Ceramic composition at Chalcolithic Shiqmim, northern Negev desert, Israel: investigating technology and provenance using thin section petrography, instrumental geochemistry and calcareous nannofossils

Burton, Margie M.; Quinn, Patrick; Tamberino, Anthony; Levy, Thomas E.

doi:10.1080/00758914.2019.1625656

Cited by 12 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 48 publications

(73 reference statements)

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“…The Bruker ARTAX software was used to deconvolute the spectra, and the curved shape of sherds was adjusted for with a Rayleigh scatter distance correction. The generated net counts were converted into concentrations using a bespoke in-house calibration for 15 elements (Ca, Co, Cu, Fe, Ga, K, Mn, Nb, Pb, Rb, Sr, Ti, Y, Zn, Zr) that was created for ceramics with high percentages (>8%) of calcium (Burton et al 2019;Wilke et al 2017). The capability of the device and the in-house calibration was evaluated by analyzing 14 powdered certified reference materials, including ore, sediment, rock, and ceramic, using those values that fall within the range found in low-fired archaeological ceramics (Appendix 1), as well conducting repeat measurements on a single standard (SARM69 -Brick Clay) at the start of each session.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Re-examining shell-tempered Chickasaw pottery in post-contact Mississippi, USA

Sorresso

Quinn

2020

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

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Archaeological and ethnographic records indicate that a change in Chickasaw ceramic technology from recent to fossil shell temper took place around the time of contact as populations migrated north and adjusted to their new upland settlements on the Blackland Prairie, Mississippi, USA. While the occurrence of this technological shift is widely accepted within the archaeology of the region, it can be difficult to apply to ceramic assemblages as clear criteria with which to distinguish between the two tempering modes is lacking. This study re-examines the phenomenon of Chickasaw shell-tempered ceramics and sheds new light on the proposed shift by analyzing macroscopically and scientifically 63 pre-and post-contact sherds from three sites in northeastern Mississippi. By applying a materials science perspective, including thin section ceramic petrography, X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy, it was possible to differentiate between recent and fossil shell inclusions, recognize the coexistence of these two types of temper, and further group shell-tempered Chickasaw sherds based on the presence of other inclusions. The raw materials, provenance, and manufacturing technology of the detected compositional groups were then interpreted in terms of local traditions of ceramic manufacture and the movement of native people and their pottery in the post-contact period of Mississippi. This study also addresses the difficulties of macroscopic identification and its implications for using the temporal shift as a method of relative dating.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Re-examining shell-tempered Chickasaw pottery in post-contact Mississippi, USA

Sorresso

Quinn

2020

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

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“…Necessarily perhaps, most studies focus detailed attention on one-site/ area (e.g. Badreshany and Genz 2009;Burton et al 2018;Greenberg and Iserlis 2014;Iserlis et al 2012;Schmitt et al 2018;Waiman-Barak et al 2014). Such datasets are essential for further research, but the data can be mobilized towards broader aims if it can be incorporated into more geographically extensive datasets.…”

Section: Moving Forwardmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We have already noted the potential that geochemistry offers for augmenting petrographic data. Ceramic projects utilizing SEM-EDS, ICP-AES and -MS, labbased XRF, portable -XRF ( pXRF) or other forms of elemental analysis are still relatively rare in the Levant, though increasing rapidly (Badreshany 2013;Badreshany et al 2020;Bettles 2003;Burton et al 2018;Frahm 2018;Iserlis et al 2019;Kennedy et al 2020;Schmitt et al 2018). A number of earlier works utilized NAA and PIXE/PIGME (Esse and Hopke 1986;McGovern 2000); as have some more recent projects (Gilboa et al 2015;Zuckermann et al 2010) (see Sowada 2009 for a comprehensive overview).…”

Section: A Cautionary Word On Geochemistrymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There exists a marked focus on localized themes (e.g. Badreshany and Genz 2009;Burton et al 2018) and, in a Levantine context, a lack of significant integration between information derived from ceramics and that from other data classes. For example, few regional surveys routinely undertake petrographic studies on their ceramics, while the application of organic residue analysis to excavated pottery remains unusual (but, see, Assaf-Landau et al 2018).…”

Section: Introduction Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ceramic studies and petrographic analysis in Levantine archaeology, the limitations of current approaches

Badreshany

Gibbons

2020

Levant

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By way of an introduction to this volume, we look to provide a brief review of recent approaches to ceramic studies in Levantine archaeology, and to the way that the results of laboratory-based investigations have been integrated within these. As we are interested in using ceramic data to address questions that extend beyond single-site studies, we pay particular attention to the information potential offered by the large-scale integration of ceramic and petrographic data from multiple archaeological projects. We will begin by highlighting some of the weaknesses of traditional approaches to pottery in Levantine archaeology and how these have continued to limit the interpretive potential of ceramic data. The strengths and weaknesses of petrographic research in the region to date will be discussed, and observations made regarding the use of petrography and geochemistry to address wider issues. The question of how new approaches, and the large-scale integration of ceramic data, might be used to address key social and economic questions in Levantine archaeology will form the subject of the concluding paper of this volume.

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“…1998; Quinn and Day 2007a, 2007b; Quinn 2008; Burton et al . 2018), chalk tesserae of Roman mosaics (Wilkinson et al . 2008), mortar (von Salis 1995), grounds of paintings (Perch‐Nielsen 1972; Svábenická 1993, 1995; von Salis 1995; von Salis Perch‐Nielsen and Plahter 1995), statues (von Salis 1995; Fiorentino 1998; Alaimo et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Calcareous nannofossils in medieval mortar and mortar‐based materials: A powerful tool for provenance analysis

Falkenberg

Mutterlose

Kaplan³

2020

Archaeometry

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Calcareous nannofossils—very small‐scaled marine microfossils—occur in many archaeological materials. Foremost, these include limestones used in masonry, material which has not experienced significant modification by humans. Poorly documented are nannofossils in mortars, because the burning process of quicklime requires the heating of the raw material to > 800°C. Here we focus on calcareous nannofossils in mortar and mortar‐based samples of four medieval buildings in northern Germany. The study documents the presence of nannofossils in historic mortars. It supplies evidence for the provenance of the mortars used, thereby introducing a new tool for mortar provenance studies.

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Ceramic composition at Chalcolithic Shiqmim, northern Negev desert, Israel: investigating technology and provenance using thin section petrography, instrumental geochemistry and calcareous nannofossils

Cited by 12 publications

References 48 publications

Re-examining shell-tempered Chickasaw pottery in post-contact Mississippi, USA

Re-examining shell-tempered Chickasaw pottery in post-contact Mississippi, USA

Ceramic studies and petrographic analysis in Levantine archaeology, the limitations of current approaches

Calcareous nannofossils in medieval mortar and mortar‐based materials: A powerful tool for provenance analysis

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