Petrographic sample: Akko P132

Vessel Registration Number:

'Akko KH 3261/1

'Akko/Acre

1099 CE - 1291 CE

Cooking pot

Israel/Northern Coastal Plain

Crusader-Frankish/Ayyubid/early Mamluk

Cooking/Food production

Description

It has dark gray ferruginous micaceous matrix containing some silty
plagioclase and hornblende. The gray color of its matrix can be a result of a reducing
atmosphere in the kiln during firing. Temper comprises about 20% of the volume
of the sherd and its grains vary in size from 0.1 to 2.0 mm. Most of the temper
is mineral grains and rock fragments of basic to ultra-basic metamorphic rock, such
as pyroxene, hornblende, plagioclase, biotite, olivine, harzburgite, dunite, hardly
eroded basalt, etc. Also present are rare sand-sized rounded to elongated (0.3–0.4 mm) opaque to very
dark brown fragments which can be ore minerals (like limonite), and negatives
after some organic matter vanished during the firing. The latter are visible as
sub-rounded triangular and elongated rectangular voids.

Figs. for P132=quartz-feldspar intergrowth (as Smadar mentioned);
(a)=angular grain of pyroxene

Thin Section Photos  2


Cooking pot
'Akko/Acre
1099 CE - 1291 CE
Crusader-Frankish/Ayyubid/early Mamluk

Cooking pot
'Akko/Acre
1099 CE - 1291 CE
Crusader-Frankish/Ayyubid/early Mamluk

Break Photos  0

Vessel Images  1


Cooking pot
'Akko/Acre
1099 CE - 1291 CE
Crusader-Frankish/Ayyubid/early Mamluk

Petrographic Sample

Cyprus / Paphos

pyroxene, hornblende, plagioclase, biotite, olivine, harzburgite, dunite, hardly eroded basalt, etc.

dark gray ferruginous micaceous matrix containing some silty plagioclase and hornblende

Associated Ware/Ware Family

c. 1100 CE to c.1600 CE

Late Byzantine, Frankish, Venetian