Early Opacifiers In The Glaze Industry Of First Millennium bc Persia: Persepolis And Tepe Rabat

Abstract

This study characterizes the opacifiers and colouring agents used in the glazed bricks of Persepolis\ud (mid-first millennium BC) and the Mannean site of Tepe Rabat in north-western Iran\ud (eighth to seventh centuries BC). Various analytical studies show that lead antimonate and\ud brizziite (NaSbO3) were used as the yellow and white opacifiers in the glazes of Persepolis\ud and Tepe Rabat. Brizziite is shown to be incorporated in the white, green and turquoise glazes,\ud and is also associated with lead antimonate and CaSb2O6 in some yellow and white opacifiers.\ud The simultaneous formation of these opacifiers in one glaze might have been accidental. A\ud possible connection between the Achaemenid glaze industry and the Mannean glaze production\ud at Tepe Rabat is discussed

Probing the provenance of archaeological glaze colorants: Polychrome faunal reliefs of the Ishtar Gate and the Processional Way of Babylon

“…Recently, Holakooei et al . () proposed that a multitude of opacifiers were used for coeval Mesopotamian glazes. We can see a slight difference for white and yellow glazes (white PW: higher Na 2 O/Sb 2 O 3 and CaO/Sb 2 O 3 ratios; white IG: higher Ag concentrations; yellow PW: a higher PbO/Sb 2 O 3 ratio; Table ), which could indicate different batches of starting materials and/or changes in technological choices (e.g., a change in the raw material used for opacifier of yellow glazes).…”

“…Earlier investigations provided insights into the glazing and firing techniques, types of opacifiers and metal oxide colorants (Fitz ), comparable with contemporary Mesopotamian glazes (Holakooei et al . ; Kaniuth ; Matson ). Various methods have also been put forward for the construction of the glazed reliefs (e.g., Koldewey ; Matson ).…”

Geochemical-Microscopical Characterization of the Deterioration of Stone Surfaces in the Cloister of Santa Maria in Vado (Ferrara, Italy)

“…The measurements were performed at 50 kV and 700 µA for 120 s through a collimator with a diameter of 0.65 mm. An SSD Peltier-cooled detector (10 mm 2 active area and resolution of <155 eV at 10 kcps) was used for the detection of the secondary fluorescent X-rays [30][31][32].…”

Raman and SEM‐EDS insights into technological aspects of Medieval and Renaissance ceramics from Southern Italy

“…Contrarily to the case of 19th century beads where arsenopyrite together with copper and calcium phosphate Raman signatures were revealed, [63] Raman bands associated to turquoise-coloured glassy matrices are rarely reported for historical ceramic materials. Only copper presence from chemical characterization, [64][65][66][67] sometimes associated to fluorite [68] or brizziite, [69] both acting as opacifying agents was mostly detected.…”