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An Investigation of Ceramic Forming Method Using Reverse Engineering Techniques: The Case of Oinochoai from Dion, Macedonia, Greece

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Abstract

A method for investigating the forming technique of ancient ceramic vessels is presented. The recording, analysis, and comparison of the vessels' metrical properties by means of computer tomography, three-dimensional laser scanning, and solid-modeling software enables the identification of the applied manufacturing methods. A finite elements method-based simulation of the developed deformations during the vessels' manufacture offers significant insight into the applied shaping procedures. By making possible the exact recording of both the internal and external form of the vessels as well as the simulation of the forming procedure, the method represents a marked improvement to hitherto applied methods based on radiography. The method is applied on two early iron age ceramic jugs (oinochoai) found as offerings in tombs in excavations in Dion, Greece.

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Acknowledgments

The research was conducted in the frame of “Archaeocop” EUREKA project, supported by the General Secretariat for Research and Technology of the Hellenic Ministry for Development. The authors would like to thank Prof. Klein and his collaborators (Fachhochschule Aalen, Germany) for their assistance in scanning jug No. 1 by a computer tomographer, as well as PV Engineering Co. (Athens, Greece) for their assistance in scanning jug No. 2 by a portable 3D laser device.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory for Machine Tools and Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering Department, Aristoteles University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, 57400, Greece

    Konstantinos Dionysios Bouzakis, Kyriakos Efstathiou & Emmanouil Varitis

  2. Archaeological Laboratories of DION, Aristoteles University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, 57400, Greece

    Dimitris Pantermalis & Ioannis Mavroudis

  3. Department of Vehicle Technology, Technological Educational Institution of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, 47400, Greece

    George Paradisiadis

Authors
  1. Konstantinos Dionysios Bouzakis
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  2. Dimitris Pantermalis
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  3. Kyriakos Efstathiou
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  4. Emmanouil Varitis
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  5. George Paradisiadis
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  6. Ioannis Mavroudis
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Konstantinos Dionysios Bouzakis.

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Bouzakis, K.D., Pantermalis, D., Efstathiou, K. et al. An Investigation of Ceramic Forming Method Using Reverse Engineering Techniques: The Case of Oinochoai from Dion, Macedonia, Greece. J Archaeol Method Theory 18, 111–124 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10816-010-9081-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10816-010-9081-0

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