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Black painted pottery, Kildehuse II, Odense County, Denmark
Joanna Trąbska1, Aleksandra Wesełucha-Birczyńska, Janina Zięba-Palus
1Rzeszów University, Institute of Archaeology, Hoffmanowej 8 Str, Rzeszów, Poland. joanna.trabska@archeologia.rzeszow.pl
Spectrochimica Acta. Part A, Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy
|October 23, 2010
Summary
Bronze Age pottery features a black layer, likely birch or pine tar paint, not carbon black. This organic coating, applied hot, reveals structural ordering and minor inorganic elements.
Area of Science:
- Archaeological science
- Materials characterization
- Ancient technology
Background:
- Bronze Age pottery surfaces often exhibit decorative or functional coatings.
- Understanding the composition of ancient coatings provides insights into material use and technology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize the black layer on a Bronze Age (period VI) pot surface.
- To determine the composition and application method of the black layer.
- To differentiate between organic and carbon-based paint formulations.
Main Methods:
- Plane polarized light microscopy (PLM) for optical properties.
- Scanning microscopy with X-ray microanalysis (SEM/EDS) for elemental composition.
- Raman and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) microspectroscopies for molecular structure.
Main Results:
- The black layer is an opaque, isotropic, continuous coating (0.2-0.4 μm thick), applied to a burnished surface.
- Spectroscopic analyses indicate the use of birch tar or birch-pine tar, excluding carbon black.
- The organic material shows structural ordering influenced by temperature; graphite is present in some spectra, with minor clay minerals, feldspars, and quartz as casual admixtures.
Conclusions:
- The black layer is a true painting layer, likely applied hot, composed primarily of birch/pine tar.
- Inorganic admixtures are incidental, with elements like aluminum, phosphorus, calcium potentially originating from wood ashes or environmental interactions.
- The use of bone powder or ash additives is excluded based on elemental distribution.
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