Volume 6, issue 2 (winter 1998-1999)
LARG-News
The Byzantine petrology
project
by Ken Dark and J. Eyers
This archaeological project, undertaken for the
Late Antiquity Research Group, seeks to use petrology to identify
the sources of Byzantine ceramics and building materials. The
project directors are Ken Dark (in regard to the archaeological and
Byzantine aspects of the study) and Dr J. Eyers, a specialist on
the geology of the eastern Mediterranean.
Petrology has the potential to resolve many significant
questions relating to production, exchange and and supply within
the Byzantine world. The technique permits the sourcing of clays
used in pottery, brick and tile production, and the location of
stone quarry areas. Thus, the sources of ceramics and building
materials may be recognised and patterns of supply and trade
investigated. The project has started by examining Middle and Late
Byzantium fine-ware pottery but - if samples are available - it is
hoped to work on Early Byzantine local wares and the sources of
brick, tile, mosaic, opus sectile and other building materials of
Early, Middle and Late Byzantine date.
The first group of Byzantine ceramics was processed in 1998, and
the petrological results will be available during 1999. These are
to be used as the basis for archaeological analysis, and the
results published as a series of academic papers. The project will
continue for several years, and samples of any size are sought from
Byzantine buildings, floors and mosaics as well as ceramics of the
types referred to above.
Readers of Gouden Hoorn/Golden Horn interested
in obtaining further details regarding the donation of material for
analysis should contact Dr Ken Dark, LARG, 324 Norbury Avenue
London SW16 3RL or email:
[email protected].
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