Comments on: Ceramics as material culture: Study of the North African amphorae from Portus

By: Mohamed Amor

Mohamed Amor — Mon, 16 May 2016 22:39:09 +0000

Hello Charles,
Let’s first thank Pina for her nice explanations and her interest in a special part of archeology.
Answering your 1st question, Amphorae was and is made in one session and for a good potter, making even a big large amphora doesn’t take more than one or one hour and a half. But after modeling, there are other work of olishing, buffing…to compact clay and to ensure impermeability and waterproufness and to have finally a smouth pottery. After that, before leaving amphora to the kiln, it must be dried exposing it to air and a little time to sun. Thisstage may take 3 to 5 days and more in winter.
The frinig in the kiln lasts hours.
After frining, the berber potters, even nowadays, used to decorate some small utensiles using some vegetal tintings( now they use for example natural tunisian olive oil soap) to make figures onto the utensil.This operation must be done when the utensile is still hot. The lines on the figure are clear when it’s still hot, but when the uensil cools down, the lines become black. To have other colors thy use other vegetal tintings.
To your 2nd question: clay does’t detach in the clin because it’s already dry & compact and because it has a great resistance, thats why we use it in pottery.

Thanks!

By: diwali sms

diwali sms — Mon, 26 Oct 2015 00:20:33 +0000

Fine way of explaining, and good post to take facts regarding my presentation subject, which i am
going to deliver in university.

By: Jenny Rivron

Jenny Rivron — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 19:32:12 +0000

I have found the information of the ceramic materials very interesting,
It also allows an intimate insight into everyday life 2,000 years ago.

By: Charles Weager

Charles Weager — Wed, 16 Jul 2014 17:33:38 +0000

Pina,
I am still not sure how the Amphorae were made. Are they too big to be made mechanically. I can only thing that they used the “Coil ” technique. The other question is was an Amphora made in one session or was it made in stages? How did they prevent the clay from going off in the heat as it surely must have taken a few days to make one?
Charles