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.     

对明代廖纪墓出土彩陶粉彩层的保护

通过对廖纪墓出土彩陶粉彩脱落原因和颜料成分分析,在多次实验的基础上,筛选出适宜的固色剂。经使用ＰＥＧ增加颜料致密性后再固色的保护方式,使固色后的粉彩层表面不泛光泽,平滑,触摸不掉色,保持了器物色泽的原貌,达到了保护粉彩层的理想效果。     

中国瓷器与土耳其陶器的相互影响

中国瓷器对土耳其陶器的影响是中国古外销瓷研究中的重要课题之一。欧、美及土耳其学者对此课题进行了多年的研究,成果颇丰。本文仅对之略作介绍,并从中国学者的视角观察作进一步的研究。同时对双方陶瓷相互影响的历史背景及海陆交通作一概略地叙述。