Premium
Investigation of Islamic ceramics from Tell Tuneinir using X‐ray diffraction
Author(s) -
Eiland M.L.,
Williams Q.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
geoarchaeology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.696
H-Index - 44
eISSN - 1520-6548
pISSN - 0883-6353
DOI - 10.1002/gea.1025
Subject(s) - calcite , ceramic , quartz , sample (material) , materials science , diffraction , islam , mineralogy , archaeology , metallurgy , geology , history , chemistry , physics , optics , chromatography
Abstract In this study, X‐ray diffraction (XRD) is applied to select ceramics, particularly dating to the Ayyoubid (A.D. 1174–1250) period from Tell Tuneinir in Syria. Because XRD has not been commonly applied to archaeological ceramics, a thorough background of the technique is given, with emphasis on quantitative measurements of quartz and calcite tempers. Several compositional groups based on raw materials and firing conditions emerge. While most ceramic samples are of local manufacture, Islamic stonepaste wares, and the “grenade” sample emerge as likely imports. We conclude that XRD is a powerful tool in characterizing archaeological ceramics and may be used to semi‐quantitatively gauge the amount of quartz, calcite, and feldspars in a sample. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.