Berlin 2012 – scientific programme
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MI: Fachverband Mikrosonden
MI 5: X-ray spectrometry and analysis of works of art
MI 5.3: Talk
Wednesday, March 28, 2012, 11:00–11:15, TA 201
Investigation of the manufacturing process of attic shards by X-ray absorption spectroscopy — •Lars Lühl1,2, Sammia Mahlkow1, Eleni Aloupi3, and Birgit Kanngießer1 — 1Institut für Optik und Atomare Physik, Technische Universität Berlin, Hardenbergstr. 36, 10623 Berlin, German — 2Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung, Unter den Eichen 44-46, 12203 Berlin, German — 3NCSR Demokritos, Gr-15310 Aghia Paraskevi, Greece
Ceramics in general are of great historical importance because they are among the earliest evidence of human settlements. Primitive hand-made ceramics that were made of coarse clay and burned at low temperatures are considered to be the first signs of tribes to settle. Up to the masterful and artistic ceramics of Greek and especially of Attic vases, the method has been refined over the centuries by polishing the surface, carving notches and especially by the use of wheels.
Attic vases are unique in its production technology due to the three-stage firing process. During the firing process the ornamentation applied on the leather dried ceramic is given its intense, glassy black colour, while the underlying ceramic coloured reddish-brown.
In order to gain knowledge about the manufacturing process, modern replica of attic shards, produced with different coarsenesses of suspension and fired with different temperatures, were investigated. The iron oxidation state was determined as an indicator for the different manufacturing procedures. The results are compared with results from historic attic shards which gave a deeper insight into the manufacturing process.