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Archeaometry study of the south Gaul Terra Sigillata
The workshops of La Graufesenque and Montans
Ph. Sciau, Y. Kihn, D. Neumeyer, Th. Martin (UTAH), A. Vernhet (UTAH).

Among the Gaulish workshops, La Graufesenque (Aveyron, France) was a very important Terra Sigillata ceramics centre. After copying Italian sigillata between 10BC and 20AC, this workshop started a large-scale production of high quality sigillata (20AC, 120AC), which was sold in most of the Roman world (Fig. 1). This workshop had an industrial organisation, with collective firing in very big kilns (capacity: 10000 to 40000 vessels).


Fig.1 Distribution map of the Terra sigillata from La Graufesenque workshop.

The excavations of the Montans workshop (Tarn, France) suggest a smaller scale production. The production of sigillata also started during the Tiberian period (15 AC, 38 AC), following a test period when (where) Italian models were copied. The main diffusion was along the Atlantic coasts.


With the archaeologists of the Unité Toulousaine d’Archéologie et d’Histoire (UTAH) of the university Toulouse-Le Mirail, we have decided to study together these two workshops with two aims:

• compare their productions:
o Did the Gaulish potters use the same technical solutions as the Italian potters?
o Did the workshop organisation have an influence on the quality of the sigillata ware?

• study the transition period (proto-sigillata (or imitation) —> sigillata), to understand how the production of high quality sigillata started .

Fig. 2 Investigation methods used at CEMES for studying the antic ceramics.

The investigations are carried out by SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy), X-ray  diffraction  and TEM (Transmission Electron Microscopy) with EELS  analysis (Fig. 2).

In both cases, different clays were used for preparing the body and the slip respectively. The ceramic body was prepared from the calcareous local clay close to the workshops.

On the other hand, the slip was obtained from a non-calcareous clay of illitic type. Chemical and mineral compositions are much more homogeneous at La Graufesenque, likely because of the more industrial organisation with collective clay preparations and collective firings. These small variations of the mineral composition confirm the great mastery of the firing under oxidising atmosphere.


Related papers :
1. Etude par diffraction des rayons X des vernis rouges des sigillées du sud de la Gaule. Les ateliers de la Graufesenque. L. Vendier, Ph. Sciau, E. Dooryhee (2002). J. Phys. IV France 12, Pr6 189-196.
2. La composition minérale des pâtes des sigillées de la Graufesenque; un bon moyen de déterminer la température de cuisson des sigillées. Ph. Sciau, A. Vezian. Dans Céramiques de la Graufesenque et autres productions, Hommages à Bettina Hoffmann (dir. A. Verhnet, éditions monique mergoil, 2002). pp 181-190.

 

 

 

  
 
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