Search results for "visual_art"
showing 10 items of 2987 documents
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 …
Terracotas en Terra Sigillata Hispánica. Reflexión a partir de un nuevo ejemplar en Augusta Emerita (Mérida, Badajoz)
2017
En este trabajo abordamos el estudio en clave iconográfca, funcional y cronológica de un ejemplar de terracota elaborado en Terra Sigillata Hispánica (TSH). Éste apareció en un contexto funerario en Augusta Emerita. Se trata de una fgura de bulto redondo mutilada y que presenta la peculiaridad de estar pintada, algo no muy frecuente en el repertorio de la TSH. Aprovechamos además la ocasión para plantear una nueva hipótesis interpretativa sobre este hallazgo como representación de una deidad oriental y analizamos otros ejemplares similares producidos en las otras fglinae peninsulares
Exploring automatic grouping procedures in ceramic petrology
2004
Although a small number of studies have attempted to introduce automatic grouping procedures into thin section petrography of archaeological ceramics, the majority of studies continue to be carried out by non-automatic means. Although such an approach with the single observer grouping samples has a number of advantages, it is problematic when dealing with large numbers of samples. This paper aims to explore different coding systems and statistical analyses for grouping ceramic thin sections. In the example discussed a number of variables are defined, codified and analysed by correspondence analysis, classical multidimensional scaling, non-metric isotonic multidimensional scaling and Sammon …
Statistical analysis of engraving traces on a 3D digital model of prehistoric stone stelae
2016
International audience; Studying cultural heritage artefacts, using 3D digital models, is gaining interest. It not only allows applications in documentation and visualisation, but also permits further contact-less examination. In this paper, we are presenting a statistical analysis of stone engravings based on features that were semi-automatically extracted from 3D acquisition data. Our objects of study are two Neolithic stone stelae and a faithful replica that was created in the course of an archaeological study. We use common statistical methods and investigate the populations of depth and diameter of the engraving traces, as well as their correlation. We observe that the erosion of the t…
Preservation of fungi in archaeological charcoal
2010
During the analysis of wood charcoal remains from archaeological sites, it is common to find different microorganisms and different forms of degradation present in the plant tissue. However, one may encounter difficulties when attempting to identify these microorganisms and determine when their attack occurred. This paper focuses on preservation aspects related to the microorganisms in wood and demonstrates the structural changes that take place in different types of decayed wood after it was converted into charcoal. The study seeks to determine whether the microbial attack found in archaeological woods took place before the burning of the wood or after. Burning experiments were conducted u…
on the contrasts in the charcoal assemblage of a Late Iron Age and a Romano-British roadside settlement
2019
On the contrasts in the charcoal assemblage of a Late Iron Age and a Romano-British roadside settlement
Music, gender and rituals in the Ancient Mediterranean: revisiting the Punic evidence
2012
Abstract Music, playing instruments and performing rituals are bodily activities and as such they can be studied stressing their corporeal features. Music and sounds are usually essential elements in rites, and bodies play an essential role in bringing together music and rituals. We explore these issues focusing on Punic terracotta figurines playing musical instruments recovered from the island of Ibiza (fifth to third centuries bc).
Ceramic Ethnoarchaeometry in Western Sardinia: Production of Cooking Ware at Pabillonis
2014
Ceramic ethnoarchaeology has been used to explore fully the chaine operatoire and to understand all of the stages and factors involved in pottery production, such as raw material selection or paste recipes used by the potters. This work presents the results of the application of compositional analysis undertaken in the village of Pabillonis (western Sardinia, Italy), the main cooking ware production centre of the island. Pottery and local clays have been characterized using a combination of analytical techniques. By integrating the ethnographic information and the archaeometric approach, it was possible to reconstruct the operational sequence, exploring the relationship between the processi…
The Use of Facial Characteristics as Engendering Strategies in Phoenician-Punic Studies
2016
Facial characteristics such as discs on cheeks or exaggerated chins have been traditionally used to interpret Phoenician-Punic materials as representing either females or males. Beards and pointed chins, for instance, have been considered male attributes for terracotta masks, while disks have been interpreted as feminine makeup when present on figurines and ostrich eggshells. However, problems and even paradoxes of interpretation emerge when such characteristics appear on objects already (and perhaps arbitrarily) alternately gendered male or female. Thus, the cosmetic disks on “feminine” figurines become “warts” and “astral symbols” when appearing on “male” masks. Such conundrums show how s…
CORRELATION BETWEEN SPECTRAL, SEM/EDX AND ELECTROCHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF MAYA BLUE: A CHEMOMETRIC STUDY*
2009
Visible spectra, composition from SEM/EDX and solid-state electrochemical data are correlated for a set of 12 Maya Blue samples from different archaeological sites of Campeche and Yucatan (Mexico). In addition to indigo and dehydroindigo, indirubin and other possibly indigo-type compounds can be detected in Maya Blue samples. Application of hierarchical cluster analysis techniques allows similarity relationships to be established between samples from different sites, confirming prior results which suggest that the preparation of Maya Blue pigment evolved with time during the Maya culture following a ramified scheme.