MSCC3 3rd MINERAL SCIENCES IN THE CARPATHIANS ...

Acta Mineralogica-Petrographica, Abstract Series 5, Szeged, 2006INTERDISCIPLINARY (MINERALOGICAL–GEOLOGICAL–ARCHAEOLOGICAL) STUDYOF THE ANCIENT POTTERY FROM PĂLATCA (TRANSYLVANIA, ROMANIA)PRECUP, C., IONESCU, C. & GHERGARI, L.Babeş-Bolyai University, 1 Kogălniceanu Str., RO-400084 Cluj-Napoca, RomaniaE-mail: precupcar@yahoo.comFinding the provenance of raw materials and the manufacturingconditions represents the first target of the mineralogical-petrographical-geoarchaeologicalstudies on ancient ceramics,after the ceramics characterization and classification.Twenty eight potsherds exhumed from a Middle Bronze Agesite (Wietenberg culture) located in the actual Pălatca village(east of Cluj-Napoca, Romania), were studied by polarizedlight microscopy in thin sections, X-ray powder diffractometryand porosity measurements.The potsherds belong to common vessels (pots, bowls,cups, plates) having various colours, from light yellow andlight red, to dark brown and dark grey. Microscopically, theceramic body is constituted from plastic material (clayeymatrix), nonplastic inclusions (fragments of rocks, crystals,potsherds) and voids (pores). The clayey matrix has crystallineand/or amorphous fabric, showing different degrees ofthermal sintering and vitrification. In the matrix, variableamounts of magmatic, metamorphic and sedimentary lithoclasts,various crystalloclasts and rare ceramoclasts (potsherds)and bioclasts are present. The texture of the ceramicbody is in general not oriented or loosely oriented. Thegranulometric measurements reveal the presence of the semifineand coarse ceramics, classified according to GHERGARIet al. (1999) and IONESCU & GHERGARI (2004).The estimation of the firing temperatures between 800 °Cand 900 ºC was based both on the microscopical observationand XRD data. The first revealed the melting of quartz rims,the sintering and vitrification processes, and the partial ortotal decomposition of fine-grained calcite. The X-ray diffractionpatterns showed changes of some lines, such as thedisappearance of clay minerals or mica lines, the alteration ofcalcite lines.The ceramic samples have both primary (due to modellingand drying) and secondary pores (due to firing), in variousamounts. The apparent porosity, expressed by the volumeof the open pores, was calculated based on formula given bySHEPARD (1976) and varies from 8 up to 35%.Microscopical data of the matrix and the X-ray diffractometryof the bulk ceramic sample indicate that most likelypolymictic clays, composed from illite, kaolinite ± smectite ±calcite were used as raw material. Similar clays, of Mioceneage, occur in the surroundings of the site. Quartz sands andceramoclasts were used as tempering materials.This study was financially supported by the RomanianMinistry of Education and Research (Grant 1762/2005).ReferencesGHERGARI, L., LAZAROVICI, GH., IONESCU, C. &TAMAS, T. (1999): Angvstia, 4: 1–7.IONESCU, C. & GHERGARI, L. (2002): In: Proceedings ofXVII. Congress of Carpathian-Balkan Geological AssociationBratislava, September 1 st –4 th 2002, GeologicaCarpathica, 53, Spec. Issue.SHEPARD, A. (1976): Ceramics for the archaeologist. 7 th ed.Washington: Carnegie Institution of Washington.98www.sci.u-szeged.hu/asvanytan/acta.htm