CHEMICAL ANALYSES OF BODIES AND GLAZES OF CERAMICS FROM THE POTTERY WORKSHOP EXCAVATED AT THE SITE OF LOZENETS (SOFIA, 6TH – EARLY 7TH C.): PRELIMINARY RESULTS

Abstract

A selection of 40 glazed and unglazed pottery sherds from the 6th – early 7th c. pottery workshop at Lozenets, Sofia (ancient Serdica) was studied to investigate their manufacturing technique. Analysis of the sherds’ ceramic bodies indicates that the same low-calcareous clay was used for the production of all categories of vessels (glazed and unglazed, for cooking and not). The glazes are high-lead ones, with a noticeable bismuth content in some inclusions which might be indicative of the provenance of the lead compounds. The latter were probably applied directly onto vessels’ low-calcareous bodies to form the glaze. As for the firing process, several clues point to a single firing. Based on this data, the production of glazed pottery at Serdica seems to be related to the technical tradition observed in the Balkans and northern Italy between the 5th and 7th c. that continued in the “Byzantine Glazed White Ware I” of the 7th c.

Keywords

• high-lead glazed ware
• Early Byzantine pottery
• Serdica
• Bulgaria
• manufacturing techniques
• body and glaze analysis