Sidi Zahruni, una alfarería en el Ager de Neapolis (Túnez): aglomeración o vicus circa villam?

Sidi Zahruni, in the Neapolis ager (Tunisia), was known as a pottery workshop with an important production of late antique amphorae as well as a minor production of coarse ware and African Red Slip ware. An intra site survey, undertaken in 2012, allowed us to document a major extension of the site, evidence of a rich residential part and a monumental building. Evaluation of the data in contrast to others in the contexte of Tunisia has led us to think that it could be an agglomeration or a villa contemporary with the pottery. Therefore, it may be opportune to think of a vicus circa villam – classification of a well-known Aegennius Urbicus quotation.Sidi Zahruni, una alfarería en el ager de Neapolis (Túnez) : aglomeración o vicus circa villam ? Resumen : Sidi Zahruni, en el ager de Neapolis (Túnez), era conocido como una alfarería con una importante producción de ánforas en el período tardo antiguo, así como con una producción menor de cerámica común y sigillata africana. Unas prospecciones “intra-site”, realizadas en 2012 , nos permitieron documentar una mayor extensión del yacimiento, la evidencia de una parte residencial rica y un edificio monumental. La evaluación de los datos, en contraste con otros dentro del contexto de Túnez, nos lleva a pensar que se podría tratar de una aglomeración o una villa contemporánea a la alfarería. En consecuencia, podría ser oportuno pensar en un vicus circa villam – clasificación bien conocida a través de Aegennius Urbicus.Prevosti Marta, Jarrega Domínguez Ramón, Casas Lluís, Fouzai Boutheina, Baklouti Siwar, Laridhi ouazaa Nejia. Sidi Zahruni, una alfarería en el Ager de Neapolis (Túnez): aglomeración o vicus circa villam?. In: Dialogues d'histoire ancienne, vol. 48, n°1, 2022. pp. 265-313

Provenance and reference groups of African Red Slip ware based on statistical analysis of chemical data and REE

International audienceAfrican Red Slip (ARS) ware (sigillata africana) from three archaeological sites in northern (Oudhna, Sidi Khalifa) and central Tunisia (Henchir el Guellel) was studied by X-ray fluorescence and statistical treatment of chemical data in order to define homogeneous reference groups. The specimens from Henchir el Guellel are clearly different from those of the other two sites, which are compositionally more similar, due to their geographical vicinity. ARS ware from Sidi Khalifa is chemically very homogeneous, whereas that from Oudhna clusters into two distinct groups. The chemical correspondence with literature reference groups, based on both kiln wastes and sherds from archaeological surveys, defines new reference groups, statistically more numerous and representative. Comparisons of chemical data by neutron activation analysis on selected potsherds and clays from the surroundings of each site also identified the probable base-clays used to produce the ARS ware of Oudhna, Sidi Khalifa, and to advance some hypothesis on that used in Henchir el Guellel, thereby overcoming difficulties in assessing chemical contents of elements due to levigation processes

Comparison between different image acquisition methods for grain-size analysis and quantification of ceramic inclusions by digital image processing: how much similar are the results?

This paper focuses on the statistical comparison between the abundance and grain-size distribution of inclusions in pottery, determined by digital image process on images acquired using different methods (crossed-polarized light optical microscopy, back-scattered scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and microchemical mapping also under SEM). The results clearly indicate that the acquisition method deeply affects the absolute quantification, resulting in highly underestimated values for crossed-polarized light images with respect to those obtained from the microchemical mapping. Besides absolute quantification, the grain-size distribution shows some small differences among acquisition methods both in mean and variance values although frequency distributions and cumulative curves of inclusions show some similarities regardless of the acquisition method. Differences in terms of abundance and grain-size distribution of inclusions on the same sample are here analysed and related to the limitations of each acquisition metho

Archaeometric study of African Keay 25.2 amphorae in Catalonia (Spain): a history of importation and imitation

This work presents the results of archaeometric study of Keay 25.2 amphorae from some sites along the Catalan coast (the ancient Roman province of Hispania Tarraconensis, north-eastern Spain), considered to be vessels imported from production centres in Tunisia and, on the basis of the similarity of macrofabric and shape, in particular from the Sidi Zahruni production area (NE Tunisia). A series of 38 amphorae were analysed by thin-section petrography, X-ray powder diffraction and X-ray \ufb02uorescence. The chemical data were statistically treated in order to de\ufb01ne, for comparison with an established reference group of amphorae from Sidi Zahruni, possible cases of exportation from the Tunisian site to Spain. Many petrographic and chemical groups were identi\ufb01ed among the amphorae, and only some of them turned out to come from the North African production centres, mostly Sidi Zahruni. However, some were characterised by metamorphic and igneous inclusions, which are not consistent with the geology of Tunisia, indicating that they had been produced in other areas of the Roman Empire. The petrographic, mineralogical and geochemical af\ufb01nities of these specimens with Early Roman Catalan amphorae indicate that these Keay 25.2 amphorae were produced in Catalonia, perhaps as imitation products. Identi\ufb01cation of imported specimens and also of local imitations contributed to improving our knowledge of economic relations and trade between Northern Africa and Hispania

Provenance and reference groups of African Red Slip ware based on statistical analysis of chemical data and REE

African Red Slip (ARS) ware (sigillata africana) from three archaeological sites in northern (Oudhna, Sidi Khalifa) and central Tunisia (Henchir el Guellel) was studied by X-ray fluorescence and statistical treatment of chemical data in order to define homogeneous reference groups. The specimens from Henchir el Guellel are clearly different from those of the other two sites, which are compositionally more similar, due to their geographical vicinity. ARS ware from Sidi Khalifa is chemically very homogeneous, whereas that from Oudhna clusters into two distinct groups. The chemical correspondence with literature reference groups, based on both kiln wastes and sherds from archaeological surveys, defines new reference groups, statistically more numerous and representative. Comparisons of chemical data by neutron activation analysis on selected potsherds and clays from the surroundings of each site also identified the probable base-clays used to produce the ARS ware of Oudhna, Sidi Khalifa, and to advance some hypothesis on that used in Henchir el Guellel, thereby overcoming difficulties in assessing chemical contents of elements due to levigation processes

African terra sigillata from Henchir Es-Srira archaeological site, central Tunisia: Archaeological provenance and raw materials based on chemical analysis

International audienceTerra sigillata from the Henchir Es-Srira archaeological site in central Tunisia was analysed by X-ray fluorescence (XRF), and chemical data were statistically treated by multivariate (principal component and cluster) analyses, which defined a geochemically homogeneous reference group. According to our results, potsherds from Henchir Es-Srira are compositionally compatible with the six reference samples from the same site already published in the literature, and form a single group. A larger reference group is now well established for this site. In addition, comparisons with previous data from other sites in both northern and central Tunisia show that terra sigillata from Henchir Es-Srira is chemically more similar to that of the northern sites than the central ones. Neutron activation analysis (NAA), an extremely valuable tool for provenance studies, was also performed on a set of selected potsherds from Henchir Es-Srira and clay materials collected nearby, with the aim of identifying the possible clayey raw materials used for this ceramic production. Comparisons of both bulk chemical composition and trace and rare earth element (REE) patterns show that most of the objects were locally produced from a Neogene base-clay, probably collected from the “Saouaf Formation”

African terra sigillata from Henchir Es-Srira archaeological site, central Tunisia: Archaeological provenance and raw materials based on chemical analysis

Terra sigillata from the Henchir Es-Srira archaeological site in central Tunisia was analysed by X-ray fluorescence (XRF), and chemical data were statistically treated by multivariate (principal component and cluster) analyses, which defined a geochemically homogeneous reference group. According to our results, potsherds from Henchir Es-Srira are compositionally compatible with the six reference samples from the same site already published in the literature, and form a single group. A larger reference group is now well established for this site. In addition, comparisons with previous data from other sites in both northern and central Tunisia show that terra sigillata from Henchir Es-Srira is chemically more similar to that of the northern sites than the central ones. Neutron activation analysis (NAA), an extremely valuable tool for provenance studies, was also performed on a set of selected potsherds from Henchir Es-Srira and clay materials collected nearby, with the aim of identifying the possible clayey raw materials used for this ceramic production. Comparisons of both bulk chemical composition and trace and rare earth element (REE) patterns show that most of the objects were locally produced from a Neogene base-clay, probably collected from the \u201cSaouaf Formation\u201d