Birch-bark tar in the Roman world: the persistence of an ancient craft tradition?

Regert, Martine; Rodet-Belarbi, Isabelle; Mazuy, Arnaud; Dantec, Gaëlle Le; Dessì, Rosa Maria; Briz, Stéphanie Le; Henry, Auréade; Rageot, Maxime

doi:10.15184/aqy.2019.167

Cited by 16 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 29 publications

(39 reference statements)

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“…These substances are multifunctional materials that were used since Prehistory for their adhesive and hydrophobic properties, among other things (Table S1). In the archaeological record, they are usually discovered as elements used to haft tools or to mend ceramic vessels, as waterproofing agents (Aveling and Heron, 1998a;Bonfield et al, 1997;Connan, 1999;Connan and Van de Velde, 2010;Evans and Heron, 1993;Langlois et al, 2005;Mitkidou et al, 2008;Regert, 2001;Regert, 2004;, or even as aesthetic components of various objects (including for colour) (Bosquet et al, 2001;Connan et al, 2004;Regert et al, 2019;Sauter et al, 2002;Urem-Kotsou et al, 2018). Plant exudates and tars may also have been employed in medicinal practices, such as dental care (Aveling and Heron, 1999;Evans and Heron, 1993;Stern et al, 2006), or used for their odoriferous properties (Lucquin et al, 2007;Marangou and Stern, 2009;Mathe et al, 2004;Stern et al, 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Management systems of adhesive materials throughout the Neolithic in the North-West Mediterranean

Rageot

Lepère

Henry

et al. 2021

Journal of Archaeological Science

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Plant resins, tars and organic fossil substances provide valuable insights into the ecological, environmental and cultural contexts of ancient societies. Their study offers evidence of past knowhow, production systems, socio-economic networks and mobility. In this paper, we present new data from 16 sites located in the North-West Mediterranean that provide new insights into the exploitation of these substances for their adhesive and hydrophobic properties throughout the Neolithic (6000-2500 cal BCE). The substances investigated are discussed in the light of their molecular composition, their uses and manufacturing processes. Spatial analyses were also performed to elucidate raw material procurement strategies. This study considerably increases the body of data available from the Mediterranean and tells a diachronic story of adhesive production and use throughout the Neolithic, highlighting the variability and complexity of production systems and supply networks at different spatial scales. While most adhesive and hydrophobic substances were probably collected locally, birch bark tar was very likely transported across long distances to reach Mediterranean coastal sites. Birch bark tar exploitation intensified in South-Eastern France during the Middle Neolithic, while the Late Neolithic is characterised by a diversification of the substances employed and their range of uses: bitumen, birch bark tar (pure or mixed with Pinaceae resin, beeswax and possibly fat/oil) were important materials that were used for a variety of purposes. Pure Pinaceae exudates were exclusively employed for waterproofing pottery. We also highlight the standardisation of birch bark tar production for adhesive manufacture observed in Provence during the first part of the 4 th millennium cal. BCE.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Management systems of adhesive materials throughout the Neolithic in the North-West Mediterranean

Rageot

Lepère

Henry

et al. 2021

Journal of Archaeological Science

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“…Legumes, cereals, leaves and specific plant oils (e.g., Copley et al, 2001, 2005; Hammann & Cramp, 2018). Birch bark tar (e.g., Charters, Evershed, Goad, Heron, & Blinkhorn, 1993; Rageot et al, 2021; Regert et al, 2003, 2019). Pine resin and tar (e.g., Evershed et al, 1985).…”

Section: From the Emergence Of A Discipline To A Wide Range Of Public...mentioning

confidence: 99%

The ARchaeological Organic residues Literature Database (AROLD): Construction of a tool for reviewing and querying published lipid data in organic residue analysis

et al. 2023

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The first attempts to identify amorphous organic substances in archaeology date to the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. The 1960s saw the development of infrared spectrometry, and then separative and mass spectrometry analyses were implemented in the 1980s. But it is only since the 1990s that extended and systematic research programmes were devoted to these substances. The number of publications has not stopped growing and is becoming exponential. To get an overview of the lipid studies in archaeology, we conceived the ARchaeological Organic residues Literature Database (AROLD) as a first structured and collaborative research tool. This paper describes the challenges of setting up such a database, details its architecture, presents the choices involved in its implementation, and discusses the possibilities of sharing and evolving this tool.

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“…Similar finds from the Paleolithic show that Neanderthals used birch bark tar to back flint flakes, making them easier to handle (Niekus et al 2019), possibly also attaching them to wood handles (Koller, Baumer, and Mania 2001). Birch bark tar was used as an adhesive for hafting tools and repairing pottery vessels, as a waterproofing agent, and sometimes for decorative elements across Europe throughout the Mesolithic (Aveling and Car| Heron 1998), Neolithic (Lucquin, March, and Cassen 2007;Mitkidou et al 2008;Osipowicz et al 2020;Pesonen 1994;Regert 2004;Urem-Kotsou et al 2002;Van Gijn and Boon 2006), Iron Age (Regert 2004;Regert et al 2003;Reunanen, Holmbom, and Edgren 1993), Roman period (Charters et al 1993;Regert et al 2019), and Middle Ages (Stacey et al 2020). Birch tar appears rarely outside Europe despite its useful material properties which allow it to remain effective at low temperatures and be reused multiple times .…”

Section: Birch Bark Tarmentioning

confidence: 99%

Archaeological Adhesives

Langejans¹,

Aleo²,

Fajardo³

et al. 2022

Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Anthropology

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An adhesive is any substance that bonds different materials together. This broad definition includes materials used in everything from hafted stone tools to monumental architecture. In addition, the combination of bonding, plasticity, and insolubility meant that some adhesives were exploited for waterproofing and sealing of materials, as self-adhering inlays and putties, and as paints, varnishes, and inks. Adhesives have a history of at least 200,000 years. Throughout (pre)history and around the world, people used materials, including bitumen/asphalt, carbohydrate polymers such as starches and gums, natural rubbers, mortars, proteins (from casein, soy, blood, and animal connective tissue), insect and plant resins, and tars made from various barks and woods. Adhesives thus are very diverse and have widely varying properties: they can be tacky, pliable, elastic, brittle, water-resistant, fluid, viscous, clear, dark, and much more. They are a plastic avant la lettre. These properties can and were tweaked by mixing ingredients or by further processing. In the study of archaeological adhesives, their characterization is essential and this is best done with chemical and spectroscopic methods. When larger coherent samples as opposed to single finds are analyzed, adhesive studies can provide data on past technologies, socioeconomic organizations, and environments and raw material availability. Through sourcing and mapping of ingredients and adhesive end products, travel and transfer of materials and knowledge can be illuminated. Additionally, experimental reproductions provide data on technological aspects that otherwise are lost in the archaeological record. An archaeology of adhesives can reveal the transport networks, subsistence, mobility strategies, division of labor, and technological know-how that held societies together.

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Birch-bark tar in the Roman world: the persistence of an ancient craft tradition?

Abstract: Abstract

Cited by 16 publications

References 29 publications

Management systems of adhesive materials throughout the Neolithic in the North-West Mediterranean

Management systems of adhesive materials throughout the Neolithic in the North-West Mediterranean

The ARchaeological Organic residues Literature Database (AROLD): Construction of a tool for reviewing and querying published lipid data in organic residue analysis

Archaeological Adhesives

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