Vieira Ferreira, L.F.; Casimiro, T.M.; Boavida, C.; Pereira, M.F.C.; Machado, I.F. An Archaeometric Study of Lead-Glazed Medieval Ceramics (13th–14th Century) from Santarém, Portugal. Heritage2024, 7, 2217-2238.
Vieira Ferreira, L.F.; Casimiro, T.M.; Boavida, C.; Pereira, M.F.C.; Machado, I.F. An Archaeometric Study of Lead-Glazed Medieval Ceramics (13th–14th Century) from Santarém, Portugal. Heritage 2024, 7, 2217-2238.
Vieira Ferreira, L.F.; Casimiro, T.M.; Boavida, C.; Pereira, M.F.C.; Machado, I.F. An Archaeometric Study of Lead-Glazed Medieval Ceramics (13th–14th Century) from Santarém, Portugal. Heritage2024, 7, 2217-2238.
Vieira Ferreira, L.F.; Casimiro, T.M.; Boavida, C.; Pereira, M.F.C.; Machado, I.F. An Archaeometric Study of Lead-Glazed Medieval Ceramics (13th–14th Century) from Santarém, Portugal. Heritage 2024, 7, 2217-2238.
Abstract
The ceramic sherds from approximately 20 samples of lead-glazed tableware, recovered from diverse archaeological sites, including three repurposed storage pits transformed into dumpsters within the medieval city of Santarém (13th-14th century), underwent a meticulous examination. This investigation utilized techniques such as micro-Raman, ground state diffuse reflectance absorption, and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopies, in addition to X-ray diffraction and stereomicroscopy. A parallel study was conducted on contemporaneous European ceramics (glazed sherds) sourced from archaeological sites dating back to the 13th-15th centuries in Saintonge (France), Ardenne, Zomergem, and Bruges (Belgium), as well as Surrey-Hampshire, Kingston, and Cheam (England). The colour of the ceramic bodies is predominantly white or whitish, with a few exhibiting a vivid red hue. Ceramic sherds with a light paste composition were likely crafted using kaolin clays as raw materials. Analyses of fabric, mineralogical, and elemental composition of the sherds suggest that the majority of Santarém's glazed ceramics were locally or regionally produced, potentially derived from a Pliocene kaolin-rich sand formation. However, this conclusion is not supported by the absence of discovered lead glaze kilns or workshops in Santarém for the late Middle Ages. A distinctive feature from the European workshop ceramics lies in the quartz temper content and fabric.
Keywords
Medieval ceramics; Santarém; micro-Raman; GSDR; XRD; XRF; SM
Subject
Chemistry and Materials Science, Applied Chemistry
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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