Search results for "archaeometry"
showing 10 items of 53 documents
The production of traditional building materials in Oristano (Sardinia, Italy)
2016
The study of ceramic-making communities which employ traditional practices can provide insights into the raw materials and techniques used over the centuries in a particular territory. The archaeometric study of ceramic products and of the raw materials used in their production is an effective complement to the existing ethnographic information. This paper focuses on the brick and tile making tradition of Oristano, a town in Central-Western Sardinia (Italy). Applying a combination of techniques, it includes an extensive analysis of traditional handmade and early industrial bricks and tiles, and a study of the local clays that may have been used as raw materials. Although we were unable to s…
Aspetti tipo-cronologici e archeometrici delle ceramiche africane nel territorio di Cignana (Naro, AG, Sicilia)
2020
Il progetto di ricerca, condotto in cotutela tra l'Università di Palermo e Aix-Marseille Université, si basa sullo studio delle ceramiche africane importate in Sicilia tra la fine del I e il VII secolo d.C.. La ricerca si basa sui frammenti - tutte le classi incluse - raccolti dal gruppo di ricerca di Palermo durante le ricognizioni archeologiche nei dintorni della villa romana di Cignana (Agrigento) e nell'entroterra di Termini Imerese (Palermo). L'approccio multidisciplinare archeologico ed archeometrico, condotto in collaborazione con diversi specialisti di queste discipline, ha permesso di definire l'origine delle diverse produzioni e di riflettere sulla loro circolazione in Sicilia, in…
A testimony of pitch production in the Protohistory of the Iberian Peninsula: The kiln of La Illeta dels Banyets (El Campello, Alicante)
2022
Durante la campaña de 2009-2010 en el yacimiento arqueológico de la Illeta dels Banyets se localizó un basamento circular, una pileta y un depósito excavado en el subsuelo que formaban parte de un único equipamiento dedicado a una actividad productiva. Por sus características y por los análisis antracológico y químico se ha identificado como un horno para la destilación de pez o brea, cuyo proceso de fabricación se ha visto confirmado con paralelos arqueológicos y etnográficos. Datado entre finales del siglo IV y la primera mitad del siglo III a.C., es la primera instalación completa de este tipo conocida para el periodo protohistórico en la península ibérica. During the 2009-2010 campaign …
Archaeometric characterization of late Archaic ceramic from Erice (Sicily) aimed to provenance determination
2019
A set of 20 ceramic samples was autoptically selected from the numerous findings recovered from the stratigraphic excavations of the late Archaic city walls of Erice (western Sicily), in order to be analyzed with archaeometric techniques for provenance determination. The excavations were recently carried out as part of a research project funded by the Freie Universiat Berlin and the Fritz Thyssen Foundation. Specifically, the ceramic material consists of tableware with a painted geometric decoration of presumed local/regional production, as well as apparently imported black-glazed pottery. Both the categories can be traced back to a chronological period between the second half/last quarter …
The indigenous settlement of Monte Iato (western Sicily): an ethnoarchaeometric approach for outlining local Archaic ceramic productions
2021
AbstractAn ethnoarchaeometric approach has been followed to identify the textural and compositional characteristics of the ceramic pastes produced in ancient Iaitas/Ietas, an indigenous site located in western Sicily on Monte Iato, a few tens of kilometres from Palermo. This approach was primarily motivated by the lack of discovered Archaic kilns or production sites/workshops and the inability to identify reference groups. Raw clays were sampled in the territory of San Cipirello and San Giuseppe Iato (today’s municipalities both sited on the northern slopes of Monte Iato), together with representative historic tiles and bricks locally produced until fairly recently. Grain-size analysis and …
The production cycle of lime-based plasters in the Late Roman settlement of Scauri, on the island of Pantelleria, Italy
2018
This paper deals with the archaeometric study of lime-based plasters found in the archaeological settlement of Scauri, located in the homonymous bay in the south-western part of Pantelleria Island. Since 1999, archaeological surveys have led to the recovery of the huge remains of a Late Roman settlement dating back to the fourth-fifth century AD. It is well known that the island of Pantelleria is entirely composed of volcanic rocks. Accordingly, the production of quicklime required calcareous rocks to be imported. Also, the selection criteria of the sandy aggregate are relevant and of interest to this study, to evaluate the achieved technological level. Within this context, a mineralogical …
Compositional reference for the documented Archaic production of indigenous matt-painted pottery at Entella (Western Sicily)
2015
This contribution is focused on a specific class of indigenous Archaic pottery (sixth and fifth century BC) with matt-painted geometric decoration that was recovered in large quantities in the excavations at Entella, an indigenous site located in western Sicily. The site of Entella was strategically considerable in this part of Sicily, controlling the north-south routes running along the river Belice. Kiln structures were attested at Entella that, until today, it is the only Archaic site in the area with an unmistakable evidence of production of fine pottery. The present research is aimed at yielding a complete petrographic and chemical characterization of the table ware produced at Entella…
Ceramic production at Selinunte (Sicily) during the 4th and 3rd century BCE: New archaeometric data through the analysis of kiln wastes
2018
Abstract A set of 37 overfired ceramic samples was collected from the dump of two kilns sited in the productive area FF1 in the acropolis of Selinunte (south western Sicily), being specifically active in the period 409–250 BCE. The ceramic samples were analysed by thin-section petrography and chemical analysis, with the aim to establish a valuable ‘reference group’ representative of the ceramic produced at Selinunte during the Punic phase. The petrographic and chemical analyses allowed to state that the ceramic manufactures from the kilns operating in the FF1 insula are characterized by rather homogeneous textural/compositional features. The daily-use common ware here produced is characteri…
Electrochemical Fingerprint of Archeological Lead Silicate Glasses Using the Voltammetry of Microparticles Approach
2016
9 págs.; 14 figs.; 1 tab.
Sources of geomaterials in the Sicani Mountains during the Early Middle Ages: A case study of Contrada Castro, central western Sicily
2022
From 2017, an unknown rural settlement in Contrada Castro at Corleone (Palermo Province, western Sicily) was investigated as part of the `Harvesting Memories Project¿. The stratigraphic sequence, supported by radiocarbon dating, has demonstrated a reoccupation of a pre-Roman site during the transition between the Byzantine and Islamic periods. In particular, the main occupation occurred in the late 8th¿9th century when pottery kilns and a probable warehouse were constructed. During the 10th¿11th century, a new structure with different orientations replaced the previous buildings that had already collapsed. Specifically focusing on a perspective of the household production and its relationsh…