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Archaeometric characterization of Late Antique pottery from the rural site of Ses Païsses de Cala d’Hort (Eivissa, Balearic Islands, Spain)

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Abstract

This paper presents the results of an archaeometric characterization of Late Roman Pottery from a rural site on the island of Eivissa (Balearic Islands, Spain). The ceramic samples, including common wares, amphorae and cooking wares, have been analysed using X-ray fluorescence for the chemical characterization, optical microscopy by thin-section analysis for the mineralogical and petrographic characterization, and X-ray diffraction for the mineralogical analysis.The results show the importance of local/regional production for the common wares and amphorae, while for the cooking wares, all the materials are imported, including some fabrics widely distributed in the Western Mediterranean.

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Acknowledgements

This work was performed within 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 (2014 SGR 845); thanks to the support of the Comissionat per a Universitats i Recerca del DIUE de la Generalitat de Catalunya.

We are also indebted to Rosa Gurrea and the Ajuntament d’Eivissa that gave us a space for sampling the materials of Ses Païsses de Cala d’Hort, and to Andrew Dufton, from the Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World, Brown University (USA), for revising the manuscript.

We are grateful to two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

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

    Miguel Ángel Cau Ontiveros

  2. Equip de Recerca Arqueològica i Arqueomètrica de la Universitat de Barcelona (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, Evanthia Tsantini & Leandro Fantuzzi

  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. Consell Insular d’Eivissa, Ibiza, Spain

    Joan Ramon

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  1. Miguel Ángel Cau Ontiveros
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  2. Evanthia Tsantini
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Correspondence to Miguel Ángel Cau Ontiveros.

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In memoriam Sara Santoro

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Ontiveros, M.Á.C., Tsantini, E., Fantuzzi, L. et al. Archaeometric characterization of Late Antique pottery from the rural site of Ses Païsses de Cala d’Hort (Eivissa, Balearic Islands, Spain). Archaeol Anthropol Sci 11, 627–649 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-017-0557-7

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