Production Technology of Glazed Pottery in Chalcis, Euboea, during the Middle Byzantine Period

Abstract

This paper focuses on various categories of glazed pottery, which were in circulation in western Euboea (Greece) during the Middle Byzantine and Late Byzantine Periods. The production technology and particularly the surface treatment of Byzantine glazed pottery have been investigated on the basis of 56 ceramic fragments from a rescue excavation in Orionos street in Chalkis, Euboea. This paper focuses on the manufacture of glazed pottery within the local pottery repertoire of Chalkis, while trying to contextualise the pottery typology and to consider the issues of technology. The chemical analysis by non-invasive energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM-EDS) provided information about the compositional variation of the examined glazed ceramics assemblage. Moreover, sections of the samples were examined by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in order to determine the microstructure of the samples, as well as the vitrification and the porosity of the ceramic body. Finally, X-ray diffraction (XRD) was applied for qualitative mineralogical analysis indicating presence or absence of high temperature phases and information about firing conditions.

A Physicochemical Examination of Blue Shades in Pottery: Rich, Deep and Endless

“…The existence of SnO 2 in this sample was probably intentional due to the higher percentage of SnO 2 (up to 1.7%) than the glaze. Potentially, the potters tried to create a whitish light blue (Table 2, Figures 4 and 5) [12,13].…”

“…Both used the same recipe, but the turquoise colour of the monochrome glazed Ware sample (MYT200) also contained TiO and ZnO, and as a result, this colour had a more intense hue than sample MYT179. The second recipe was a Kütahya ware sample (MYT230) with CuO and CoO (Table 2, Figures 5 and 6) [12,13].…”

“…Dark blue lines were produced from five different recipes. Within the first recipe, the colorants of the dark blue line of two Kütahya ware samples (MYT188 and MYT179) were 2) [12,13]. With a higher Cu content in the blue-colour recipe, a more greenish-blue hue is produced; with a higher Co content, a deeper blue hue is produced; with a higher Cr content, a darker greenish-blue hue (green colour with Cr 3+ ) or black-blue hue (black colour with Cr 6+ ) is produced; and with a higher Mn content, a more brownish blue hue is produced [14].…”

“…The second glaze recipe was an alkali glaze recipe that was observed in the samples of porcelain (MYT185, MYT186, MYT221, and MYT223) and monochrome glazed ware (MYT200), which contained CaO (2.9-6.6%), NaO 2 (2.1-3.7%), and K 2 O (0.8-2.6%). The third glaze recipe was a lead alkali glaze with a high soda percentage that was observed in the fragments of polychrome painted ware (MYT215) and Miletus ware (MYT167 and MYT204), which contained PbO (13.6-26.2%), NaO 2 (7.3-11%), K 2 O (0.9-1.1%), and CaO (0.6-0.9%) (Table 3) [13,14]. The glaze of samples MYT230 and MYT241 was not analysed as all their surface was covered in a blue colour.…”

Multi-expert multi-criteria decision analysis model to support the conservation of paramount elements in industrial facilities

“…The preponderance of the boiler and turbine hall provide further evidence of the importance of managing the different states of water in thermal power plants, for which safeguarding elements with great value in terms of technological processing and production is crucial [77,78]. Instead, the ranking achieved by the chimney might be rather justified by its impressive magnitude, which in this case amounted to more than 350 m height.…”