Figuring out: coroplastic art and technè in Agrigento, Sicily: the results of a coroplastic experiment, 2017
Figurines – or terracotta made figurative objects – are a frequently encountered material categor... more Figurines – or terracotta made figurative objects – are a frequently encountered material category in Antiquity. Their importance can be directly linked to an expression of socio-cultural phenomena. To understand the practices and techniques applied in the production of terracotta figurines from Akragas (Agrigento, Sicily), an archaeological experiment was carried out with the aim to reconstruct the full chaîne opératoire. This so-called coroplastic experiment focused on the large variety of female figurines from Akragas dated from the 6th-5th century BC. These form the majority of mould-made objects, which were placed as votives in high numbers at sanctuaries and were also applied as a grave gift. The demand for figurines to be dedicated and the flourishing business of terracotta production in Akragas can be explained by the presence of several nearby high-quality mineral resources, in combination with the craftsmanship of the local workshops. This availability sets the conditions for a strong tradition, resulting in a variety of moulded figurines. In this study, several clays and techniques are selected to re-create the production process with the aim of elucidating the technological capacity and choices made by potters and artisans. The outcome of tests with local clays showed that the materials nearby found fit the workability requirements, but also that by mixing several clays the colour of the figurines could be manipulated. Several generations of a figurine’s genealogy re-created in the experiment show how details fade and explain the common solution to replace the head. The use of different tools, such as round sticks as well as metal blades could be distinguished by an interpretative approach to the traces on reworked figurines. The development of characteristics in both design and technique shows a local style, while moulds and figurines were exchanged with other Sicilian towns, such as Selinous (Selinunte, Sicily). However, the appearance, as well as specific production techniques, shows an influence of a different craft tradition, one which points to an eastern Greek origen. In order to distinguish the technological choices and their effect on stylistic developments, a technical approach was chosen to research the production technique and the use of materials by the workshops in Akragas.
The paper presents the results of a chemical analysis of black pigment used to decorate pottery f... more The paper presents the results of a chemical analysis of black pigment used to decorate pottery from Late Neolithic Tell Sabi Abyad, northern Syria (c. 6100 cal BC). The pigment appears to be bitumen. A comparison with known reference samples from modern locations of bituminous sources in the Near East suggests that the bitumen used to paint ceramics at Tell Sabi Abyad came from at least two different source areas in northern Iraq. The bitumen-painted ceramics at Tell Sabi Abyad represent the earliest evidence attested so far of bitumen used as a pigment for pottery decoration.
Summary of the identification of bitumen on painted potteries form the Neolithic site of Tell Sab... more Summary of the identification of bitumen on painted potteries form the Neolithic site of Tell Sabi Abyad
... van As, T. Broekmans and AM. Adriaens. earlier, Pre-Halaf pottery traditions and the earliest... more ... van As, T. Broekmans and AM. Adriaens. earlier, Pre-Halaf pottery traditions and the earliest Halaf. The Hassuna/Samarra period (ca. ... Fig. 1 : Principal sites mentioned in the text. excavated in Pre-Halaf to Early Halaf Transitional contexts (fig. I)6. ...
In this article, we reconsider manufacturing techniques of Protogeometric ceramic production in c... more In this article, we reconsider manufacturing techniques of Protogeometric ceramic production in central Greece. Contrary to the established notion that wheel-throwing was the exclusive technique used to produce Protogeometric fine-ware pottery, we argue that at least part of this ceramic category was not wheel-thrown but wheel-coiled. Informed by a macroscopic study of surface and breakage features, as well as the results of our experimental project, we present the evidence for Protogeometric wheel-coiling based on three assemblages from the sites of Mitrou, Halos, and Lefkandi. The potential significance of our findings for understanding ceramic production in Early Iron Age Greece is pointed out and possible directions for further research are suggested.
Abraham van As, Loe Jacobs and Laurens Thissen, in Leiden Journal of Pottery Studies 20, 2004, 121-127
Technological assessment of Early Neolithic pottery from Teleor 003, including preliminary result... more Technological assessment of Early Neolithic pottery from Teleor 003, including preliminary results on raw materials and pot manufacture, together with a first impression of the clay samples taken in the vicinity of the site.
In this preliminary report a short summary is presented of the first results ofan ethnoar chaeol... more In this preliminary report a short summary is presented of the first results ofan ethnoar chaeological documentation project by the Netherlands-Flemish Institute in Cairo (NVIC), executed in cooperation with Leiden University and Deifi University, concerning potters of the Fustat area in Cairo. Since 2000 their workshops are being demolished and replaced by new government-built workshops. As a consequence, a traditional potters' quarter will dis appear in the near future. When the project started, about ten workshops were still active, ofthe more than 60 once located in the area. Most ofthe data described in this report, in which attention is paid to techniques ofpottery production, the use ofspace and the produc tion organization, were collected through fieldwork in November 2008.
Summary of the identification of bitumen on painted potteries form the Neolithic site of Tell Sab... more Summary of the identification of bitumen on painted potteries form the Neolithic site of Tell Sabi Abyad
The paper presents the results of a chemical analysis of black pigment used to decorate pottery f... more The paper presents the results of a chemical analysis of black pigment used to decorate pottery from Late Neolithic Tell Sabi Abyad, northern Syria (c. 6100 cal bc). The pigment appears to be bitumen. A comparison with known reference samples from modern locations of ...
Abraham van As, Loe Jacobs and Laurens Thissen, in Leiden Journal of Pottery Studies 21, 2005, 61-68
Results of a technological analysis of 6th mill cal BC Vădastra pottery from a site in the Lower ... more Results of a technological analysis of 6th mill cal BC Vădastra pottery from a site in the Lower Danube Plain. This report links up with a study on the Starčevo-Criș and Dudești pottery from the same site (LJPS 20, 2004), and the three Neolithic phases are compared. Moreover, this paper includes the results of further analysis of clay samples earlier taken in the vicinity of the site.
Abraham van As, Loe Jacobs and Laurens Thissen, in Leiden Journal of Pottery Studies 21, 2005, 103-110
Certain characteristics of Starčevo-Criș cooking pots indicate the possible practice of stone coo... more Certain characteristics of Starčevo-Criș cooking pots indicate the possible practice of stone cooking in the Early Neolithic period in Romania. To test this idea, a number of experiments were carried out. Three vessels were made of clay not far from the Early Neolithic site of Teleor 003 on the border of the Clanița River. One of these vessels was used to boil water both using cooking stones and by direct heating.
Leiden Journal of Pottery Studies 23 (2007), 109-19
We aim to prouide a background for the recent inuoluement of the Department of Pottery Technologt... more We aim to prouide a background for the recent inuoluement of the Department of Pottery Technologt (Leiden Facuhy of ArchaeologD and of TACBT in the Southern Romanian Archaeohgical Project (SRAP) carried, out U Cardif Uniuersity and directed by Douglass Bailey. Preliminary rEnrts of our worh haue appeared in preuious issues of this journal. We are also participating in the associated project by Radian Andreescu and Pauel MireA concerning the neolithisation of the Lower Danube region. Among the set of issues addrased by our ceramic reseArclt, the appenrAnce of pottery in Neolithic pastoral societies in the Lower Danube ualley is a hrl one. We haue first-hand acquaintance with two early sites here, both subsumed und,er the generic nAme of Mdgura, neAr the modern town ofAlexandria in South Romania, where tbe earlier nne, at about 6000 cal BC, is in fott independent from the lorgtr main site first settled some time later during the Starteuo-CriS period.2 Ceramic programme of SRAP The Southern Romanian Archaeological project (SRAP) pto'oided the impulse to treat settlement patterns, land-use, and material culture within a micro-regional context (Bailey et al. 2002). In terms of pottery, SRAP is concerned with a set of research issues that are being addressed to sites and materials within this region dating from the first uses of ceramics during the early Neolithic (.". 6000-5600 cal BC) to the subsequent Dudegti and Vidastra phases (ca. 5500-5000 cal BC), r'rp until the 5'h millennium Boian and Gumelnita periods. Major research issues the SRAP ceramic programme is deali.g with focus on: o Technology: resource acquisition (clays, tempering materials, pigments and fillers); fabric analysis (makirg use of microscopic observations, and, eventually, of thin-sections); formirg techniques, chafnes opiratoires, surface-finishitg and decoration techniques; firing procedures; motor habit patterns; o Morpholory and categorisation: establishing suitable, quantified rypological schemes to come towards an emic categorisation of assemblages making use of the technological analyses, the gestures involved in handling pottery, the use-functions (cooking, serving, storage, ritual uses); Leiden Journal of Pottery Studies 23, 2007 : I 09-120.
RECENT ADVANCES IN GLASS, STAINED GLASS, AND CERAMICS CONSERVATION 2013, editors: Roemich and Van Lookeren Campagne; , Oct 2013
In 2010, the Rijksmuseum began research on a group of tomb figures presumably made in central Chi... more In 2010, the Rijksmuseum began research on a group of tomb figures presumably made in central China between A.D. 7th and 9th century. During a previous treatment, an iron armature had been discovered inside one of the horses. The other figures were examined to find out if they also have a metal armature and to confirm the date of production. The main goal of this study was to investigate how the figures were produced. Based on research and observations on the objects, a hypothesis for the production process was formulated, and replica figures were modeled with an iron armature and fired. The combination of technical research with practical experimentation has resulted in a better understanding of how and when the figures were produced.
pp 149-158
... van As, T. Broekmans and AM. Adriaens. earlier, Pre-Halaf pottery traditions and the earliest... more ... van As, T. Broekmans and AM. Adriaens. earlier, Pre-Halaf pottery traditions and the earliest Halaf. The Hassuna/Samarra period (ca. ... Fig. 1 : Principal sites mentioned in the text. excavated in Pre-Halaf to Early Halaf Transitional contexts (fig. I)6. ...
During the Late Classic period at the site of K'axob in Belize, Central America, inhabitants recy... more During the Late Classic period at the site of K'axob in Belize, Central America, inhabitants recycled ceramic fragments as tools for the making of pottery. Considering pottery as a tool is by no means an easy task and requires, for its study, significant methodological innovation. The K'axob pottery tools demanded a comprehensive study to determine their use and function within this widespread economic activity. Research presented here incorporated fabrication of replicas of archaeological pottery tools and their experimental use for the making of ceramic vessels. Combined microscopic analysis of archaeological and fabricated tools defined and reproduced wear traces from use activities. Therefore, this investigation entails a methodological innovation to archaeology, yielding a broader perspective into prehistoric technologies.
Figuring out: coroplastic art and technè in Agrigento, Sicily: the results of a coroplastic experiment, 2017
Figurines – or terracotta made figurative objects – are a frequently encountered material categor... more Figurines – or terracotta made figurative objects – are a frequently encountered material category in Antiquity. Their importance can be directly linked to an expression of socio-cultural phenomena. To understand the practices and techniques applied in the production of terracotta figurines from Akragas (Agrigento, Sicily), an archaeological experiment was carried out with the aim to reconstruct the full chaîne opératoire. This so-called coroplastic experiment focused on the large variety of female figurines from Akragas dated from the 6th-5th century BC. These form the majority of mould-made objects, which were placed as votives in high numbers at sanctuaries and were also applied as a grave gift. The demand for figurines to be dedicated and the flourishing business of terracotta production in Akragas can be explained by the presence of several nearby high-quality mineral resources, in combination with the craftsmanship of the local workshops. This availability sets the conditions for a strong tradition, resulting in a variety of moulded figurines. In this study, several clays and techniques are selected to re-create the production process with the aim of elucidating the technological capacity and choices made by potters and artisans. The outcome of tests with local clays showed that the materials nearby found fit the workability requirements, but also that by mixing several clays the colour of the figurines could be manipulated. Several generations of a figurine’s genealogy re-created in the experiment show how details fade and explain the common solution to replace the head. The use of different tools, such as round sticks as well as metal blades could be distinguished by an interpretative approach to the traces on reworked figurines. The development of characteristics in both design and technique shows a local style, while moulds and figurines were exchanged with other Sicilian towns, such as Selinous (Selinunte, Sicily). However, the appearance, as well as specific production techniques, shows an influence of a different craft tradition, one which points to an eastern Greek origen. In order to distinguish the technological choices and their effect on stylistic developments, a technical approach was chosen to research the production technique and the use of materials by the workshops in Akragas.
The paper presents the results of a chemical analysis of black pigment used to decorate pottery f... more The paper presents the results of a chemical analysis of black pigment used to decorate pottery from Late Neolithic Tell Sabi Abyad, northern Syria (c. 6100 cal BC). The pigment appears to be bitumen. A comparison with known reference samples from modern locations of bituminous sources in the Near East suggests that the bitumen used to paint ceramics at Tell Sabi Abyad came from at least two different source areas in northern Iraq. The bitumen-painted ceramics at Tell Sabi Abyad represent the earliest evidence attested so far of bitumen used as a pigment for pottery decoration.
Summary of the identification of bitumen on painted potteries form the Neolithic site of Tell Sab... more Summary of the identification of bitumen on painted potteries form the Neolithic site of Tell Sabi Abyad
... van As, T. Broekmans and AM. Adriaens. earlier, Pre-Halaf pottery traditions and the earliest... more ... van As, T. Broekmans and AM. Adriaens. earlier, Pre-Halaf pottery traditions and the earliest Halaf. The Hassuna/Samarra period (ca. ... Fig. 1 : Principal sites mentioned in the text. excavated in Pre-Halaf to Early Halaf Transitional contexts (fig. I)6. ...
In this article, we reconsider manufacturing techniques of Protogeometric ceramic production in c... more In this article, we reconsider manufacturing techniques of Protogeometric ceramic production in central Greece. Contrary to the established notion that wheel-throwing was the exclusive technique used to produce Protogeometric fine-ware pottery, we argue that at least part of this ceramic category was not wheel-thrown but wheel-coiled. Informed by a macroscopic study of surface and breakage features, as well as the results of our experimental project, we present the evidence for Protogeometric wheel-coiling based on three assemblages from the sites of Mitrou, Halos, and Lefkandi. The potential significance of our findings for understanding ceramic production in Early Iron Age Greece is pointed out and possible directions for further research are suggested.
Abraham van As, Loe Jacobs and Laurens Thissen, in Leiden Journal of Pottery Studies 20, 2004, 121-127
Technological assessment of Early Neolithic pottery from Teleor 003, including preliminary result... more Technological assessment of Early Neolithic pottery from Teleor 003, including preliminary results on raw materials and pot manufacture, together with a first impression of the clay samples taken in the vicinity of the site.
In this preliminary report a short summary is presented of the first results ofan ethnoar chaeol... more In this preliminary report a short summary is presented of the first results ofan ethnoar chaeological documentation project by the Netherlands-Flemish Institute in Cairo (NVIC), executed in cooperation with Leiden University and Deifi University, concerning potters of the Fustat area in Cairo. Since 2000 their workshops are being demolished and replaced by new government-built workshops. As a consequence, a traditional potters' quarter will dis appear in the near future. When the project started, about ten workshops were still active, ofthe more than 60 once located in the area. Most ofthe data described in this report, in which attention is paid to techniques ofpottery production, the use ofspace and the produc tion organization, were collected through fieldwork in November 2008.
Summary of the identification of bitumen on painted potteries form the Neolithic site of Tell Sab... more Summary of the identification of bitumen on painted potteries form the Neolithic site of Tell Sabi Abyad
The paper presents the results of a chemical analysis of black pigment used to decorate pottery f... more The paper presents the results of a chemical analysis of black pigment used to decorate pottery from Late Neolithic Tell Sabi Abyad, northern Syria (c. 6100 cal bc). The pigment appears to be bitumen. A comparison with known reference samples from modern locations of ...
Abraham van As, Loe Jacobs and Laurens Thissen, in Leiden Journal of Pottery Studies 21, 2005, 61-68
Results of a technological analysis of 6th mill cal BC Vădastra pottery from a site in the Lower ... more Results of a technological analysis of 6th mill cal BC Vădastra pottery from a site in the Lower Danube Plain. This report links up with a study on the Starčevo-Criș and Dudești pottery from the same site (LJPS 20, 2004), and the three Neolithic phases are compared. Moreover, this paper includes the results of further analysis of clay samples earlier taken in the vicinity of the site.
Abraham van As, Loe Jacobs and Laurens Thissen, in Leiden Journal of Pottery Studies 21, 2005, 103-110
Certain characteristics of Starčevo-Criș cooking pots indicate the possible practice of stone coo... more Certain characteristics of Starčevo-Criș cooking pots indicate the possible practice of stone cooking in the Early Neolithic period in Romania. To test this idea, a number of experiments were carried out. Three vessels were made of clay not far from the Early Neolithic site of Teleor 003 on the border of the Clanița River. One of these vessels was used to boil water both using cooking stones and by direct heating.
Leiden Journal of Pottery Studies 23 (2007), 109-19
We aim to prouide a background for the recent inuoluement of the Department of Pottery Technologt... more We aim to prouide a background for the recent inuoluement of the Department of Pottery Technologt (Leiden Facuhy of ArchaeologD and of TACBT in the Southern Romanian Archaeohgical Project (SRAP) carried, out U Cardif Uniuersity and directed by Douglass Bailey. Preliminary rEnrts of our worh haue appeared in preuious issues of this journal. We are also participating in the associated project by Radian Andreescu and Pauel MireA concerning the neolithisation of the Lower Danube region. Among the set of issues addrased by our ceramic reseArclt, the appenrAnce of pottery in Neolithic pastoral societies in the Lower Danube ualley is a hrl one. We haue first-hand acquaintance with two early sites here, both subsumed und,er the generic nAme of Mdgura, neAr the modern town ofAlexandria in South Romania, where tbe earlier nne, at about 6000 cal BC, is in fott independent from the lorgtr main site first settled some time later during the Starteuo-CriS period.2 Ceramic programme of SRAP The Southern Romanian Archaeological project (SRAP) pto'oided the impulse to treat settlement patterns, land-use, and material culture within a micro-regional context (Bailey et al. 2002). In terms of pottery, SRAP is concerned with a set of research issues that are being addressed to sites and materials within this region dating from the first uses of ceramics during the early Neolithic (.". 6000-5600 cal BC) to the subsequent Dudegti and Vidastra phases (ca. 5500-5000 cal BC), r'rp until the 5'h millennium Boian and Gumelnita periods. Major research issues the SRAP ceramic programme is deali.g with focus on: o Technology: resource acquisition (clays, tempering materials, pigments and fillers); fabric analysis (makirg use of microscopic observations, and, eventually, of thin-sections); formirg techniques, chafnes opiratoires, surface-finishitg and decoration techniques; firing procedures; motor habit patterns; o Morpholory and categorisation: establishing suitable, quantified rypological schemes to come towards an emic categorisation of assemblages making use of the technological analyses, the gestures involved in handling pottery, the use-functions (cooking, serving, storage, ritual uses); Leiden Journal of Pottery Studies 23, 2007 : I 09-120.
RECENT ADVANCES IN GLASS, STAINED GLASS, AND CERAMICS CONSERVATION 2013, editors: Roemich and Van Lookeren Campagne; , Oct 2013
In 2010, the Rijksmuseum began research on a group of tomb figures presumably made in central Chi... more In 2010, the Rijksmuseum began research on a group of tomb figures presumably made in central China between A.D. 7th and 9th century. During a previous treatment, an iron armature had been discovered inside one of the horses. The other figures were examined to find out if they also have a metal armature and to confirm the date of production. The main goal of this study was to investigate how the figures were produced. Based on research and observations on the objects, a hypothesis for the production process was formulated, and replica figures were modeled with an iron armature and fired. The combination of technical research with practical experimentation has resulted in a better understanding of how and when the figures were produced.
pp 149-158
... van As, T. Broekmans and AM. Adriaens. earlier, Pre-Halaf pottery traditions and the earliest... more ... van As, T. Broekmans and AM. Adriaens. earlier, Pre-Halaf pottery traditions and the earliest Halaf. The Hassuna/Samarra period (ca. ... Fig. 1 : Principal sites mentioned in the text. excavated in Pre-Halaf to Early Halaf Transitional contexts (fig. I)6. ...
During the Late Classic period at the site of K'axob in Belize, Central America, inhabitants recy... more During the Late Classic period at the site of K'axob in Belize, Central America, inhabitants recycled ceramic fragments as tools for the making of pottery. Considering pottery as a tool is by no means an easy task and requires, for its study, significant methodological innovation. The K'axob pottery tools demanded a comprehensive study to determine their use and function within this widespread economic activity. Research presented here incorporated fabrication of replicas of archaeological pottery tools and their experimental use for the making of ceramic vessels. Combined microscopic analysis of archaeological and fabricated tools defined and reproduced wear traces from use activities. Therefore, this investigation entails a methodological innovation to archaeology, yielding a broader perspective into prehistoric technologies.
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pp 149-158
pp 149-158