The Study of the Internal Structure of Archaeological Coins from the Fortress of Uzundara Using Neutron Radiography and Tomography

The study of the internal structure of archaeological objects is one of the most important tasks of archeology. Obtaining images of the internal structure of objects allows the installation of neutron tomography. Ancient coins found in the fortress of Uzundara were chosen as objects of study.Исследование проводилось в рамках программы научно-исследовательских работ Института ядерной физики Академии наук Республики Узбекистана на 2020-2024 годы, по теме «Радиационно - стимулированные процессы при ядерной трансмутации легированного монокристаллического кремния» в лаборатории радиационной физики и техники твердотельной электроники

Islamic Pottery from Ancient Termez (Uzbekistan): New Archaeological and Archaeometric Data

The study deals with the Islamic pottery from Termez (southern Uzbekistan), with a special focus on the wares dated to the 9th-12th centuries. The city was a major urban settlement, along one of the routes of the Silk Road. Ceramics, both glazed and unglazed, were produced in several workshops located in the lower city (shahristan) and its suburbs (rabad). Glazed and unglazed wares, including cooking pots, two pottery moulds and two sphero-conical vessels from two excavated areas at Termez are examined by X-ray Fluorescence, X-ray Diffraction, and petrographic thin section analysis. Clayey sediments from different areas of the site are incorporated as a local reference for comparison. The aim is to examine the provenance of the vessels and to determine the production techniques. The results reveal that all the vessels were produced by using calcareous clays and most of them exhibit similar geochemical composition; nevertheless, several chemical groups and petrographic fabrics were identified. XRD points that firing temperatures were generally between 800 and 1000-1100°C, being the latter prevalent. The results of this study are remarkable since archaeometric researches on Central Asian pottery are still few.L'étude concerne la poterie islamique de Termez (sud de l'Ouzbékistan), et particulièrement celle datée du ixe au xiie siècle. La ville était un important centre urbain, le long de la Route de la Soie, et un centre de production céramique. Plusieurs ateliers ont été localisés dans la ville basse (shahristan) et dans ses faubourgs (rabad). Des céramiques glaçurées et non glaçurées, des pots, deux moules et deux vases sphéro-coniques ont été examinés par fluorescence de rayons X, diffraction de rayons X et du point de vue pétrographique. Des sédiments argileux provenant de différentes zones du site ont été aussi utilisés comme références locales pour comparaison. Notre objectif est de préciser la provenance des céramiques et de caractériser les techniques de production. Les résultats obtenus montrent que tous les échantillons ont été produits avec des argiles riches en CaO de composition similaire; cependant plusieurs groupes chimiques et pétrographiques ont été identifiés. La DRX indique que les températures de cuisson se situaient généralement entre 800 et 1000-1100 °C, cette dernière fourchette étant majoritaire. Les résultats de cette étude sont remarquables car les recherches archéométriques sur la poterie d'Asie centrale sont encore peu nombreuses

Islamic glazed wares from ancient Termez (southern Uzbekistan). Raw materials and techniques

Ancient Termez, located on the southern border of Transoxiana/Mawarannahr, was an important pottery production centre during the Islamic period. Recent archaeological and archaeometric research carried out by the Spanish-Uzbek team evidenced the manufacture of glazed and unglazed vessels at the workshops found in the lower city (shahristan) and its suburbs (rabad). Glazed local products, mainly dated between the 9th and 16th/17th centuries, comprise slip-painted, underglaze and inglaze painted wares, splashed sgraffiato, and monochrome wares. The present study focuses on the chemical, mineralogical and petrographic examination of different types of glazed ceramics recovered at Termez excavations in order to identify the microstructure and composition of the glazes, the technological processes involved in their manufacture, and their evolution over the centuries. Thin polished sections were prepared and slips and glazes were analysed by optical microscopy (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results reveal that all the local/regional ceramics have a slip and a transparent glaze, with one exception. Colour decorations were applied over the slip, forming thinner or thicker layers depending on the desired final colour. Green (copper), red (iron) and brown/black (iron and in some cases iron plus manganese) pigments were used for the decorations. A high lead glaze was used in the ceramics found in the alluvial plain dating between the 9th and the 11th century, while an alkaline glaze is associated with the majority of ceramics collected in the shahristan dating between the 12th and the 17th century. An alumina rich clay mixed with lead oxide was used in the slip from the alluvial plain ceramics while the slip contained large quartz grains in the ceramics found in shahristan. Three imports from the Iraqi regions, a monochrome lustreware bowl and two white opaque glazed dishes dating from the 9th–10th centuries, were also analysed. They have the characteristic tin-opacified mixed lead-alkali glazes and fine calcareous pastes.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft