An early example of glaze technology diffusion in North Africa: The Islamic workshop of Tahert (central Maghreb, Algeria)

Djellid, Akila; Pradell, Trinitat; Salinas, Elena

doi:10.1016/j.jasrep.2023.104252

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

2023

DOI: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2023.104252

|View full text |Cite

An early example of glaze technology diffusion in North Africa: The Islamic workshop of Tahert (central Maghreb, Algeria)

Akila Djellid,

Trinitat Pradell,

Elena Salinas

Help me understand this report

Search citation statements

Order By: Relevance

Paper Sections

Select...

Citation Types

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Year Published

2024

Publication Types

Select...

Article1

Relationship

Self Cite0

Independent1

Authors

Journals

Cited by 1 publication

References 12 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

The secret is quartz: technology of production of an eleventh-twelfth century western Mediterranean polychrome glazed ware

Salinas,

Pradell

2024

Archaeol Anthropol Sci

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A group of a well-known polychrome glazed ceramic, widespread in the western Mediterranean in the eleventh and first half of the twelfth centuries, has been analysed for the first time using Optical Microscopy (OM) and a Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM) with Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS), in order to shed some light on the materials, production technology and provenance, about which there are various hypotheses. This ware is characterised by a perfectly drawn and varied iconography, with often stylised zoomorphic and anthropomorphic and nautical motifs. It was produced in an as yet unidentified workshop in North Africa or the Iberian Peninsula. The pottery analysed was found in an archaeological excavation in the Barrio Andalusi of Almería (south-east of Spain). Technologically, the ceramics are fairly homogeneous, with copper-green and manganese-brown pigments applied over the raw tin glaze filled with large undissolved quartz particles. The use of quartz is consistent with a Fatimid-Zirid contribution from Ifriqiya, the use of tin is consistent with an Andalusi Umayyad-Taifas contribution, and the green and brown colours on a white ground to either Ifriqiya or Andalusi. Our study has shown that the use of quartz on the decorated glazed surface is not related to the need for an opacifier, but rather to the need for a highly viscous melt that limits the spread of the pigments during the firing allowing a finer and more detailed drawing. This fusion of different techniques has been identified for the first time. It is intriguing from the historical point of view of medieval technology, and provides the first insights into understanding the technological transfers and technical solutions that took place in the Mediterranean basin during this period.

show abstract

The secret is quartz: technology of production of an eleventh-twelfth century western Mediterranean polychrome glazed ware

Salinas,

Pradell

2024

Archaeol Anthropol Sci

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.

Contact Info

customersupport@researchsolutions.com

10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614

Henderson, NV 89052, USA

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Blog Terms and Conditions API Terms Privacy Policy Contact Cookie Preferences Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

Made with 💙 for researchers

Part of the Research Solutions Family.

An early example of glaze technology diffusion in North Africa: The Islamic workshop of Tahert (central Maghreb, Algeria)

Cited by 1 publication

References 12 publications

The secret is quartz: technology of production of an eleventh-twelfth century western Mediterranean polychrome glazed ware

The secret is quartz: technology of production of an eleventh-twelfth century western Mediterranean polychrome glazed ware

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About