2024
Article title: From Hellenistic slipped tableware to Roman Imperial Sagalassos Red Slip Ware: A petrographic and geochemical study
Authors: Chr. Kelepeshi (ESR04, KULeuven), D. Braekmans, Dr. Daems, J. Poblome, E. Vassilieva, P. Degryse
Source: Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 53, February 2024, 104390
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2024.104390
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352409X2400018X
Abstract: This paper offers new insights from the petrographic and geochemical characterisation of 92 pottery samples from the archaeological site of Sagalassos in SW Anatolia (modern-day Turkey). The sampled table wares form part of the Hellenistic to Roman Imperial local pottery production lines. The aim of this study is to reconstruct in more detail the tableware production at the site and examine Sagalassos Red Slip Ware (SRSW) in comparison with the pre-existing Hellenistic tradition in slipped pottery. The results suggest that Hellenistic Colour Coated Ware (CCW) and Gray Ware with Black Slip (GWBS) were locally produced at the site using the same raw materials as the ones used for the subsequent mass-produced Sagalassos Red Slip Ware (SRSW), namely clays from the nearby NW parts of the valley of Çanaklı. SRSW appears thus as a continuation of the Hellenistic tradition in slipped pottery at Sagalassos, at least as far as some choices for clay raw materials are concerned. At the same time, this study provides for the first time evidence of regional production of a type of eastern sigillata that appears macroscopically similar to SRSW, while the number of identified imported wares to the polis of Sagalassos contributes new evidence to the discussion on the production of GWBS in the wider region of Anatolia and the origin of Eastern Sigillata A (ESA). Using the site of Sagalassos as a case-study, this research aims to demonstrate the importance of the analytical examination of pottery in a longue durée perspective in order to reconstruct ceramic traditions and better understand the local and regional sociocultural mechanisms behind them.
Keywords: Sagalassos; Tableware; Hellenistic-Roman Imperial period; Ceramic petrography; Geochemical analysis; Ceramic technology
Article title: Reassembling the pieces, reassessing the picture: an analytical study of medieval pottery (mid. twelfth–sixteenth c.) from Polis Chrysochous, Cyprus
Authors: Chr. Kelepeshi (ESR04, KULeuven), J. Živković
Source: Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences 16:8
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-023-01909-y
Abstract: This paper presents the results of the analytical study of medieval pottery (mid. twelfth–sixteenth centuries AD), both glazed tableware and coarse wares, from a domestic structure uncovered at the site of Polis-Petrerades, Cyprus. A total of 50 samples were selected for scientific analysis, representing the main wares attested across the island from the Frankish (1192–1489) and Venetian (1489–1571) periods. This study follows an integrated approach to ceramic studies, which includes the classifica- tion of wares as well as petrographic and chemical analyses of selected samples, aiming to characterise ceramic bodies, slips and glazes. The results contribute to the reconstruction of production sequences that were, furthermore, interpreted within the archaeological and historical contexts of the period to address questions of ceramic production, potting traditions and distribution of medieval wares in Cyprus. Glazed tableware of different local workshops, namely Paphos and Lapithos, along with imports, reached that particular domestic building in the northwest of the island. Furthermore, local glazed and unglazed coarse wares were produced at different workshops than glazed tableware, the former showing a consistent preference for non-calcareous clays associated with the Troodos mountains. The heterogeneous character of the assemblage demonstrates the active participation of Polis Chrysochous within the regional and interregional trading routes of the period. At the same time, by focusing on a consumption context, this study reveals the potential that can be gained through the scientific analysis of both table and coarse wares from urban and rural sites of Medieval Cyprus.
Keywords: Medieval Cyprus · Glazed tableware · Cooking pots · Ceramic production · Slips · Lead glazes
2023
Article title: Making and working Egyptian blue – a review of the archaeological evidence
Authors: I. Kovalev (ESR02, CyI), A.S. Rodler, C. Brøns, Th. Rehren
Source: Journal of Archaeological Science, Vol. 153
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2023.105772
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S030544032300050X
Abstract: As the earliest artificial pigment, Egyptian blue has a millennia-long history of production, processing/working, and use. This paper offers a review of the published archaeological evidence for Egyptian blue production, aiming to identify common and potentially diagnostic criteria for each process step to aid future identification and interpretation of Egyptian blue workshops sensu lato. We identify systematic differences in the production evidence between Late Bronze Age and Hellenistic to Late Roman sites, respectively, and propose a model to distinguish between primary production and secondary/artistic processing of Egyptian blue. Finally, we note the absence of direct evidence for the production and processing of Egyptian blue for much of the known period of its use.
Keywords: Egyptian blue; Ancient pigment manufacturing; Crucibles; High-temperature processes