From chaff to seagrass: The unique quality of Minoan mudbricks. A geoarchaeological approach to the study of architectural craft specialization in Bronze Age Crete

Lorenzon, Marta

doi:10.1016/j.jasrep.2021.103122

Cited by 11 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…In the latter case, geoarchaeologists strive to balance laboratory work with expedient eld analyses (e.g. Love 2017; Lorenzon et al 2020;Lorenzon 2021), in the end conducting only sedimentological analyses (e.g. Homsher 2012; Love 2012) instead of more time-consuming methods such as preparing and analyzing hundreds of thin sections.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Kerpiç production and environmental dynamics in an early sedentary community: Micromorphological evidence from Aşıklı Höyük, Central Anatolia (Turkey)

Uzdurum

Mentzer

Duru

et al. 2023

Preprint

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This article illustrates how changes in the sediment source, tempering strategies, and shaping process in early Neolithic earthen architecture in Aşıklı Höyük have a major impact on many aspects of techno-environmental know-how traces. Archaeological micromorphology analyses of sun-dried mudbricks (in Turkey, called a specific term: kerpiç), mortars, daub, and their paleoenvironmental contexts were used to examine the tempo and modes of exploitation of the local environment, and chaîne opératoire of kerpiç and mortar recipes, and the possible reasons behind the relationships among material choices, building forms, and wall construction techniques of the earlier inhabitants in Central Anatolia during the establishment of the early settlement, i.e. 8400-7750 BCE. The nature of and changes in the built environment can be traced especially through the mortar recipes, that provide various insights into the agro-pastoral activities at the site, including middens, open areas, and penning deposits. During the early Neolithic occupation at Aşıklı Höyük, vegetal tempering occurs as a micro-invention was developed in relation with the management of fecal and domestic waste used in construction materials. Furthermore, the variability of tempering strategies can be regarded as a cognitive development that resulted from the long-term learning and experimentation background of the Aşıklı people in kerpiç production. The main motivation behind these changes and testing of the recipes was the need for more durable and long-lasting construction of earthen buildings as used by this early sedentary community in the region.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Kerpiç production and environmental dynamics in an early sedentary community: Micromorphological evidence from Aşıklı Höyük, Central Anatolia (Turkey)

Uzdurum

Mentzer

Duru

et al. 2023

Preprint

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“…Earthen building materials are a human production and symbol of the community effort to use natural resources to create a man-made built environment. The manufacture of these materials undergoes a complex chaîne opératoire in which we assist in a complete transformation of the raw sources, such as soil, water and temper, to enable the creation of original material culture embedded with environmental and social data (Lorenzon 2021; Lorenzon et al 2020; Love 2013a; Sadalla & Sheets 1993; Warnier 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Earthen Architecture as a Community of Practice: A Case Study of Neolithic Earthen Production in the Eastern Mediterranean

Lorenzon¹

2023

CAJ

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This article analyses the development of Neolithic earthen architecture in the Eastern Mediterranean as a concrete example of ‘communities of practice’. Recent studies on earthen architecture have highlighted its adaptability to different climates, architectural forms and craftmanship levels, focusing on the technological aspects of earthen construction. This paper explores the anthropological significance of earth as a building material. It provides evidence on the development of earthen building techniques, interactions between different communities regarding building practices and an understanding of the dynamics of chaîne opératoire in relation to various materials. A review of archaeological case studies provides compelling preliminary evidence for the existence of early specialized architecture in Neolithic Aegean contexts.

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“…Compared to Mesopotamia and the Levant, mudbrick constructions in the Armenian highlands and Caucasus have been the focus of limited research, mostly at the macroscopic and chronological level [1][2][3]. The importance of architecture, especially earthen architecture, in shedding light on past social practices and interactions is well attested [4][5][6], both as a proxy to understand past environmental changes and to determine past social practices [7,8]. Nevertheless, Classical period buildings are often not given the same attention as prehistoric ones in the analysis of earthen building materials and their labor organization.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring mudbrick architecture and its re-use in Artaxata, Armenia, during the 1st millennium BC. A multidisciplinary study of earthen architecture in the Armenian Highlands

Lorenzon,

Cutillas-Victoria,

Holmqvist

et al. 2023

PLoS ONE

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Mudbrick constructions are extremely common in ancient western Asia, including the 1st millennium structures of the southern Caucasus and Armenian highlands. However, in the Caucasus the geoarchaeological study of these materials to provide insight into building practices and social structure is a topic little researched, especially when focusing on the longue durée. Artashat/Artaxata (Ararat region, Armenia) was the capital of the Armenian Kingdom of the Artaxiads, founded in the eighties of the 2nd century BC, but even before this the site was occupied in the Chalcolithic period, (ca. 5200–3500 BC), Early Iron Age (ca. 1200–900 BC) and in the Urartian period (ca. 800–600 BC) as well. All the previous occupation phases showed communities that made extensive use of earthen constructions as determined during past and recent archaeological excavations. This multidisciplinary study seeks to examine mudbrick architecture as a proxy for environmental and social interactions during the 1st millennium BC combining geoarchaeology, archaeobotany and building archaeology. We analyzed changes and continuities in architectural form and practices, alongside reconstruction of technological and social processes, to identify issues of raw material procurement, attestation of re-use, and consistency of building practices. The results of the geoarchaeological analysis of the earthen building materials used in different parts of the ancient city point to a re-use of materials over time.

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From chaff to seagrass: The unique quality of Minoan mudbricks. A geoarchaeological approach to the study of architectural craft specialization in Bronze Age Crete

Cited by 11 publications

References 37 publications

Kerpiç production and environmental dynamics in an early sedentary community: Micromorphological evidence from Aşıklı Höyük, Central Anatolia (Turkey)

Kerpiç production and environmental dynamics in an early sedentary community: Micromorphological evidence from Aşıklı Höyük, Central Anatolia (Turkey)

Earthen Architecture as a Community of Practice: A Case Study of Neolithic Earthen Production in the Eastern Mediterranean

Exploring mudbrick architecture and its re-use in Artaxata, Armenia, during the 1st millennium BC. A multidisciplinary study of earthen architecture in the Armenian Highlands

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