Archaeometry

This study presents an investigation of 19 obsidian artifacts recovered from Southern Sinaloa, as well as obsidian samples recovered from the deposits at Teuchitlán and La Joya (both in Jalisco State) and at Abasolo (Guanajuato). Chemical analyses were carried out by means of PIXE (proton induced X-ray emission), obtaining the concentration of the following elements: sodium, magnesium, aluminum, silicon, chlorine, potassium, calcium, titanium, manganese, iron, zinc, arsenic, rubidium, yttrium, and zirconium. The statistical analysis of the results, together with data from the literature, allowed for an identification of the obsidian deposits used in the manufacture of pre-Hispanic artifacts, namely: Las Navajas-2 (Nayarit), Teuchitlán (Jalisco), Sierra de Pachuca (Hidalgo), and Abasolo (Guanajuato). The first deposit mentioned was most popular in Southern Sinaloa, though the range of sources went all the way from relatively nearby ones, like those around the Tequila volcano, to the Bajío region and Central Mesoamerica. This study proposes the obsidian trading routes that could have reached Southern Sinaloa.

Researchers from different fields like archaeology, history, philology and natural sciences present their studies on ancient gemstones. Using precious minerals as an example, trade flows and craftsmanship, but also utilisation and perception are discussed in a cross-cultural and diachronic approach. The present volume aims at three main questions concerning gemstones in archaeological and historical contexts: »Mines and Trade«, »Gemstone Working« as well as »The Value and the Symbolic Meaning(s) of Gemstones«.
This volume contains the proceedings of the conference »Gemstones in the first Millennium AD« held in autumn 2015 in Mainz, Germany, within the scope of the BMBF-funded project »Weltweites Zellwerk – International Framework«.

Resumen: El vidrio de al-Andalus ha recibido poco interés por parte de la investigación
especializada. Sin embargo, recientes avances han puesto de manifiesto su interés
no solo desde un punto de vista meramente formal sino también como un medio auxiliar
para conocer diversos aspectos de la sociedad andalusí.
En este trabajo se recopilan de manera muy sintética lo que sabemos en la actualidad
sobre el vidrio en al-Andalus. Partiendo de una breve introducción sobre la producción
y comercialización del vidrio en al-Andalus a partir de las investigaciones arqueométricas,
se bosqueja la evolución de sus formas y decoraciones a lo largo de la historia de
al-Andalus. Con ello tratamos de poner de relieve las grandes posibilidades que ofrece
su estudio multidisciplinar aunando la información de las fuentes escritas, la arqueología,
la tipológica y la composición química del vidrio. Una investigación que aún se
encuentra en un estado incipiente pero que ya se está constituyendo como una herramienta
muy relevante para el estudio de la evolución y difusión de las modas estéticas,
la tecnología, mecanismos de producción y el comercio en la historia de al-Andalus.
Palabras clave: Vidrio, Arqueometría, Tipología, al-Andalus, Arte Islámico.
Abstract: Glass from al-Andalus has received little attention from specialized research.
Recent progress has shown its interest not only from a formal perspective, but
also as an auxiliary source in understanding various aspects of Andalusian society. In
this paper, we have compiled in a very synthetic way what we know so far about glass
in al-Andalus. Starting with a brief introduction on the production and commercialisation
of glass in al-Andalus based on archaeometric research, we outline the evolution
of its forms and decorations throughout the history of al-Andalus. The aim is to
highlight the great potential offered by a multidisciplinary approach combining information
from written sources, archaeology, typology, and the chemical composition of
glass. The research on glass in al-Andalus is its infancy but is already becoming a relevant
tool for studying the development and diffusion of aesthetic trends, technologies,
mechanisms of production and trade in the history of al-Andalus.
Keywords: Glass, Archaeometry, Typology, al-Andalus, Islamic Art.

The article aims to present results of the analysis of stone artefacts (fragments of architectural decoration, sarcophagi, opus sectile) from the late antique basilica and adjacent medieval monastery of San Severo in Classe (Ravenna, Italy). The research is focused on the qualitative and quantitative study of stone artefacts with regards on signs of their reuse. A hypothesis of the application of late antique materials in medieval reconstructions of San Severo monastic complex is discussed on the basis of lithotype and provenance study of stone artefacts and the late antique marble trade in the Mediterranean. INTRODUZIONE IL SIGNIFICATO DI RAVENNA E DEL PORTO DI CLASSE NEL V-X SECOLO Ravenna (Fig. 1) ha vissuto il periodo della sua massima prosperità economica e sviluppo cultu-rale durante il V e VI secolo d.C. come sedes imperialis della Pars Occidentalis, a partire dal trasferi-mento della corte imperiale nel 402 da Milano a Ravenna, causato soprattutto da motivi strategici (buona viabilità, l'accesso immediato al mare) e politici (contatti facilitati con Costantinopoli nonché il suo status di "disembedded capital" come la definisce Deliyannis: Deliyannis 2010, 3, 41, 309). Lo spostamento della sede imperiale determinò alcuni cambiamenti non solo nella città di Ravenna, ma anche nelle zone limitrofe, nell'entroterra: l'intensificazione dell'attività edilizia, produttiva e commerciale, e dell'economia interregionale. Questi cambiamenti hanno avuto un impatto nell'infrastruttura dell'intera regione, grazie alla ripresa di contatti più stretti con Roma e con le regioni centro-italiche e infine anche con Costantinopoli (cfr. Antonelli et al. 2016, 354). La prosperità e l'influsso culturale di Ravenna sul resto della penisola continuò anche durante il regno ostrogoto, soprattutto con Teoderico (493-526). 1 Nonostante le circostanze infauste della querra gotica (535-554), l'attività edilizia a Ravenna continua anche dopo la conquista da parte dei Bizantini nel 540 (Ravegnani 2004, 11-68) quando sono state completate e consacrate le basiliche, la cui costruzione era stata avviata durante il regno di Teoderico. 1 Nel V e nella prima metà del VI secolo Ravenna e Classe hanno vissuto uno straordinario boom edilizio, con la costruzione di un'infrastruttura viaria urbana, nuove mura e imponenti basiliche cristiane monumentali, ornate da mosaici preziosi e da una ricca decorazione architettonica in marmo (Augenti-Cirelli 2010, 605).

The composition and production of pre-modern glazed tiles in Pakistan are not well understood. Here, 38 glazed tile samples sourced from various monuments at Makli Hill and Lahore Fort in Pakistan, dating mainly from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries CE, were investigated with scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry for a comprehensive technological study to understand the methods used in their production. The analyses were supplemented by laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry to more fully characterise the raw materials used for the glazes. The Makli tile bodies are composed of clay-based ceramic whereas those from Lahore are stonepaste. Both are coated with soda-lime-silica glazes made using plant ash. Cobalt, copper, lead‑tin yellow and lead‑tin orange are identified as the glaze colorants. White glazes do not have an added opacifier or colorant, but are white due to the presence of an underlying layer of silica particles. Technological variations between the Makli and Lahore tiles are highlighted in the discussions, the former found to resemble traditional kashi ware of Sindh-Multan in their make-up, while the latter matches Mughal tile-work that prevailed for a while locally in the seventeenth century.

This paper describes the results of the surveys carried out along Ras Muari (Cape Monze, Karachi, Sindh) by the Italian Archaeological Mission in Lower Sindh and Las Bela in 2013 and 2014. The surveyed area coincides with part of the mythical land of the Ichthyophagoi, mentioned by the classical chroniclers. Many archaeological sites, mainly scatters and spots of fragmented marine and mangrove shells, were discovered and AMS dated along the northern part of the cape facing the Hab River mouth. The surveys have shown that fisher and shell gatherer communities temporarily settled in different parts of the headland. They began to exploit the sea resources during the Neolithic. However, the most important discovery consists of a unique fishers’ settlement with rectangular stone-walled structures located on a limestone terrace near Sonari (SNR-I), the first ever found along the northern coast of the Arabian Sea. The AMS dates show that it was settled mainly during the first half of the third millennium cal BC when the Indus Civilisation flourished in the area. Considering the importance of the discovery, all the material culture remains from the Sonari sites have been described and analysed in detail and, whenever possible, framed into the different phases of environmental changes and human adaptation to the coastal environment that have been interpreted thanks to a good series of AMS dates from marine and mangrove shells.

UNFORTUNATELY, DUE TO COPYRIGHT ISSUES IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO MAKE THE COMPLETE ARTICLE ACCESSIBLE HERE. PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO CONTACT ME IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS PAPER. The article presents the results of petrographic and geochemical analyses on Linear Band Pottery culture (LBK) ceramic materials from the Dzielnica site (Upper Silesia, southern Poland). The study area, situated in the northern foreland of the Moravian Gate, can be considered a melting pot for various cultural influences. This peculiar location resulted in multidirectional entanglements of the Early Neolithic inhabitants of the site. The aim of the present study is to elucidate the importance of pottery exchange in these foreign connections. The sherds ornamented in Alföld styles prove to be consistent with local geochemical and petrographic signature and, therefore, may be regarded as a result of implementation of exogenous decorative patterns. On the other hand, at least some of the vessels decorated in Šárka style should be considered to have been produced elsewhere. The archaeometric results indicate that the long-distance exchange of pottery was probably largely confined to occasional importation of vessels from the adjacent areas of Lower Silesia and northern Moravia. In addition, it may be tentatively suggested that some mundane, stylistically inconspicuous ceramics could have been passed through intra-regional circulation within the Upper Odra River basin.