In thin section the sherds commonly showed exterior layers or edges of reduced opaque paste (approximately 0.06-0.20mm in
width) corresponding to slips or surfaces. Their optical appearance was that of
an unskilled mixture of raw plastic materials, but the regular distribution of
their constituents argued against an artificial mixture.
More probably the raw materials were not well integrated at source, or perhaps unskilfull
aging/maturing processes of the clays had resulted in the creation of subordinate patches of a
secondary clay mineral less responsive to reduction. The unusually
sharp colour contrasts' between zones would have been a result of particular
firing procedures, with some minor geochemical role perhaps being played by the
enriched percentages of oxide and mudstone/shale material. Deliberate alternations
of firing environment were the cause of the reverse and multiple coring
features unique to this Paste. The profile of constituents and unusual optical
appearance of this Paste, combined with distinctive macroscopic features and a
certain degree of geochemical peculiarity, reinforced the individual nature of
its status and the raw materials used in its production.
From the map of site locations, for
samples of it could be seen that the majority of examples originated from sites
along the south coast of Cyprus, from Aradhippou to Kouklia, in the west…. The
concentration of samples around Klavdhia suggested the area may have been the
centre of production, or perhaps even the location of a single workshop
responsible for this fabric (After Vaughan 1987: 192-193, paste 6).
Information regarding this ware was retrieved from the Ph.D. dissertation submitted by Sarah Vaughan in 1987 to University College London:
The area south and west of the Troodos Mountains is not so homogenous
... but can be usefully sub-divided into two distinct geological regions: the
first includes the area from just east of Limassol to the Dhiarrizos River, and
is composed almost entirely of the Neogene calcareous sediments of the Pakhna,
Koronia and Kalavassos Formations. The second region includes the land west and
north of the Dhiarrizos to Khrysokhou Bay, and consists of a combination of the
same calcareous Neogene sediments, and the mudstones, limestones, sandstones,
serpentinites, altered lavas, amphibolites and schists of the Mamonia Complex
(Carboniferous to Cretaceous in age). These rock fragments and their particular
non-calcareous sediments also appear as important constituents in the Moni
Formation lying adjacent to the Troodos ophiolites in the south between Yerasa
and Cape Delos (after Vaughan 1987: 99-100).
Pastes of this region are characterized by varying percentages of
argillaceous and very fine-grained lithic clasts and detrital mineral
inclusions. These comprised relatively fresh fragments dissociated from rock
inclusions, very weathered, discrete detrital minerals in the paste, and clay
matrix minerals often too small for precise identification by, petrological
microscope.
Angular silt-sized, quartz grains were ubiquitous in the ware, showing
even distribution throughout the matrix. They were accompanied in the vast
majority of cases by the presence of pale silt-sized laths orientated parallel
to the vessel surfaces in the matrix. Though too small for accurate
identification, these laths appeared to be too large for sericite and were
thought to be either tiny laths of plagioclase, mica or actinolite. Larger
brown and white micas were relatively abundant, varying in size from 0.06mm to
O.25mm. The biotites were often pale and altering to chlorite; while the less
frequent muscovites were generally relatively fresh-looking. Both varieties of
mica were also present in very fine-grained sandstone inclusions. 'Black"
and red isotropic iron oxide inclusions also occurred frequently, normally
0.06-0.13mm in size, amorphous and altered in the firing.
Occasionally, the red variety appeared as an aggregate of discrete
crystalline-looking grains resembling a small fragment of ironstone. Silt-sized
rutiles also appeared frequently as rounded, red translucent (PPL) minerals,
red to opaque with dark edges. Detrital feldspars were common constituents, but
their small size (O.06-0.13mm) and frequently very weathered condition mostly
precluded accurate estimates of presence percentages and precise variety
identifications. Occasional fresh plagioclase fragments showed carlsbad and or
pericline twinning, and several of these were able to be identified as albite,
and one as andesine.
Rare detrital igneous and metamorphic minerals were also features of the
pastes: amphiboles (yellow in PPL, orange-brown in XN) or altering to chlorite
with rarely preserved traces of the 120 angle internal crystal structure; rare
clinopyroxenes, normally argillized. Garnets were identified on a few
occasions, though as inclusions in the sandstone clasts rather than as discrete
inclusions, as were zircons. Equally small rare inclusions in the matrix,
colorless with moderate relief, were thought to be apatites.......
Quartzitic lithic fragments were also common paste constituents, either
as subangular orthoquartzite fragments (probably just polycrystalline quartz
aggregates) of unstrained, subangular, often bimodal quartz grains, or as
aggregates of meta quartz: well-sorted angular' quartz grains (0.1mm) showing
undulose extinction (with rare intergrowths of weathered feldspar) and sutured
boundaries. It was felt that the occasional discrete grains of quartz of this
appearance in the matrices were dissociated from these rock fragments.
Inclusions of detrital chert in the ware were frequent; often occurring as
radiolaria, and may have been derived from either the sandstone or shale
fragments. Chalcedonic silica occurred infrequently, mostly in cracks or in
voids around inclusions, or rarely in a zebraic form in the clay matrix
Argillaceous rock fragments were one of the most diagnostic features of
the ware, occurring in all but five sections arid with no discernible pattern
in size within samples. These fragments ranged from concretions with pinched
plastic shapes (possibly illite) with the same density as the matrix, to hard
mud and claystone, shale or phyllitic fragments with well-defined boundaries
and subrounded to subangular shapes. These hard fragments were generally
between 0.25-1mm in size with a high optical density compared to the matrix,
except for those which were very calcareous. They were characterized by an
absence of voids and only occasional inclusions (mica, quartz, oxides). They
showed polygonal cracking at times and were frequently separated from the
matrix by narrow, often discontinuous voids. They ranged in color from opaque,
dark brown-reds to light browns. The phyllitic fragments were occasionally
warped and frequently micaceous. The ubiquitous appearance and size of these
hard ARF's was suggestive of sedimentary material which may have been
deliberately added to the pastes for tempering effect. However, these
inclusions did not appear to represent sufficient percentages of shale
fragments for this material to have been the source of consistently high
concentrations of potassium.
Argillaceous siltstone inclusions, rounded to subrounded, were related
to this category of inclusion, appearing equally frequently in Base Ring
pastes. They consisted of well-sorted, subrounded silt-sized grains of.quartz
in an argillaceous matrix, often exhibiting strong bedding features enhanced by
separate laminae of micas, with the overall effect resembling a metamorphic
texture at times
In addition to these lithic inclusions there were rare spilitic
fragments, one or two granitic rock fragments .and altered serpentine
inclusions. The basic rock fragments were rounded, between 0.12-0.25mm in size
and mostly highly chloridized. The rare serpentine fragments were argillised
with only traces of the distinctive mesh structure remaining. One or two
rounded inclusions, approximately 0.12mm, with a shadowy internal. structure
had the appearance of cristobalite.
The overall geological profile of the inclusions in Base Ring pastes
suggested sedimentary source deposits which had been affected by low-grade
metamorphism, with dominant elements derived from granitic materials. Though
the character of the constituents was generally uniform for the ware, there
were sufficient geological and technological variations to suggest regional
patterns of production for Base Ring Ware (After the description of Base ring
ware from Vaughan 1987: 179-184).
