Investigating ancient technology and ceramic composition at Al-Khidr site (Failaka Island,Kuwait): Geochemical analyses of Bronze Age pottery by pXRF and thin-section petrographic analyses

Pottery assemblages from the site of Al-Khidr on Failaka Island, Kuwait, were analysed in order to reconstruct the chemical composition of Bronze Age wares and to build a mineralogical database of Bronze Age pottery dated from Failaka Periods 1–3B (2000–1650 BCE). A total of 145 ceramic sherds from Al-Khidr, as well as reference groups, were analysed by non-destructive portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) spectrometry. Preliminarily petrographic thin-section analysis was applied to four samples to reconstruct possible clay paste recipes and to identify raw materials. The results indicate that geochemical analyses can successfully distinguish subgroups within a typological category of ceramic assemblages. The results identified two subgroups within the Al-Khidr typological category: the Dilmun Barbar tradition and the Mesopotamian tradition. Future comparative compositional studies can be conducted to explore other aspects of craft specialisation, such as ceramic technological choices and possibly the influence of sociopolitical units.     

Charcoal from a prehistoric copper mine in the Austrian Alps: dendrochronological and dendrological data,demand for wood and forest utilisation

During prehistory fire-setting was the most appropriate technique for exploiting ore deposits. Charcoal fragments found in the course of archaeological excavations in a small mine called Mauk E in the area of Schwaz/Brixlegg (Tyrol, Austria) are argued to be evidence for the use of this technology. Dendrochronological analyses of the charcoal samples yielded calendar dates for the mining activities showing that the exploitation of the Mauk E mine lasted approximately one decade in the late 8th century BC. Dendrological studies show that the miners utilised stem wood of spruce and fir from forests with high stand density for fire-setting and that the exploitation of the Mauk E mine had only a limited impact on the local forests.     

Al-Khidr site on Failaka Island in the Bronze Age: Pottery perspective

The objective of this article is to evaluate the results of the excavation at the site of Al-Khidr on Failaka Island that was probably a port or a fishermen’s settlement in the past. A very large number of stone architectural remains and artifacts have been discovered there. Al-Khidr is a typical Dilmun culture site and the settlement was probably contemporary with the known sites F3 and F6 located on the south-west coast of the island. Based on the pottery that has been processed, we preliminarily dated the site to a period between the beginning of the second millenium and approximately 1500 BC, although older settlement may have occurred, beginning at the end of the third millennium.     

Chemical durability of lead-bearing glazes in sulphuric acid solutions — Laboratory experiments performed on Zsolnay architectural ceramics from Budapest (Hungary)

This study aims to simulate the long-term deterioration of architectural glazes exposed to open air in a highly polluted urban environment. A laboratory experiment—a 14-day long accelerated weathering test—on glazed roof tiles has been performed to reveal the damaging influence of contacting acid solutions originating from dissolved gaseous pollutants, mainly SO₂. The studied tiles are made by the Hungarian Zsolnay factory and applied on two buildings in Budapest in the 19th and 20th century. The ceramics were covered mainly by lead glazes in the construction and lead-bearing alkali glazes in the renovation periods.

The solution of pH2 induced a greater dissolution, especially of alkali and alkaline earth metals (up to 2886 ppm), but less lead (up to 21 ppm) from the lead glazes of the construction periods. Newly formed lead sulphate (anglesite) on the corroded glaze parts precipitated on some lead-bearing alkali glazes, with moderate dissolution of alkali and alkaline earth metals (up to 396 ppm) accompanied by higher amount of lead (28–39 ppm). Based on the results, the main determining factor in the durability of glazes is mostly their chemical composition and less their preliminary degradation state.     

X-ray and neutron-based non-invasive analysis of prehistoric stone artefacts: a contribution to understand mobility and interaction networks

Carbonate-rich archaeological artefacts are difficult to identify and correlate between them and with raw materials of such heterogeneous geological sources, especially when only non-invasive analysis is possible. A novel combination of X-ray and neutron-based non-invasive analysis is implemented and used for the first time to study prehistoric stone idols and vessels, contributing to culture identity, mobility and interaction in the recent Prehistory of Southern Iberia. Elemental composition was obtained by prompt gamma activation analysis (PGAA) and external beam particle-induced x-ray emission (PIXE); homogeneity of the stone artefacts and the presence/absence of internal fractures were obtained by neutron radiography (NR). These atomic and nuclear techniques, simultaneously used for complementary chemical information, have been demonstrated to be of great value as they provide non-destructive compositional information avoiding sample preparation, crucial in so singular and rare objects. The obtained results, especially of PGAA, are very promising and useful in general assessments of provenance. The stone artefacts show signs of both nearby and long-distance procurement, as well as of unknown attribution.