Narcissus's Mirror: Manufacture and Modernism in the American Great Basin—The Case of Pottery

The commodification of pottery cannot be reduced to strict econo-technological terms. Commodification is a cultural process, enmeshed in local, regional, and international systems of meaning. As Victorian Modernism eroded, anti-modern movements commodified traditional culture. These philosophies, themselves commodities, had repercussions on the pottery industry throughout the world. In both America and Australia, these processes produced art and studio potteries. In the American Great Basin, these changes were experienced very differently by potters from different cultures. The commodification and industrialization of modern pottery factories predicated the reification of a pre-industrial artisanal past.     

One Hundred Years of Archaeology in Niger

This paper considers, under rough chronological headings, work undertaken in Niger in the past century. Sites relevant to the Pleistocene occupation of the Sahara, to the adoption of elements of a Neolithic package, to the (perhaps misleadingly late) occupation of the Sahel, to alleged metalworking 3000 years ago, and to social complexity, are described and discussed. These data carry a relevance far beyond their immediate area, and the most fruitful application of the archaeology of Niger is to be found in theoretical rethinking.     

Lapis lazuli usage for blue decoration of polychrome painted glazed pottery: a recurrent technology during the Middle Ages in Apulia (Southern Italy)

Seven fragments of atypical proto-majolica from the archaeological site of Siponto (Manfredonia, Foggia) were analysed by chemical and physical methods. All fragments have blue, brown and yellow painted decorations. Raman microscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy–Energy Dispersed Spectroscopy (SEM–EDS) investigations identified the blue pigment to lapis lazuli. We previously identified this mineral in the blue coloration of the tin–lead glaze of proto-majolica finds at other Medieval sites in Apulia (Castel Fiorentino and Lucera). The discovery of the fragments from Siponto, in spite of their peculiar technological-decorative features, proves that the use of lapis lazuli as a ceramic pigment was not an isolated occurrence, but was quite common in the Middle Ages in the production of typologically heterogeneous ceramics in Southern Italy.     

中国古建琉璃构件“粉状锈”之病变初探

琉璃构件是中国古代建筑中不可缺少的建筑材料,具有一定的功能性和艺术性.但因其长期处于露天环境之中,会产生釉面蜕变、开裂、脱落和胎体酥粉等多种病变.为了对琉璃构件的全面保护,对洛阳山陕会馆古建群琉璃构件进行了整体调查,发现部分构件釉面产生了一层亮绿色粉状物质,与青铜器粉状锈颜色非常相似,这是一种极其特殊的病变现象.为此,用偏光显微镜、扫描电镜、电子探针及X射线衍射等分析手段对这种病变产物进行分析研究.结果表明,琉璃"粉状锈"的主要成分为PbSO4.它是大气中SO2与水分和琉璃釉面共同作用的结果.该病变的形成过程为釉面弱酸水膜的形成,釉中铅离子的溶出和铅的硫酸盐形成三大步骤.研究结果可为琉璃构件的进一步保护研究奠定基础.     

中国古建琉璃构件“粉状锈”之病变初探

琉璃构件是中国古代建筑中不可缺少的建筑材料,具有一定的功能性和艺术性。但因其长期处于露天环境之中,会产生釉面蜕变、开裂、脱落和胎体酥粉等多种病变。为了对琉璃构件的全面保护,对洛阳山陕会馆古建群琉璃构件进行了整体调查,发现部分构件釉面产生了一层亮绿色粉状物质,与青铜器粉状锈颜色非常相似,这是一种极其特殊的病变现象。为此,用偏光显微镜、扫描电镜、电子探针及X射线衍射等分析手段对这种病变产物进行分析研究。结果表明,琉璃“粉状锈”的主要成分为PbSO4。它是大气中SO2与水分和琉璃釉面共同作用的结果。该病变的形成过程为:釉面弱酸水膜的形成,釉中铅离子的溶出和铅的硫酸盐形成三大步骤。研究结果可为琉璃构件的进一步保护研究奠定基础。     

ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST: QUALITY CONTROL AND FIRING TECHNOLOGY IN THE PRODUCTION OF MEDIEVAL GREYWARE CERAMICS IN CATALONIA,SPAIN

The following study sheds new light on the quality control procedures of ancient potters by comparing cooking vessels exported from the medieval kiln‐site of Cabrera d'Anoia (Barcelona) with ‘wasters' that were discarded at source. The firing temperature of examined sherds indicates that only pots subjected to a maximum temperature of 800–850°C were offered for sale. The potters at Cabrera d'Anoia appear to have been fully aware of the optimal balance between thermal and physical shock resistance of vessels fired within this range and strived to control firing in order to achieve better products than that of competing workshops.     

The technology of Copper Age funerary pottery from Central Italy: An integrated study of compositional analyses and manufacturing traces

The paper focuses on ceramic vessels unearthed from Copper Age necropolises located in the area of the modern city of Rome and commonly attributed to the Rinaldone culture. The peculiar vessels' shapes, mainly associated with the consumption of beverages, their accuracy of manufacture and the very low impact of these ceramic morphologies in the coeval household assemblages lead to the study of such an apparently selected production through a multidisciplinary research. Petrographic analysis, X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) integrated with the analysis of manufacturing traces and X-ray investigation suggest the transmission of technological choices, which remained unchanged over almost two millennia.     

Composition of white paste inlay on the pottery from sites of the 10th–8th centuries bce in the northern Pontic region

For the first time, the mineralogical–geochemical compositions of the white paste inlay found on vessels from sites (10th–8th centuries bce ) in the northern Pontic region are investigated. Samples of the white paste on vessels from settlements, burials of sedentary groups and graves of early nomads were analysed by means of scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEM-EDX) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) methods. Between the 10th and eighth centuries bce , various innovations occurred in the working area. Iron processing technology and the manufacture of iron products also appeared. Other innovations were changes in the manufacturing technology of ceramics. A high-quality, polished/burnished surface and ornaments with white paste inlay are characteristic of this pottery. When collating white paste mixtures of different European sites, similarities in the preparation of white paste recipes for vessels from the Balkan and northern Pontic regions are evident. During the Early Iron Age, further changes in the manufacture of the white paste were discovered in the northern Pontic region, namely the application of high-temperature firing to obtain more resistant synthesized material such as calcium alumosilicates and silicates (wollastonite). The development of iron metallurgy in this period could provide a basis for the elaboration of new techniques in ceramic manufacture.     

Household ceramic diversity in the late prehistory of the Appalachian Summit

ABSTRACT

Pottery from the Ward site village (31WT22; ca. A.D. 1100) in mountainous northwestern North Carolina exhibits remarkable synchronic diversity that evokes speculations about prehistoric social institutions. Large fragments of ceramic jars recovered from the base of a storage pit at a nearby single house site appear to represent the wares of one household dating to approximately A.D. 1350. Like the Ward site pottery, diverse tempering materials and surface treatments at this site defy existing typologies and show that individual artisans availed themselves of a palette of technological and stylistic choices, some of which were introduced through interaction with neighboring Mississippian and Woodland groups, especially those lying to the south and east.     

产融结合是解决企业资金问题的重要途径

资金是企业的血液。没有资金,企业做大做强将无从谈起。在当前货币政策趋紧的情况下,企业如何满足对资金的需求,产融结合模式为此提供了有益的参考。本文就产融结合问题进行了初步的分析与探讨。