African Sigillata 2.1 Fabric

Identification:

Fabric associated with African Sigillata 2.1, a class of gloss-slipped tableware likely manufactured at Henchir El-Guellal, near Djilma, in the interior of central Tunisia.

Description:

Light red or red body with gritty texture.

Non-carbonate matrix containing abundant quartz grains, sometimes rare fragments claystone, and frequent calcareous bodies.

Basic Information

Fabric Number:

131

Class:

African Sigillata 2.1

Number of Specimens:

Three rim and base fragments were examined on a fresh fracture surface under a binocular microscope and assigned to this fabric. All of these were photographed with a digital microscope and are provided with a specimen description. One of the three was subjected to petrographic analysis.

Homogeneity:

The small number of specimens assigned to this fabric display substantial variability in the color of their body and in the abundance and size of inclusions.

Raw Materials and Procesing:

It is unclear whether this fabric was produced using a non-carbonate clay with a natural component of fine to medium quartz/calcium carbonate sand or by adding fine to medium quartz/calcium carbonate sand temper to a fine-textured non-carbonate clay.

Hand Specimen Characterization

Hardness:

Medium

Representative Colors:

Light red/red (2.5YR 5.5/8) - highly glossy red (2.5YR 5.2/8) slip.

Red (10R 5/8) - highly glossy red (10R 5/8) slip.

Red (1.5YR 5/8) - highly glossy red (10R 5/8) slip.

Fracture Surface:

irregular

Texture:

gritty

Inclusions/Voids:

Type:

No visible inclusions or voids

Microscopic Characterization

Nature:

non-carbonate

Texture:

gritty

Inclusions/Voids:

Type:

Colorless grains (quartz)

Abund:

abundant

Cond:

angular

subangular

subrounded

Size:

small

Type:

Colorless grains (quartz)

Abund:

sparse

Cond:

subangular

Size:

medium

Type:

Red bodies (claystone?)

Abund:

rare

absent

Cond:

rounded

Size:

large

medium

Type:

Reaction rims (calcium carbonate)

Abund:

frequent

Cond:

rounded

Size:

small

Type:

Reaction rims/white bodies (calcium carbonate)

Abund:

rare

Cond:

rounded

irregular

Size:

medium

Type:

Voids

Abund:

rare

absent

Cond:

rounded

irregular

Size:

small

Photomicrographs - Fracture Surface :

Compositional Analyses

Petrographic Analysis:

PEPP Thin Section 201

Provenience

Provenience - Country:

Tunisia

Provenience - Region:

C Tunisia interior

Provenience - Locale:

Djilma - Henchir El-Guellal

Provenience - Discussion:

This fabric is presumably the fabric that Mackensen and Schneider have associated with a workshop site at Henchir El-Guellal, near Djilma, in the interior of central Tunisia.

Representation in Assemblage

Forms:

African Sigillata 2.1 Base 1

African Sigillata 2.1 Form 1

African Sigillata 2.1 Form 2

Specimens:

PEPP 6964

PEPP 6968

PEPP 7000

Relationships to Other Fabrics

Notes:

AFRICAN SIGILLATA 1 FABRIC VARIANT 3: This fabric can be distinguished form African Sigillata 2.1 Fabric due to the absence of a regular component of calcareous bodies and its fine to slightly porphyritic texture.

AFRICAN SIGILLATA 1 FABRIC VARIANT 4: This fabric can be distinguished form African Sigillata 2.1 Fabric due to the absence of a regular component of calcareous bodies and its slightly less gritty texture.

AFRICAN SIGILLATA 2.2 FABRIC: This fabric can be distinguished form African Sigillata 2.1 Fabric due to the absence of a regular component of presence of calcareous bodies and its slightly greater abundance of quartz inclusions..

AFRICAN SIGILLATA 3 FABRICS: THIS WILL BE ADDED ONCE THE DESCRIPTION OF THESE HAS BEEN COMPLETED.

AFRICAN SIGILLATA 5 FABRICS: THIS WILL BE ADDED ONCE THE DESCRIPTION OF THESE HAS BEEN COMPLETED.

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African Sigillata 2.1 Fabric

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