Money and robbers, 900–1100

To robbers and thieves money is more tempting than other commodities. There was more money in Europe in 1100 than in 900. So we should expect, other things being equal, an increase in robbery in these two centuries. This expectation is confirmed by a survey of recorded cases; and it finds further corroboration in the fortunes of hagiographical motifs relating to thieves.     

X射线显微CT成像技术在金属文物制作工艺研究与腐蚀状态评估中的应用

金属腐蚀过程不仅受环境等外部因素的影响,制作工艺、合金组成及缺陷等内部因素同样起着重要作用。为实现金属文物制作工艺和内部腐蚀状态的可视化研究,运用X射线显微CT对铜镜文物碎片以及出土、海洋出水铁质文物样品进行扫描探测,并结合X射线荧光、X射线衍射等检测手段,开展金属文物材质、工艺及矿化程度的综合分析。结果表明,在显微CT影像重建基础上,通过设定不同的阈值,可实现文物内部缺陷、腐蚀矿化程度等内部信息的测量统计。该方法可为金属文物材质、制作工艺研究和腐蚀状态评估提供无损的研究手段。     

北宋官窑形成的文献考察

北宋官窑客观存在,地点在汴京。其性质属政和三年礼制局成立后,由礼制局制造所所辖的烧造陶瓷祭器(包括日用器)的机构,其产品为政和年间“新成礼器”的一部分。     

营城子汉墓出土玻璃耳珰的化学成分与制作工艺研究

营城子汉墓位于辽宁省大连市甘井子区,是我国东北地区一处重要的大型汉墓群。营城子汉墓出土了一批玻璃耳珰,为探讨其成型工艺及来源,采用超景深显微系统进行了表面形貌观察,初步认为是模铸成型,并经过打磨。采用便携式X射线荧光光谱仪(XRF)进行了化学成分分析,结果显示,它们分属铅钡硅酸盐和钾硅酸盐玻璃系统,一件由Cu²⁺着色,其余主要由Co²⁺着色。其为我国自制,所用钴料来源相同,钴料的锰钴比特征与国产钴土矿的类似。并对营城子汉墓出土玻璃耳珰造型与化学成分体系间的关系进行了分析,对玻璃耳珰制作模式进行了初步探讨,进一步加深了对我国古代玻璃耳珰制作与传播的认识。     

X射线成像技术在文物保护与制作工艺研究中的应用

X射线成像技术在科技考古和文物保护研究领域的应用越来越广泛,可提供肉眼和其他分析仪器无法提供的信息。本文主要以金属文物和铸铜陶范为例,解析了X射线成像技术在实验室微发掘、文物状况研究以及文物制作工艺研究中所发挥的作用。研究结果揭示了大英博物馆收藏的一些重要中国青铜器(包括著名的康侯簋、邢侯簋、赵孟壶)不为人知的修复历史和现状以及复杂器物不同部件的制作工序和连接方式等,并首次披露了侯马陶范的复杂结构。X射线成像技术包括X射线探伤和工业X射线计算机断层扫描(X-CT),是科技考古和文物保护研究的一个重要手段,可为文物保护和保存提供建设性建议,为文物制作技术的解析提供重要的科学数据,为深入研究文物提供指导。     

故宫藏清代挂屏镶嵌玻璃饰件的科学分析

清代镶嵌器物数量巨大且种类繁多,玻璃是其中一种重要的镶嵌材料。为探讨清代镶嵌玻璃饰件的成分特征和加工工艺,本工作采用微区X射线荧光能谱、扫描电子显微镜、显微共聚焦拉曼光谱、激光诱导击穿光谱等方法,对故宫馆藏清代紫檀木边嵌玉石楼阁挂屏上的6件镶嵌玻璃饰件进行了初步分析,结果表明:6件玻璃饰件属于K₂O-CaO-SiO₂体系,以石英岩引入SiO₂作玻璃基体,硝石作助熔剂引入K₂O,CaO有方解石和萤石两个主要来源;深蓝色玻璃着色元素为钴,浅蓝色玻璃着色元素为铜,蓝绿色玻璃为铜和铁共同着色,4件玻璃饰件乳浊剂均为CaF₂;黄色玻璃以铅锡黄为着色剂并乳浊剂。通过显微形貌观察结合档案记载,认为镶嵌玻璃饰件是在熔制好的玻璃块上经过二次加工而成,加工工艺采用了中国古代传统的治玉工艺。研究结果可为清代镶嵌工艺及玻璃制作工艺的研究提供佐证。     

故宫藻井轩辕镜及配件的材料与工艺分析研究

紫禁城多个建筑的盘龙藻井中均悬有轩辕镜,但对轩辕镜的分析研究却很少。本研究采用多种仪器方法,对故宫万春亭藻井轩辕镜和画珐琅葫芦等配件进行了分析。万春亭轩辕镜的分析结果表明,轩辕镜玻璃基体为钾-铅玻璃,镀层采用了锡汞齐技术,生产时间晚于17世纪末;画珐琅葫芦配件的分析结果表明,画珐琅白色底釉组成与"玻璃白"原料相近,不同颜色珐琅釉基体均为钾-铅玻璃,黄色釉中铅锡黄同时发挥着色与乳浊的作用,蓝色釉为砷酸铅乳浊,胭脂红色为金红发色,棕色勾线呈色物质为赤铁矿。画珐琅釉料大部分经过预熔处理,绘制时按照白色底釉、棕色线条、其他色釉的顺序施加,最后烧制而成。     

More than acorns and small seeds: A diachronic analysis of mortuary associated ground stone from the south San Francisco Bay area

The archaeological record of central California contains a rich variety of ground stone milling tools—from highly expedient cobble tools to large ornate mortars and finely finished pestles more than half a meter in length. Historical trends in research objectives, along with assumptions about the entirely mundane character of ground stone tools, have caused much of the variability and many “extra-utilitarian” aspects of these artifacts to be overlooked. This study analyzed grave-associated ground stone from the southern San Francisco Bay Area and employed use-wear analysis (macroscopic and microscopic) and morphological comparisons to investigate potential distinctions in form, manufacturing effort, use, and association over approximately 6000 years of prehistory. Ground stone morphologies, patterns of use-wear, and the way that ground stone was interred with people changed between the earliest and the latest periods analyzed in this study. During the Late Holocene, ground stone underwent a diversification of form and perhaps purpose. An overtly symbolic dimension associated with mortars and pestles seems to emerge with the addition of highly formalized and expensive flower-pot mortars, very long shaped pestles, and additional embellishments such as shell bead appliqué and painted designs. Large, costly, highly formalized, and embellished mortars exist alongside smaller, less costly, less formalized milling tools. Archaeological and ethnographic evidence supports the inferred association of certain mortars with feasting and ritual activities. Differences in the representation of some of these forms in male and female graves may reflect changes in the roles of women and men in community ritual and politics.     

Bronze production in Southwestern Iberian Peninsula: the Late Bronze Age metallurgical workshop from Entre Águas 5 (Portugal)

Archaeological works at Entre Águas 5 (Portugal) uncovered a seasonal LBA settlement with significant metallurgical remains (crucibles, moulds, prills and a tuyere) related to bronze production. Radiocarbon dating ascribes an occupation period (10th–9th century BC) previous to Phoenician establishment in Southwestern Iberia. In spite of the proliferation of metal artefacts during LBA, the production of bronze alloys is still poorly understood. An integrated analytical approach (EDXRF, optical microscopy, SEM–EDS, micro-EDXRF and Vickers microhardness) was used to characterise this metallurgy. Crucibles show immature slags with copious copper nodules, displaying variable tin content (c. 0–26 wt.%), low iron amount (<0.05 wt.%) and different cooling rates. Certain evidences point to direct reduction of oxide copper ores with cassiterite. Scorched moulds with residues of copper and tin indicate local casting of artefacts. Finished artefacts also recovered at the site have an analogous composition (bronze with ∼10 wt.% Sn and low amounts of Pb, As and Fe) typical of coeval metallurgy in SW Iberia. Some artefacts reveal a relationship between typology and composition or manufacture: a higher tin content for a golden coloured ring or absence of the final hammering for a bracelet. An uncommon gilded nail (gold foil c. 140 μm thick; 11.6 wt.% Ag; ∼1 wt.% Cu) attests the existence of evolved prestige typologies. This LBA settlement discloses a domestic metallurgy whose main features are typical in Iberian Peninsula. Finally, it should be emphasized that a collection as comprehensive and representative of a single workshop has rarely been studied, enabling a deeper understanding of the various operations involving the bronze production and manufacture of artefacts.