Two isolated kilns of unknown age and three well‐dated artifacts from Tunisia have been investigated using archaeomagnetic techniques. Dating has been attempted for the kilns and archaeomagnetic intensities have been obtained for the artifacts. The kilns lack datable artifacts although one of them (Sidi Zahruni) could be related to a nearby late Roman site. Comparison with the SCHA.DIF.3K regional geomagnetic model suggests for both kilns two possible periods of last use, either Roman or Medieval. Three archaeomagnetic intensities were obtained for the well‐dated ceramic artifacts adding to scarce archaeomagnetic data from Africa. The new data along with recently published archaeointensities from other Tunisian sites have been compared with the regional model SCHA.DIF.3K, its updated version, and the global ARCH3k.1 geomagnetic model. The models show relatively good agreement with the new archaeointensities and with previously published intensities. The uncertainty of the experimental data tends to increase for older artifacts, and their agreement with the geomagnetic models diminishes. The observed trend of the intensity models to underestimate values in the Tunisian area for the Roman period could be overcome by adding new data from well‐dated artifacts from North African, particularly from pre‐Roman and Roman sites.
A very accurate archaeological dating of a Roman site in NE Spain (El Vila-sec) was made based on the typology of pottery artifacts. Three different phases were identified with activity ranging from the mid-1st century BC to the early-3rd century AD. Analyses of bricks from kilns at El Vila-sec produced data on their stored archaeomagnetic vector. These data were compared with the secular variation curve for the Iberian Peninsula and the SCHA.DIF.3K regional archaeomagnetic model. Both, the reference curve and the model, produced probability distributions for the final period of use for two kilns from the second archaeological phase that were not used during the third phase. At a 95% confidence level, both time distributions cover a wide chronological range including the presumed archaeological age. Both the Iberian secular variation curve and the SCHA.DIF.3K regional model proved to be suitable models for dating the site, although on their own they do not produce a single unambiguous solution. This archaeomagnetic approach could also be applied to neighbouring archaeological sites that have an imprecise archaeological age. Highlights ►We date accurately a Roman site in Spain by typology of pottery artifacts. ► We date the last use of pottery kilns from the site using archaeomagnetic techniques. ► Derived archaeological and archaeomagnetic ages agree well. ► The Iberian SVC and the SCHA.DIF.3K models are suitable for dating sites from Spain. ► The presented approach may be applied to similar sites lacking datable artifacts.
19Archaeomagnetic dating for four archaeological structures has been attempted in 20 Catalonia (NE Spain) using magnetic inclination and declination values from three 21 reference curves: the Iberian SVC and two curves computed using the regional 22
This paper presents the results of the archaeometric study of African Keay 25.2amphorae fromthe archaeological\ud site of Sidi Zahruni (Beni Khiar, NE Tunisia), where this pottery was massively produced. A set of 43 amphorae\ud was analysed with a combined approach consisting of thin-section petrography, X-ray powder diffraction\ud (XRPD) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF), to establish a homogeneous reference group for this production. Although\ud all the amphorae are petrographically very similar, three petro-fabrics were identified in terms of grain-size distribution\ud and abundance of inclusions. Detailed digital image analysis, carried out on SEM-BSE images of some\ud representative samples of each petro-fabric, was used to quantify the differences among them. Cluster analysis\ud of XRPD data patterns also revealed groups of samples forwhich similar rawmaterials/paste and firing conditions\ud were used, contributing to better assessment of information on the production process. Statistical multivariate\ud treatment (principal component and cluster analyses) of chemical data and comparisons with 10 samples previously\ud attributed to the Sidi Zahruni potteries show that the potsherds analysed here are similar from the geochemical\ud viewpoint. Similar trends in the abundance and ratio of some trace and rare earth elements (REE)\ud also indicate that the Sidi Zahruni amphorae were produced from a local clayey material collected from nearby\ud outcrops of Upper Miocene deposits
Archaeomagnetic dating techniques have been applied to constrain the age of kilns from five archaeological sites in Catalonia (NE Spain). The SCHA.DIF.3K regional archaeomagnetic model and the secular variation curve for the Iberian Peninsula were used. Three sites (Vil•la de Barenys, La Buada and Collet de Sant Antoni) produced typologically datable artifacts and the archaeomagnetic-direction dating of their kilns agrees roughly with the archaeological ages. Two kilns, at Sota la Timba del Castellot (TC) and Riera de la Selva (RS) appeared isolated lacking of datable artefacts and their archaeomagnetic directions bring important information on their age. For example, the result at RS could be an evidence of the survival of kilns of Roman type (Cuomo di Caprio II/c or Le Ny IIF) up to late Antiquity. Archaeointensities were also obtained for two kilns (La Buada and TC), the first is a datum that can be used as a reference point to improve the description of the archaeointensity variation during Roman times and the latter was used to constrain further the age of kiln TC and confirming its Antique age. Highlights • We applied archaeomagnetic dating techniques to five kilns from archaeological sites in Catalonia. We constraint the age of three kilns bearing archaeological context. • We date two isolated kilns with no archaeological context. • Derived archaeological and archaeomagnetic ages agree well. • We provide a new archaeointensity reference value.
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