Abstract
A total of thirty-eight beads, including one pendant securely dated to the Early Bronze Age III, were recently unearthed at Tell es-Safi/Gath, Israel. The beads were subjected to analysis by FTIR spectrometry in order to identify the mineralogy and materials used for their making. Among the various materials identified, such as carnelian, steatite and shells, twenty-five were made of faience. The microstructure and chemical composition of two faience beads were analyzed by electron microscopy and are the focus of this short report. Results show that cementation glazing was most likely used for one, whereas efflorescence glazing was most probably used in the production of the other. These preliminary results shed light on the variability that existed in manufacturing procedures and choice of raw materials for the production of early vitreous materials during this period.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 609-613 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports |
Volume | 7 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1 Jun 2016 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:Research was supported by The Canadian Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC PG # 895-2011-1005 to H. Greenfield and A. Maeir), as part of the Ackerman Family Bar-Ilan University Expedition to Gath (directed by A. Maeir). The authors wish to thank the expedition staff and team members, as well as two anonymous reviewers for their comments on an earlier version of this manuscript.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 Elsevier Ltd.
Keywords
- Beads
- Early Bronze Age
- FTIR
- Faience
- Microstructure analysis
- Tell es-Safi/Gath