Discerning differences: Ion beam analysis of ancient faience from Naukratis and Rhodes
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techne-804.pdf
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Resource type
Journal article
Date published
2016
Abstract
Faience technology was known in Egypt since the Predynastic Period and practiced for a period also in Bronze Age Greece, but, having been lost, was reintroduced to the Greek world only in the ï¬ rst half of the ï¬ rst millennium BC. The Greek island of Rhodes and the Greek-Egyptian trade harbour of Naukratis in the Nile Delta are suspected to be key centres of early Greek-style faience production, exporting amulets and vessels across the Mediterranean region. Yet the nature and scale of their production and their role in technology transfer, vis-à -vis Egyptian and Levantine/Phoenician production, remain little understood. The main aim of this study was to discover whether it is possible to deï¬ ne chemical characteristics for the faience produced and found at Naukratis, and to use this data to differentiate between artefacts produced here and elsewhere.
A programme of ion beam (PIXE and PIGE) analysis was conducted under the CHARISMA transnational access scheme, known to be a suitable tool for studying ancient vitreous artefacts as it provides a non-destructive means of obtaining precise and accurate quantitative compositional data. Both the internal body of damaged objects as well as the outer glaze layer were analysed, of which only the latter are discussed here. The results of this study indicate that the faience found at both Naukratis and on Rhodes is compositionally similar. However, some small differences were found in the raw materials used in its production which may help us to better characterise the production of different faience manufacturing centres.
Project(s)
Naukratis - Greeks in Egypt
Funder
| Funder name | Awards |
Leverhulme Trust | F/100 052/E |
The Leon Levy – Shelby White Program for Archaeological Publications | |
Christian Levett and the Mougins Museum of Classical Art | |
Journal title
Techne La science au service de l’histoire de l’art et de la préservation des biens culturels
Volume
43
ISSN
1254-7867
Rights statement
In Copyright
Keywords