Clay sources for Meroitic finewares

Smith, Laurence

doi:10.1080/00672709709511588

Cited by 2 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 5 publications

(2 reference statements)

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“…This finding corresponds with the results of other studies, which demonstrate that Nile clays were procured to manufacture domestic pottery and fine wares in the region (cf. Bourriau et al, 2000;Brand, 2016;Carrano et al, 2009b;Daszkiewicz and Bobryk, 2003;Daszkiewicz and Schneider, 2011;Mason and Grzymski, 2009;Smith, 1991Smith, , 1996Smith, , 1997Smith, , 1999. Whether or not the same clay sources were used in making the domestic pottery and fine-ware ceramics that were found together with the technical ceramics in the slag heaps requires further analyses.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Since our focus is on the raw materials and methods used in making the technical ceramics rather than their refractory properties, thin-section petrography is the ideal method, as it has been readily used to examine the production of domestic pottery and/or fine-ware ceramics in the region; thus making our data comparable with other ceramic studies (cf. Brand, 2016;Carrano et al, 2009b;Daszkiewicz and Bobryk, 2003;Daszkiewicz and Schneider, 2011;Mason and Grzymski, 2009;Smith, 1991Smith, , 1996Smith, , 1997Smith, , 1999. Thin-section petrography characterises the composition of technical ceramic samples by identifying their mineralogical constituents.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Again, the identification of quartz, plagioclase feldspar, biotite and amphibole in some clays point to the use of Nile alluvium for at least some of the raw materials used to make the tuyères of these subgroups. The identification of clay mixing in these samples has significant implications because such paste preparation method had been commonly used in making domestic pottery and fine wares during the Meroitic period (Brand, 2016: 82;Mason and Grzymski, 2009;Smith, 1997). Thus, it highlights the potential that the same producers were responsible for making technical ceramics, domestic pottery and fine wares, or the existence of cross-craft technological interaction between the producers of technical ceramics and those of domestic pottery and fine wares.…”

Section: Tuyèresmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…including the First and Second Cataracts in Lower Nubia (Smith 1997), Meroe in Upper Nubia (Robertson 1975), Umm Ali (Smith 1997), and Musawarat es-Sufra (Smith 1999). The reconnaissance of raw materials in the catchment area of the sites conducted as part of the UCL Qatar research had located several deposits of kaolinite (Fig.…”

Section: Tuyèresmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This study, therefore, serves to differ from previous Nubian ceramic analyses, which largely centered on domestic pottery and/or fine-ware ceramics, by placing our emphasis on technical ceramics (cf. Brand, 2016;Carrano et al, 2009aCarrano et al, , 2009bDaszkiewicz and Schneider, 2011;Daszkiewicz et al, 2005;Dittrich, 2010;Edwards, 1999;Mason and Grzymski, 2009;Smith, 1991Smith, , 1995Smith, , 1996Smith, , 1997Smith, , 1999. This study also serves to deviate from past technical ceramic characterisation works, which focused mostly on their refractory properties, by exploring the technology and craft organisation involved in technical ceramic production.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The technology and craft organisation of Kushite technical ceramic production at Meroe and Hamadab, Sudan

Ting

Humphris

2017

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

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This paper seeks to contribute to the growing knowledge of iron production in ancient Sudan by examining the technology and craft organisation involved in the production of technical ceramics, which were integral to the iron smelting process. The focus of this study are the technical ceramics including tuyères, furnace linings, and furnace bricks, recovered from various slag heaps located at the archaeological sites of the Royal City of Meroe and the Meroitic town site of Hamadab. We used macroscopic examination and thin-section petrography to identify the source of raw materials and methods used in preparing the raw materials, to characterise the level of craft specialisation, and to infer the broader socio-political developments that might have influenced how the production of technical ceramics was organised. The resulting data reveal that changes occurred within the production of technical ceramics throughout different periods of Kushite history (traditionally divided into Napatan and Meroitic) and during the post-Meroitic period, and we argue that the observed changes might have been related to the rise and fall of the Kingdom of Kush. The production of technical ceramics was marked by clear distinctions in raw materials and paste preparation methods used for different types of technical ceramics, and a high degree of compositional and technological homogeneity within each type of technical ceramic during the Napatan and earlier Meroitic periods, coinciding with the time when Kush rose to and was at the height of its power. The production of technical ceramics appears to have exhibited more diversity in terms of the raw materials and paste preparation methods and lower degree of homogeneity during the later and post-Meroitic periods when the economic and political influence and power of the Kingdom of Kush is described as declining and ultimately ceasing to exist. Perhaps the most drastic change in the production of technical ceramics took place in the post-Meroitic period, which was characterised by lower level of specialisation, as well as the possibility of using a different technological approach to iron smelting.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Tuyèresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Tuyèresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The technology and craft organisation of Kushite technical ceramic production at Meroe and Hamadab, Sudan

Ting

Humphris

2017

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

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Re-assessing Middle Nubian cultural constructs through ceramic petrography

Souza

Ownby

2022

Afr Archaeol Rev

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This study employs ceramic petrography to establish if the existing typology-based divisions for the so-called Middle Nubian cultures can be related to variations in Nubian ceramic technologies during the mid-second millennium BC (c. 1800–1550 BC). Raw materials, paste recipes, and firing technology are analyzed to identify similarities and differences between the C-Group, Pan-Grave, and Kerma ceramic traditions. Three distinct fabric groups could be identified. Each corresponds, suggestively, to one of the existing cultural units. It is proposed that these variations reflect different approaches to resource acquisition and processing as well as distinct firing processes. Although these technological groups may relate to chronology and subsistence strategies, more evidence is needed before directly linking ceramic technologies to cultural units.

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Clay sources for Meroitic finewares

Cited by 2 publications

References 5 publications

The technology and craft organisation of Kushite technical ceramic production at Meroe and Hamadab, Sudan

The technology and craft organisation of Kushite technical ceramic production at Meroe and Hamadab, Sudan

Re-assessing Middle Nubian cultural constructs through ceramic petrography

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