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Archaeometric characterization of common and cooking wares from the Late Antique city of Valentia (Valencia, Spain)

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Abstract

This contribution presents the results of the archaeometric characterization of Late Roman pottery from the city of Valencia (Spain). The ceramic samples, including common wares, amphorae, and cooking wares, have been characterized using WD-X-ray fluorescence for the chemical analysis, X-ray diffraction for the mineralogical study, and optical microscopy by thin-section analysis for the mineralogical and petrographic characterization. The results show a wide range of fabrics with cooking wares of imported origin. The most important result is, however, the identification of a possible regional ware that resembles African cooking wares but that could have been locally or regionally produced, as well as the possible production in the area of some common wares. These results provide a better insight into the production and distribution of Late Roman ceramics in the area and contribute to a better understanding of trade dynamics in the Western Mediterranean for imported wares.

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Acknowledgments

This work was performed in the framework of the project Late Roman Pottery in the Western Mediterranean: exploring regional and global trade networks through experimental sciences (LRPWESTMED) (ref. HAR2013-45874-P), funded by the National Plan of I + D + I Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Secretaría de Estado de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación, with contributions from FEDER funds, PI: Miguel Ángel Cau Ontiveros. This is part of the activities of the Equip de Recerca Arqueològica i Arqueomètrica de la Universitat de Barcelona (ERAAUB), Consolidated Group (2017 SGR 1043), thanks to the support of the Comissionat per a Universitats i Recerca del DIUE de la Generalitat de Catalunya.

We would like to thank also the Secciò d’Investigaciò Arqueològica Municipal, Ajuntament de València, as well as Carmen Marín for their support in different stages of the investigation in Valencia. XRF and XRD analyses were undertaken at the Centres Científics i Tecnològics of the University of Barcelona.

We are also grateful to Evan Levine and Dan Plekhov from the Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World, Brown University (USA), for the revision of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. ICREA, Pg. Lluís Companys 23, 08010, Barcelona, Spain

    Miguel Ángel Cau Ontiveros

  2. ERAAUB, Facultat de Geografia i Història, Departament d’Història i Arqueologia, Universitat de Barcelona, c/ Montalegre 6-8, 08001, Barcelona, Spain

    Miguel Ángel Cau Ontiveros, Leandro Fantuzzi & Evanthia Tsantini

  3. Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World, Brown University, Box 1837/60 George Street, Providence, RI, 02912, USA

    Miguel Ángel Cau Ontiveros

  4. Secciò d’investigaciò Arqueològica Municipal, Ajuntament de Valencia, Valencia, Spain

    Albert Ribera i Lacomba

  5. Valencia, Spain

    Miquel Rosselló Mesquida

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  1. Miguel Ángel Cau Ontiveros
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  2. Leandro Fantuzzi
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Correspondence to Miguel Ángel Cau Ontiveros.

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Online Resource 1

Additional archaeological information (macroscopic observations) for the 42 ceramic samples analyzed (XLS 34 kb)

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Photographs of representative samples from the analyzed assemblage, including cooking wares, common wares and amphorae (PNG 2570 kb)

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Cau Ontiveros, M.Á., Fantuzzi, L., Tsantini, E. et al. Archaeometric characterization of common and cooking wares from the Late Antique city of Valentia (Valencia, Spain). Archaeol Anthropol Sci 11, 4035–4057 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-019-00802-x

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