Using absorption spectroscopy as a non-destructive tool for the study of silver-staining in glass: An operational flowchart to assign the technology parameters
Transforming the Landscape.: An Idiosyncratic Response towards Increasing Overseas Influences in the Tremitos valley (SE Cyprus) at the Transition from the Middle to the Late Bronze Age
Production and ceramic technology at the Late Bronze Age site of Alassa-Pano Mandilaris (Cyprus - Kouris Valley)First things first: understanding the nature of the raw material(s) and their source(s)
The Distribution of Technological Knowledge in the Production of Ancient Mediterranean Pottery, 2015
A number of studies have focused on Plain Ware ceramics from Alassa-Pano Mandilaris, a site datin... more A number of studies have focused on Plain Ware ceramics from Alassa-Pano Mandilaris, a site dating from Late Cypriot (LC) IIC to LC IIIA1, and have especially considered their wide fabric variation, with six macroscopic types and eight petrographic fabric groups identified2. More samples have been examined here (Black Slip, Coarse Cooking, and White Painted Wheelmade III3) in order to characterize production and ceramic technology. A total of twelve petrographic fabric groups were identified and the combination of petrography with lead (Pb) isotope analysis suggested that most could have been made with local raw materials4. New preliminary strontium (Sr) isotopic results identify two distinct groups that explain the nature and source(s) of the raw materials in more detail. This result is crucial for understanding local ceramic technology because it targets the very first steps of the operational chain: the selection and procurement of raw materials, and their sources. This paper will investigate: a) to what degree the local environment (including natural variability and/or the use of different clay sources) played a role in the distinction of the twelve fabric groups and b) whether the new grouping corresponds with distinct productions or ceramic traditions.
The analysis of iron, manganese and antimony in silicate glass is of great interest in chemistry,... more The analysis of iron, manganese and antimony in silicate glass is of great interest in chemistry, materials science, earth sciences and archaeological sciences. Yet, conclusions from different fields appear to be contradictory and many questions about redox reactions in glass remain. The purpose of this study is thus to discuss whether and how these multivalent elements interact in glass. Soda-lime silicate melts containing iron along with manganese and/or antimony have been analysed at different high temperatures under argon atmosphere. Using in-situ XANES at the Fe K-edge, redox thermodynamics, kinetics and diffusivities have been assessed for the different compositions. The data obtained show that antimony is more efficient at oxidising iron compared to manganese at all temperatures. The oxidising power trend would thus be Sb > Sb + Mn > Mn. Furthermore, hypotheses on the formation of Fe-Mn complexes are also reported in glasses with stoichiometric proportions of iron and manganese. Based on the determination of redox diffusivities, it appears that presence of other multivalent elements does not significantly affect the iron redox mechanisms and that diffusivity is essentially controlled by the mobility of calcium.
Sr isotope analysis for the provenance study of ancient ceramics: An integrated approach
ABSTRACT The potential of Sr isotopic analysis in provenance studies of ancient ceramics has been... more ABSTRACT The potential of Sr isotopic analysis in provenance studies of ancient ceramics has been explored in only a limited number of case studies. The current project aims to re-access the application of Sr isotopes for the provenance study of pottery, within the scope of an integrated analytical approach. The technique was applied to both pottery sherds and clay sediment samples from Cyprus as an effort to link the isotopic fingerprint of the raw materials to that of the final product. The results were meant to be compared to and complement pre-existing Pb isotopic analysis, petrographic and elemental composition data [Renson et al., 2011, Renson et al., 2012a, Renson et al.,2012b]. The initial motive was to determine the applicability of Sr isotopic analysis within the scope of provenance studies and investigate to which extent these results could be used to disambiguate previous Pb isotopic analysis research on the same samples. To this end a preliminary test group of 52 samples from the Late Bronze Age archaeological site of Hala Sultan Tekke (Dromolaxia – Vyzakia, Cyprus) were selected: 27 ceramic sherds, covering different classes of local and imported pottery (Plain White Wheel-made, coarse-ware, White Slip II, Canaanite/storage jars), and 25 clay sediment samples, covering a variety of geological units within relative proximity to the area. The samples were analysed using MC-ICP-MS in order to determine their characteristic 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratio. The Sr isotopic analysis data were assessed in parallel with the previously obtained Pb isotopic data, allowing a more clear distinction between the isotopic fingerprint of the raw material sources and the sherds. Moreover, the combined isotopic data demonstrated a correlation to the ceramic fabrics defined through petrography, thus providing a quantitative validation to those results.
Kult-Tisch: Kyprische Keramik im Kontext; eine Ausstellung in der Antikensammlung der Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen; Gießen, Wallenfels' sches Haus …
Using absorption spectroscopy as a non-destructive tool for the study of silver-staining in glass: An operational flowchart to assign the technology parameters
Transforming the Landscape.: An Idiosyncratic Response towards Increasing Overseas Influences in the Tremitos valley (SE Cyprus) at the Transition from the Middle to the Late Bronze Age
Production and ceramic technology at the Late Bronze Age site of Alassa-Pano Mandilaris (Cyprus - Kouris Valley)First things first: understanding the nature of the raw material(s) and their source(s)
The Distribution of Technological Knowledge in the Production of Ancient Mediterranean Pottery, 2015
A number of studies have focused on Plain Ware ceramics from Alassa-Pano Mandilaris, a site datin... more A number of studies have focused on Plain Ware ceramics from Alassa-Pano Mandilaris, a site dating from Late Cypriot (LC) IIC to LC IIIA1, and have especially considered their wide fabric variation, with six macroscopic types and eight petrographic fabric groups identified2. More samples have been examined here (Black Slip, Coarse Cooking, and White Painted Wheelmade III3) in order to characterize production and ceramic technology. A total of twelve petrographic fabric groups were identified and the combination of petrography with lead (Pb) isotope analysis suggested that most could have been made with local raw materials4. New preliminary strontium (Sr) isotopic results identify two distinct groups that explain the nature and source(s) of the raw materials in more detail. This result is crucial for understanding local ceramic technology because it targets the very first steps of the operational chain: the selection and procurement of raw materials, and their sources. This paper will investigate: a) to what degree the local environment (including natural variability and/or the use of different clay sources) played a role in the distinction of the twelve fabric groups and b) whether the new grouping corresponds with distinct productions or ceramic traditions.
The analysis of iron, manganese and antimony in silicate glass is of great interest in chemistry,... more The analysis of iron, manganese and antimony in silicate glass is of great interest in chemistry, materials science, earth sciences and archaeological sciences. Yet, conclusions from different fields appear to be contradictory and many questions about redox reactions in glass remain. The purpose of this study is thus to discuss whether and how these multivalent elements interact in glass. Soda-lime silicate melts containing iron along with manganese and/or antimony have been analysed at different high temperatures under argon atmosphere. Using in-situ XANES at the Fe K-edge, redox thermodynamics, kinetics and diffusivities have been assessed for the different compositions. The data obtained show that antimony is more efficient at oxidising iron compared to manganese at all temperatures. The oxidising power trend would thus be Sb > Sb + Mn > Mn. Furthermore, hypotheses on the formation of Fe-Mn complexes are also reported in glasses with stoichiometric proportions of iron and manganese. Based on the determination of redox diffusivities, it appears that presence of other multivalent elements does not significantly affect the iron redox mechanisms and that diffusivity is essentially controlled by the mobility of calcium.
Sr isotope analysis for the provenance study of ancient ceramics: An integrated approach
ABSTRACT The potential of Sr isotopic analysis in provenance studies of ancient ceramics has been... more ABSTRACT The potential of Sr isotopic analysis in provenance studies of ancient ceramics has been explored in only a limited number of case studies. The current project aims to re-access the application of Sr isotopes for the provenance study of pottery, within the scope of an integrated analytical approach. The technique was applied to both pottery sherds and clay sediment samples from Cyprus as an effort to link the isotopic fingerprint of the raw materials to that of the final product. The results were meant to be compared to and complement pre-existing Pb isotopic analysis, petrographic and elemental composition data [Renson et al., 2011, Renson et al., 2012a, Renson et al.,2012b]. The initial motive was to determine the applicability of Sr isotopic analysis within the scope of provenance studies and investigate to which extent these results could be used to disambiguate previous Pb isotopic analysis research on the same samples. To this end a preliminary test group of 52 samples from the Late Bronze Age archaeological site of Hala Sultan Tekke (Dromolaxia – Vyzakia, Cyprus) were selected: 27 ceramic sherds, covering different classes of local and imported pottery (Plain White Wheel-made, coarse-ware, White Slip II, Canaanite/storage jars), and 25 clay sediment samples, covering a variety of geological units within relative proximity to the area. The samples were analysed using MC-ICP-MS in order to determine their characteristic 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratio. The Sr isotopic analysis data were assessed in parallel with the previously obtained Pb isotopic data, allowing a more clear distinction between the isotopic fingerprint of the raw material sources and the sherds. Moreover, the combined isotopic data demonstrated a correlation to the ceramic fabrics defined through petrography, thus providing a quantitative validation to those results.
Kult-Tisch: Kyprische Keramik im Kontext; eine Ausstellung in der Antikensammlung der Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen; Gießen, Wallenfels' sches Haus …
The proposed model assumes that glassworkers did not randomly produce the different shapes of cor... more The proposed model assumes that glassworkers did not randomly produce the different shapes of core-formed glass vessels in late Archaic to late Hellenistic period. We consider more likely the pressing of a roughly formed core into a carefully prepared mould excluding coincidentally corresponding hand-made cores and resulting in standardised shapes with specific volumes. Such practice could facilitate a swift and easy creation of the desired shape and size to contain the required volume of the glass vessel. The motivation to use standardised shapes with fixed volume is multiple: (1) perfume marketers needed to be certain to buy uniform sets of very recognizable vessels with the required volumes to contain their produce; (2) customers feel more secure when familiar with vessel types of specific perfume sellers connected to a fixed amount of a particular perfume; (3) most likely the standardised volumes were subject to the measurement system in use; (4) not wanting to spend more glass, fuel or time than necessary the glassworker was forced to improve the production process to survive competition with workshops producing similar containers in other materials such as ceramics and alabaster. This prompted glassworkers to develop an easy and rapid production process for each vessel shape to estimate the desired volume as precisely as possible. A preliminary study proposed the application of two different metrical systems in the production of core-formed vessels, indicating the existence of two different productions each supplying a distinctive distribution market. To exclude randomness of this hypothesis volume measurements of an increased amount of objects comprise large sets from for instance the British museum and the Louvre museum.
Capacity measurements of core-formed glass vessels and a
comparative study of the volumes of the ... more Capacity measurements of core-formed glass vessels and a comparative study of the volumes of the various vessel shapes prove a useful way to illuminate the production, distribution and use of core-formed glass containers in the Mediterranean world during the late Archaic to late Hellenistic period. Moreover, it can improve our knowledge of the connectivity between different Mediterranean cultural entities and the impact of the widespread Greek and Phoenician/Punic trade networks on the distribution of these glass containers.
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Papers by Karin Nys
The motivation to use standardised shapes with fixed volume is multiple: (1) perfume marketers needed to be certain to buy uniform sets of very recognizable vessels with the required volumes to contain their produce; (2) customers feel more secure when familiar with vessel types of specific perfume sellers connected to a fixed amount of a particular perfume; (3) most likely the standardised volumes were subject to the measurement system in use; (4) not wanting to spend more glass, fuel or time than necessary the glassworker was forced to improve the production process to survive competition with workshops producing similar containers in other materials such as ceramics and alabaster. This prompted glassworkers to develop an easy and rapid production process for each vessel shape to estimate the desired volume as precisely as possible.
A preliminary study proposed the application of two different metrical systems in the production of core-formed vessels, indicating the existence of two different productions each supplying a distinctive distribution market. To exclude randomness of this hypothesis volume measurements of an increased amount of objects comprise large sets from for instance the British museum and the Louvre museum.
comparative study of the volumes of the various vessel
shapes prove a useful way to illuminate the production,
distribution and use of core-formed glass containers in the
Mediterranean world during the late Archaic to late
Hellenistic period. Moreover, it can improve our knowledge
of the connectivity between different Mediterranean
cultural entities and the impact of the widespread Greek
and Phoenician/Punic trade networks on the distribution
of these glass containers.