ACADEMIC JOURNAL
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ISSN 2542-1077 (Print) ISSN 1994-5973 (Online) |
Archeology |
Summanen I. M | Institute of Linguistics, Literature and History of Karelian Research Centre of Russian Academy of Sciences |
Keywords: ceramics kaolin typology technology ICP-MS SEM North-Western Ladoga |
Summary: During excavations of the ancient Karelian hillforts in the North-Western Ladoga region collections of ceramics containing items
made of non-ferruginized and iron-poor clays were found. Typological analysis of ceramic assemblage allowed us to divide it into
pot forms of three types (VI–IX). The results of synchronization of Karelian white-burning clay ceramics with the dated scales of
pottery sets from medieval centers of North-Western Russia were used for material dating. It has been established that the main
forms of the white-burning clay pots were produced in the XIV–XVI cc. The later pottery production presents a collection of Lopotti
hillfort. Its ceramic artifacts appeared no earlier than in the XVI century. The technical and technological research of ceramics
conducted with the application of archaeological (methodic by A. A. Bobrinskiy) and natural science methods (scanning electron
microscopy) shows that the white-burning clay ceramics were produced from kaolin clay with mineral admixture. The latter was
usually presented by debris and sand. The firing conditions were studied as well: most vessels bear the signs of the short-time heating procedure in the oxidizing atmosphere. The majority of the pots are decorated with the frieze of 1–3 lines or waves enlacing the shoulder. One of the most controversial issues was the identification of the place where the white-burning clay ceramics were manufactured. The problem was tackled with the help of ICP-MS analysis. The method proved its effectiveness in the earlier provenance studies of the red-burning clay ceramics of Karelian hillforts. The obtained research data evidence that kaolin ceramics found at Karelian hillforts could have been produced by local manufacture. |
Displays: 328; |