A comprehensive manual of thinsections of cultural stone and ceramic objects. Thin section ceramic petrography is a versatile interdisciplinary analytical tool for the characterization and interpretation of archaeological pottery and related artefacts, including ceramic building materials, refractories and plaster. Thin section petrography is a crucial tool for the study of ancient and historic objects and building materials. Apr 19, 2011 thin section petrography is a technique used to examine small samples of stone, ceramics, or other mineralcontaining materials under a polarized light microscope in order to characterize the material and or fabrication technology and to answer a wide range of questions relevant to issues in historic preservation, conservation, archaeology, or anthropology. View thin section petrography research papers on academia. Abstractthinsection petrography can serve a number of functions in. Thin sections can be used to examine a wide variety of materials, including rocks, minerals, slags, concrete, mudbrick, and plaster, as well as fired clays.
This is a very short, yet fairly comprehensive, introduction to the uses of thin section petrography of ceramics. Unlike everyday smudged and nonsmudged danilo pottery, figulina was widely distributed in middle neolithic assemblages throughout the eastern and western adriatic chapman, 1988, malone, 2003, robb, 2007, spataro, 2002, spataro, 2009. The petrographic analysis of the natural building stones. Have developed an understanding of the types of features used to infer ceramic technology in thin section.
Our analyses reveal a surprising degree of variability in ceramic fabrics and in ceramic production techniques relative to that reported for contemporaneous and. Thinsection petrography of ceramic materials by sarah e. Thin section petrography is a useful methodology for the study and classification of clay fabrics. Thinsection petrography of stone and ceramic cultural. The course takes into consideration the application aspects of mineralogy and petrography for the fields of interest of cultural heritage, in particular in relation to the archaeometry of ceramic and stone materials of archaeological and conservation interest. Thinsection petrography is a technique used to examine small samples of stone, ceramics, or other mineralcontaining materials under a polarized light microscope in order to characterize the material andor. Pdf on oct 1, 2009, daniel sahlen and others published thinsection petrography of stone and ceramic cultural materials by chandra reedy. Thinsection petrography is a technique used to examine small samples of stone, ceramics, or other mineralcontaining materials under a polarized light microscope in order to characterize the material andor fabrication technology and to answer a wide range of questions relevant to issues in historic preservation, conservation, archaeology, or anthropology. The study of archaeological ceramics in thin section has a long history yet surprisingly few books have been dedicated to the topic. Ceramic petrography and cultural interaction in palau. Many research and treatment projects for stone and ceramic cultural materials could be improved by use of thinsection petrography. In the present contribution, we intend to show new developments in the field of ceramic glaze petrography, highlighting the potential of om in the microstructural studies of ceramic glazes using petrographic thin. The use of petrography to analyse lithic and ceramic materials has for some time been a central technique in the study of provenance and ancient technology, but a specific.
We show how image analysis can be integrated into thinsection petrography routines to enrich any archaeological ceramic research with a. The use of petrography to analyse lithic and ceramic materials has for some time been a central technique in the study of provenance and ancient technology, but a specific textbook related to method and theory in. Thinsection petrography is a useful methodology for the study and classification of clay fabrics. The goal of this chapter is to describe and evaluate critically the current status and potential of ceramic petrography as. Stone has been used by humans for millions of years as a material for toolmaking, architecture, sculpting and adornment. Few chemical or petrographic characterizations of figulina are available for dalmatia, and spataro 2002 is the only published dataset. Thinsection petrography of ceramic materials on jstor.
Petrography is the systematic description of rocks as they appear to the eye and in thin section through the microscope. The freersackler s scientific efforts are aided by the edward waldo forbes fund. Petrographic and chemical analysis of prehistoric ceramic sherds from the island of carriacou. An online database for thin section ceramic petrography article pdf available in journal of archaeological science 389. Although many other analytical methods are also useful, thin section petrography remains a significant tool with a long history of proven. Please click button to get thin section petrography of stone and ceramic cultural materials book now. Ceramic petrography or ceramic petrology is a laboratorybased scientific archaeological technique that examines the mineralogical and microstructural composition of ceramics and other inorganic materials under the polarised light microscope in order to interpret.
Click download or read online button to get thin section petrography of stone and ceramic cultural materials book now. The role of petrography in the study of archaeological ceramics. Review of digital image analysis of petrographic thin sections in conservation research. Using over 200 colour photomicrographs of thin sections from a diverse. Thinsection petrography is a crucial tool for the study of archaeological ceramics. Ceramic petrography or ceramic petrology is a laboratorybased scientific archaeological technique that examines the mineralogical and microstructural composition of ceramics and other inorganic materials under the polarised light microscope in order to interpret aspects of the provenance and technology of artefacts samples are ground to a thickness of 0.
Thin section petrography of stone and ceramic cultural. All books are in clear copy here, and all files are secure so dont. Be aware of important practitioners and publications in the field of ceramic petrography. In the case of ceramics, the petrographic study of. Thinsection petrography of ceramic materials instap. Ncptt webaccessible training in thinsection petrography. This manual is a comprehensive illustrated overview of the minerals and textures seen in polarized light microscopy of cultural artefacts. Electron microprobe and petrographic analyses of prehistoric. Macroscopic, petrographic and xrd analysis of middle. Ceramic petrography or ceramic petrology is a laboratorybased scientific archaeological technique that examines the mineralogical and microstructural composition of ceramics and other inorganic materials under the polarised light microscope in order to interpret aspects of the provenance and technology of artefacts.
Graduate petrography of cultural materials clst 512, aamw 512, anth 514 introduction to thinsection petrography of stone and ceramic archaeological materials. Compared to newer, sophisticated, hightech approaches to the study of the compositional analysis of ceramics e. These shots show hydrated paste as well as some of the components used to make cementitious materials. It outlines how the system can be used by the archaeological community and anticipates its potential for greater comparability in thin section ceramic petrography. This paper presents an online database for the petrographic analysis of pottery and other ceramic artefacts. Jan 01, 2014 the study of archaeological ceramics in thin section has a long history yet surprisingly few books have been dedicated to the topic. Petrographic examination is an important part of the assessment of stone for construction, requiring the use of high quality microscopes employing a. Thinsection petrography of stone and ceramic cultural materials. Image analysis in quantitative particle studies of. The bulk of this short booklet is the history of petrographic analysis of ceramic materials beginning in the 1800s and really becoming significant after the 1940s. Examples involve studies of stone sculptures and architectural materials, ceramics vesselsand sherds, terracotta sculptures, and. The brick sample has 25 % of stone particles and minerals in the whole thin section 75 % is the clay.
Thinsection petrography of two different suites of sherds suite 1. The book was the product of a successful preservation technology and training grant from ncptt. Reedys article, thinsection petrography in studies of cultural materials, the concept of thinsection petrography, also known to characterize and identify inorganic materials, and less commonly known to provide information on object deterioration and the effects of conservation treatment is stressed to. It focuses on the specific applications of thinsection petrography to the study of cultural materials made of stone as found in architecture, sculpture, tools etc. Ceramic petrographical studies involve examining a 30micron thin section of a sherd, analyzed under a highpowered microscope that uses transmitted light. One particularly valuable technique is ceramic petrography.
Thinsection petrography of stone and ceramic cultural materials by chandra reedy. Petrographic and image analysis of thin sections of classic wares. Thinsection petrography in studies of cultural materials. Sep 15, 2008 this manual is a comprehensive illustrated overview of the minerals and textures seen in polarized light microscopy of cultural artefacts. Patrick quinns ceramic petrography discusses the procedures and goals of ceramic petrography, and argues for increased standardization in petrographic description and analysis. See more ideas about mineralogy, apollo 11 crew and moon map. Although not a major focus of this paper, we also discuss the use of image analysis to study porosity in ceramic thin sections. While it has commonly been employed in the identification of ceramic raw materials figure 2 it has also been applied to plasters and mortars andnot surprisinglythe identification of types of rocks in the study of statues, stone tools, and building materials. Pdf thinsection petrography of stone and ceramic cultural. It focuses on the specific applications of thin section petrography to the study of cultural materials made of stone as found in architecture, sculpture, tools etc. Oct 31, 2014 we present results of petrographic analysis of a sample of pottery from fort hill, a fortified village in southwestern new hampshire built and occupied by a group of native americans between autumn of 1663 and spring of 1664.
The workshop builds on her 2008 book, thinsection petrography of stone and ceramic cultural materials, with archetype publications, london. Thinsection petrography of stone and ceramic cultural materials by chandra l. Be aware of important practitioners and publications in. We present results of petrographic analysis of a sample of pottery from fort hill, a fortified village in southwestern new hampshire built and occupied by a group of native americans between autumn of 1663 and spring of 1664. Mine ceramic exchange within the salt river vallty, arizona volume 185 david r. Webaccessible training in thinsection petrography of cultural. Although many other analytical methods are also useful, thinsection petrography remains a significant tool with a long history of proven.
Have developed an understanding of the way in which thin section data is used to interpret the provenance of ceramics. Abstract thinsection petrography, augmented by image analysis, is used. Some of the worlds oldest artifacts are made of stone. Electron microprobe and petrographic analyses of prehistoric hohokam pottery to deter. Only some of the limestone particles and the feldspars partly altered. Petrographic analysis of earthenware pottery from islands in oceania has proven to be an extremely valuable tool for determining production technologies, raw material acquisition, provenance, and cultural preferences in ceramic manufacture e. Many research and treatment projects for stone and ceramic cultural materials could be improved by use of thin section petrography.
Stone tools were discovered at olduvai gorge, tanzania that are believed to be 1. Using polarized light microscopy, the first half of this course will cover the basics of mineralogy and the. A thin section petrography tsp for ceramic glaze microstructures does not exist yet, neither as a field of study nor conceptually. Our analyses reveal a surprising degree of variability in ceramic fabrics and in ceramic production techniques relative to that reported for contemporaneous and slightly. We show how image analysis can be integrated into thin section petrography routines to enrich any archaeological ceramic research with a wide range of quantitative data. It has promoted the study of the care, conservation, and preservation of works of art through the forbes symposium, fellowships, lectures on the technical study of works of art, and collaborative efforts in research and conservation with other institutions since 1986. Detailed thinsection ceramic petrography of the mostly plain, undecorated artifacts revealed 18 distinct fabric groups characterized by specific combinations of raw materials and technology. Thinsection petrography in studies of cultural materials taylor. Thinsection petrography is a crucial tool for the study of ancient and historic objects and building materials. Image analysis in quantitative particle studies of archaeological. See more ideas about geology, mineralogy and microscopic photography.
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