under‐documented topic in Aegean archaeology, that of the impact of Latin–Greek cohabitation on craftsmanship, socio‐economic organization and household pottery traditions. The chosen approach is a petrographic study of the provenance and technology of 37 cooking pots, jugs, basins and storage jars from the city of Thebes, Boeotia. The ceramics span from the late 12th to the mid‐14th century and thereby cover the periods of Byzantine, Frankish and Catalan control over the city. The analysis indicates that most pottery products were not locally made during these periods. Pottery consumption at Thebes involved, in the 12th/13th century, regional products from northern Boeotia, while pottery supplies from Euboea that had developed under Byzantine rule continued into the 14th century, well after Boeotia and Euboea came into the hands of, respectively, Frankish and Venetian lords in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade (1204). The petrographic analysis also allows for the characterization of Byzantine and Latin tempering practices of the pottery fabrics. These results highlight phenomena of regional economic reliance in central Greece and provide rare evidence for the cross‐cultural diffusion of technological knowledge in the late medieval Mediterranean.     

Pottery Styles during the Early Jomon Period: Geochemical Perspectives on the Moroiso and Ukishima Pottery Styles

Energy‐dispersive X‐ray fluorescence (EDXRF) was used to determine the minor and trace element chemistry of 92 Early Jomon pottery sherds. The sherds came from four contemporary sites in the Kanto region and belong to either the Moroiso or Ukishima style of pottery. Principal components analysis (PCA) and discriminant analysis indicate that there are four major groups in the data set, which correspond to site location. Furthermore, for sites having both Moroiso and Ukishima pottery, the statistical tests indicate that both styles of pottery were made from the same or geochemically similar raw materials. This suggests that both styles were probably made at the same site, and indicates that if the different pottery styles are reflecting ethnic identity, then intermarriage between ethnic groups is occurring. Alternatively, the pottery styles could be reflecting some sort of social interaction between groups.     

Integrated geological,petrologic and geochemical approach to establish source material and technology of Late Cypriot Bronze Age Plain White ware ceramics

Late Cypriot Bronze Age Plain White Wheelmade ware samples from several Cypriot excavation sites and the northern Canaanite coast were studied to ascertain their production centres and details of their manufacturing processes and post-depositional alteration. The investigation of the ceramics, using combined geoscientific analytical techniques (XRF, ICP-MS, XRD and EPMA) allowed four groups of pottery to be distinguished based on their common raw-material sources and/or technological analogies. Sediments that were sampled in East Cyprus (eastern Mesaoria Plain) for comparative purposes indicated that most of the investigated ceramics were produced from raw materials available around the ancient settlement of Enkomi. Appraising technological variations and discriminative raw-material characteristics, several pottery producing workshops in ancient Enkomi (Eastern Cypriot coast) have been identified that merchandised their commodities on Cyprus and, in all probability, also overseas.     

Excavations at Pevensey,Sussex, 1962–6

The village of Pevensey in Sussex is the shrunken remnant of a medieval port of modest importance. Between 1962 and 1966 several sites on the fringe of the present built-up area were investigated and one was excavated in some detail.¹ At three points the original shore line was found, with traces of quays or retaining walls at two of them. The main site was adjacent to these and revealed a series of buildings from the 12th to 14th centuries. Another occupation-area south of the church was also explored. The pottery and other finds testify to cross-Channel and coastal trade.     

Spectrographic Analyses of Mycenaean Pottery from Ialysos on Rhodes: Results and Implications

Abstract

The changing relations between the important Mycenaean site of Ialysos on Rhodes and the Argolid (in the Greek Peloponnese) during the LH III period (the 15th-12th centuries B.C.) have been studied through the pottery found in the tombs of the cemetery from Ialysos. The results of spectrographic analyses of well characterised and dated pots from Ialysos have made possible a clear distinction between locally produced Rhodian pottery and imports that were primarily from the Argolid. During the LH IIIA2 period the large majority of the cemetery pottery at Ialysos was imported from the Argolid. The same situation pertains in the IIIB period, but there are examples of imported pottery from centres other than the Argolid, such as Crete. In the 12th century B.C. (IIIC), however, the position was completely reversed, and the fine Mycenaean pottery was almost exclusively made on Rhodes.     

A preliminary study of ceramic pastes in the copper age pottery production of the Rome area

This paper presents the preliminary results of an analytical study on domestic pottery samples originating from the Copper Age sites of Casetta Mistici, Tor Pagnotta, Osteria del Curato-Via Cinquefrondi, Torre della Chiesaccia and Valle dei Morti, all of which are located in the Rome area (Latium, Italy). The aim of this research is to define the compositional features of the ceramic pastes and to reconstruct the main technological choices characterising pottery production in these contexts. The importance of these archaeological sites lies in their geographic position, being located in an area bounded by the Tiber and Aniene rivers and the Colli Albani volcano, and in their stratigraphic sequence, spanning from the mid-fourth to the end of the third millennium bc. This research, based on a petrographic and chemical investigation of pottery samples, led to the distinction of eight petrographic groups that reflect specific choices in pottery production. Moreover, the analytical results provide indications about the prehistoric pottery production of the Rome area in relation to the ceramic recipes used, the pastes that were obtained and their sourcing areas.     

利用同墓葬出土泥芯、陶器示踪青同器铸造地初探 一以湖北襄樊部分东周墓为例

为研究出土墓葬青铜器铸造地,利用X射线荧光光谱法对湖北襄樊的余岗、沈岗、团山、陈坡四处墓地出土的部分青铜器泥芯、陶片进行测试分析,试验结果与山西侯马、武汉盘龙城遗址进行比较分析。对比研究显示,襄樊地区泥芯与当地墓土、陶片在常量元素上具有高度一致性,而与黄河流域的侯马和长江中下游的盘龙城有明显区别,说明襄樊地区这部分铜器应为本地铸造,暗示江汉流域存在自己特有文化。本项研究工作首次尝试利用同墓葬陶器化学成分探索青铜器铸造地,是泥芯研究青铜器铸造地的重要补充,泥芯和陶器相互配合,为青铜器铸造地研究提供了一种新思路。     

Physical study of the Cucuteni pottery technology

Most of our knowledge concerning the Cucuteni pottery is based on traditional archaeological methods (typology, style and context analysis) and only a few interdisciplinary studies have been published. As there is a strong interest in revealing the basic pottery technology used by the Cucuteni communities we have investigated a significant number of pottery samples from 22 archaeological sites located in Eastern Romania by several physical analysis techniques: X-ray diffraction (XRD) and by magnetic measurements, including a first-order reversal curve (FORC) diagram study on the samples showing a hysteretic behavior. The main results presented in this study are discussed and compared with actual knowledge on the ancient Cucuteni pottery.     

INSIGHTS FROM THE ANALYSIS OF ANGEL MOUNDS POTTERY TROWELS

Archaeologists have recovered pottery trowels in excavations at numerous historic and pre-Columbian archaeological sites in North America since the late nineteenth century. Despite these facts, pottery trowels have not been the subject of thorough scientific analysis or interpretation. In this study, I define and implement a new method of analysis for pottery trowels, using a sample of 188 pottery trowels from the Mississippian site of Angel Mounds (12VG1). After describing the quantitative and qualitative attributes of pottery trowels, I define categories of frequently occurring pottery trowel bell and handle types. The extensive variability of pottery trowel shapes and sizes discovered at Angel Mounds is then discussed with regard to alternative or multiple uses for the tools and the spatial and temporal distributions of pottery trowel types. As an artifact type that provides opportunities to analyze technology, craft production and specialization, and daily practices in past societies, I argue pottery trowels may hold important future insights into a number of topics of interest to archaeologists.