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Thin-section Petrography (thin-section + petrography)
Selected AbstractsCompositional analysis of Yayoi-Heian period ceramics from Okinawa: Examining the potential for provenance studyGEOARCHAEOLOGY: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 8 2006Scott M. Fitzpatrick In Okinawa, locally produced pottery dates back to the Initial Jomon period (,6500 14C yr B.P.). Later in time, especially during the Early Yayoi-Heian period (,300 B.C.,A.D. 300), ceramic assemblages appear to contain mainland (Japan) Yayoi pottery. A greater number of these sherds present in Okinawa over time coincide with an increasing amount of interaction with mainland Japan, as evidenced by other exchange items. In this preliminary study, the authors analyzed sherds from several Early Yayoi-Heian period deposits from sites in Okinawa using thin-section petrography and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). The objective was to examine the applicability of these techniques for Okinawan ceramic provenance studies, assess intra- and intersite variation in mineralogical and chemical composition, and determine whether some sites exhibited a higher frequency of pottery from one locale versus another that might suggest the importation of pottery from mainland Japan. Results are equivocal, suggesting that the region's geological complexity may inhibit successful provenance study of ceramics using these and possibly other compositional techniques. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Petrography and provenance of Laecanius Amphorae from Istria, northern Adriatic region, CroatiaGEOARCHAEOLOGY: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 5 2006Maria A. Mange Amphorae sherds from the Laecanius workshop of Roman Istria (10,5 B.C. and 78 A.D.), Croatia, were studied by integrating archaeological and geological techniques including fabric analysis, thin-section petrography, X-ray diffractometry (XRD), and heavy mineral analysis. The fabric of the sherds showed distinctive characteristics, permitting their classification and allocation into nine fabric groupss. Petrography revealed that quartz is the dominant clastic component, whereas carbonate is common as temper; XRD provided information on firing temperatures that ranged between 750 and 900°C. The sherds contain diverse heavy mineral suites with generally high epidote and garnet proportions; zircon is occasionally important. Garnet/epidote ratios and the presence of diagnostic species (pyroxene, hornblende) showed systematic variations that coincided with similar variations in fabric characteristics. Heavy mineral signatures of amphorae produced in other workshops proved essential in differentiating them from Laecanius sherds. A comparative heavy mineral analysis of terra rossa samples from the vicinity of the workshop indicated that terra rossa was the major source for the paste. Differences observed in the heavy mineral composition of the sherds and terra rossa were interpreted by the spatial heterogeneity of the latter and the mixing of the paste with sandy temper. Fresh Adriatic sponge spicules in the majority of Laecanius sherds and the temper-derived, generally immature heavy mineral assemblages suggest that sandy deposits from the Adriatic were used for the clastic temper. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] A comparative geochemical study of bituminous boat remains from H3, As-Sabiyah (Kuwait), and RJ-2, Ra's al-Jinz (Oman)ARABIAN ARCHAEOLOGY AND EPIGRAPHY, Issue 1 2005Jacques Connan This paper presents a geochemical analysis of fragments of bituminous amalgam from H3, As-Sabiyah (Kuwait), and RJ-2, Ra's al-Jinz (Oman). The fragments bear barnacles on one side and reed impressions on the other, and are thought to have been part of the coating of reed-bundle boats. The material from H3 dates to between 5300,4900 BC, while that of RJ-2 dates to 2500,2100 BC. Samples from both sites were geochemically compared to archaeological and ethnographic material from Kosak Shamali (northern Syria, c.5000,4400 BC), RH-5 (Oman, 4400,3500 BC) and Baghdad (central Iraq, 1900 AD). The composition of the bituminous amalgams was studied in detail. Rock-Eval Pyrolysis gave a measure of Total Organic Carbon in the samples, and allowed an initial comparison of the data sets using various parameters. Examination of the proportions of soluble and insoluble organic matter allowed an assessment of the quantity of vegetal matter added to the bitumen to make the bituminous amalgam. The composition of the Ra's al-Jinz material was studied using X-Ray Diffraction analysis and thin-section petrography, in order to assess the proportions of various minerals in the bituminous amalgams. It was concluded that the recipe for the bituminous mixture used to coat reed-bundle and wooden boats did not differ significantly from that commonly used to make ,mortar' for architectural purposes in Mesopotamia. Traces of animal fats or fish oils were not found in the analysed Ra's al-Jinz material, in contrast to previous hypotheses regarding the composition of the mixture. Comparison of the gross composition of extractable organic matter (the constituents of pure bitumen, soluble in chloroform or dichloromethane) showed the progressive effects of weathering on the samples. The isotopic composition of the bituminous material from H3 and the other sites was then compared to that of bitumen seeps and crude oils from Mesopotamia, Iran and Oman. The most significant result is that the material from As-Sabiyah originated in Kuwait, at a surface seep at Burgan, while the material from Ra's al-Jinz had a source in northern Mesopotamia. [source] CERAMIC PRODUCTION, PROVENANCE AND USE,A REVIEW,ARCHAEOMETRY, Issue 2 2008M. S. TITE The contribution of the physical sciences to the reconstruction of the production technology (i.e., processing of raw materials, forming, surface treatments and firing methods) for earthenwares, stonewares, porcelains and stonepaste bodies are summarized. The organization of production and the reasons for technological choice are considered. Provenance studies based on both chemical analysis and thin-section petrography are discussed, with the investigation of Minoan and Mycenaean pottery being taken as the case study. The approaches to determining how pottery vessels were used in antiquity are outlined. Finally, future developments in ceramic studies are briefly considered. [source] PETROGRAPHIC AND CHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF POTTERY PRODUCTION OF THE LATE MINOAN I KILN AT HAGHIA TRIADA, CRETE,ARCHAEOMETRY, Issue 4 2007C. M. BELFIORE Pottery from the Late Minoan I kiln at Haghia Triada in the Mesara Plain, southern Crete, was analysed by a range of techniques, comprising thin-section petrography, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence and neutron activation analysis. The project characterizes the ceramic fabrics and probable raw materials, correlates paste recipes with shape, reconstructs the firing conditions of the kiln and establishes a chemical reference group, taking into account post-burial alteration and contamination. Comparison of the reference group formed with that from the neighbouring, broadly contemporary, kiln at Kommos shows an unexpected differentiation of the two kilns. [source] THE PETROGRAPHY AND CHEMISTRY OF THIN-WALLED WARE FROM AN HELLENISTIC, ROMAN SITE AT SEGESTA (SICILY),ARCHAEOMETRY, Issue 3 2003G. Montana Samples of Roman thin-walled ware from Segesta (northwestern Sicily), dating back to the early Imperial period, were studied by optical microscopy (OM) and Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA). Up to now, this class of Roman fine tableware has only occasionally been evaluated archaeometrically. Nevertheless, numerous production centres are believed to have been simultaneously active in the western Mediterranean area. Petrographic and chemical data seem to be in agreement with the archaeological hypothesis of local manufacture in Segesta for most of the analysed samples, through a comparison with kiln wasters and local raw materials. The effectiveness of thin-section petrography for determining the provenance of such a tiny tempered class of pottery and the integrated use of two different grouping procedures (petrography and chemistry) were also tested. [source] | ||||||||||