An official website of the United States government
Abstract The emergence of Sardis as an urban centre in the early Iron Age coincided with local production of fine painted pottery in a distinctive regional idiom. Examples of Lydian-style pottery found across western Anatolia from the eighth century BC attest the city’s growing cultural and economic contacts as well as consistent materials and craft methods. Archaeo- metric study using neutron activation analysis (NAA) at the University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR) examined representative specimens of Lydian-style ceramics from Sardis and compared their composition with later examples of red-gloss and red-slipped pottery, fine grey wares and transport jars commonly found at the site. The results confirm the sustained activity of local workshops from the early Iron Age into later historical periods, as Lydia became part of the Seleucid and Roman empires and Sardis a centre of regional innovation.
more »
« less
Petrographic and geochemical analyses of pottery from Wadi Tanuf, Oman: Approaching pottery production in south‐eastern Arabia during the second and first millennia BCE
Abstract This study describes the petrographic and geochemical characteristics of pottery collected from Mugharat al‐Kahf and WTN02 in Wadi Tanuf, north‐central Oman, to clarify interregional similarities and differences in pottery production techniques and examine the existence of interregional trade in pottery with respect to changes in mobile communities. Potsherds from these sites were characterised using thin‐section petrography and instrumental neutron activation analysis. Results revealed that several clay fabrics and tempers were used during the Wadi Suq period (2000–1600 BCE). A region‐wide similarity exists in pottery‐making techniques in terms of the tempering of specific minerals (Oman ophiolite) used in the Early Iron Age (1300–300 BCE). Geochemical results indicate differences in clay sources between the Wadi Suq period and the Early Iron Age in Wadi Tanuf and the unlikelihood of the interregional trade of domestic pottery.
more »
« less
- Award ID(s):
- 2208558
- PAR ID:
- 10505756
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley-Blackwell
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Archaeometry
- ISSN:
- 0003-813X
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
-
null (Ed.)The difference in the chemical compositions between Neolithic pottery from the eastern and western ends of the northern Chinese Loess Plateau has been known for some time, and a number of possible explanations have been proposed. However, a full understanding of the difference is yet to be achieved. Based on recent geological studies of the Tianshui‐Qin'an area on the western Loess Plateau, the present study establishes a logical connection between the chemical characteristics of Neolithic pottery from the western Loess Plateau and the primary sediments available in the area. Moreover, this study reveals that the chemical compositions of clay used for fine wares and coarse wares at Dadiwan also bear some clear differences. Based on these findings, the paper discusses possible clay selection methods by potters in the Neolithic western Loess Plateau to make their different wares based on the locales where suitable raw materials are available. The paper demonstrates that the raw materials available for pottery making on the eastern and western Loess Plateau differ significantly and this explains the marked difference in ceramic composition between the two locationsmore » « less
-
Abstract This study centers on a sample of ceramics (n = 37) from the site of San José Cuautitlan and contextualized within a much larger database of Formative ceramics (n = 1242), mostly from greater central Mexico. The sample was assayed through neutron activation analysis (NAA), with a subsample made into thin sections for petrographic analysis. In this article, we (1) situate the sample from San José within the longer history of ceramic traditions over the Formative period in the Basin of Mexico, (2) assess the pottery production recipe employed at San José in comparison to the composition of ceramics from neighboring segments of the Basin, and (3) source a sample of 10 Granular White amphora that were imported into the site. We demonstrate a low level of ceramic trade among sites within the Basin of Mexico. We also tentatively source Granular White amphora recovered at the site to central Morelos. Further, we show through a comparison of these Late Formative Granular White specimens to later Classic period Granular Ware from Teotihuacan and other sites that the source of this trade ware changed over time.more » « less
-
Abstract This study explores the use of three isotopic systematics—Sr, Nd, and Pb— combined together for the first time to trace the origins of ancient pottery. This approach strengthens our ability to relate raw materials to the final products. The materials selected for the analysis are from a well‐documented data set, previously subjected to a thorough mineralogical–petrographic and chemical characterization. Seventeen ceramic specimens represented by black‐glazed pottery, Terra sigillata, and fine common ware as well as production indicators such as black‐glazed pottery wasters and spacers were examined via isotope analyses. These samples were discovered in the archaeological site of Cales, presently Calvi Risorta, in South Italy. CaO‐rich clay raw materials from the area of interest were also analyzed as comparative references for the investigated ceramics. The comparison of the archaeometric data of the ceramic samples with the clay raw materials showed an affinity between the ceramics studied and local clay raw materials belonging to Mio‐Pliocene marine sediments from the Campania Apennine Mountain area. This affinity was more accurately defined through the Sr, Nd, and Pb isotopes, which show coinciding signatures among ceramic samples, production indicators, and raw materials. The method yields promising outcomes that reinforce prior experimental investigations and amplify its reliability. The multi‐isotopic methodology highlights the significance of combining geochemical data to pinpoint the origins of raw materials used for ancient ceramic production.more » « less
