The Wisconsin U.S.A. shard brought to our notice by James Heath is a mystery. There are symbols evident on the shard looking similar to Minoan script writings. However, taking into account your intensive Linear B study Richard both you and I have our doubts. So may I first ask James if this shard is in fact pottery ? I ask this because terracotta pottery is just that, a sand/rusty color, whereas on the photo the color looks grey and looks more like stone. So without seeing this shard as it were, in my hand its difficult. So James I need you to clarify this. If it is definitely pottery then I urge you to have this shard carbon dated by someone at the Wisconsin University or any Archaeological center you may know of in your area. Also ceramic petrography is recommended, whereby a thin section is taken from the shard and placed under a petrological microscope which shows any inclusions such as, any rock fragments, minerals etc., which have been fired into the pottery. This usually gives some idea of the location the shard originally came from. This done we may have a chance of being able to date this shard more closely.
Rita Roberts
7 responses to “Where Does the Wisconson U.S.A Shard Come From?”
Thank you for your prompt reply James, and your nice comments. Yes there is such pottery classed as gray ware, so this is what threw me when you described the shard as being terracotta. So now we wait for the University results which I hope will give us more satisfactory clues.
Rita.
What is gray ware, Rita… can you help James and me out with this, please…
Hi Richard and James. In response to your question. ” Gray ware ” is a term we use for pottery which is produced from the clay of that color on a particular site, I understand this is the clay color on the site of the Wisconsin finds. Otherwise pottery which has been cooled in a reducing atmosphere.
Excellent post, Rita. Just goes to show you that we who are not archeologists would not not know the diferennce between terracotta and gray ware even if someone shoved them in our face. Now we know. OK, Rita, second question. What is a petrological microscope…. sounds like a microscope made out of stone… just a joke.
The Petrological Microscope : Here is a brief explanation for James and Richard. There are two sheets of polaroid the one below the stage of the microscope is the ‘Polarizer” , the other, above the stage, is the ‘Analiser’ The analyser can be moved in and out. Specimens such as, pottery is cut into thin slices and ground smooth .At a certain thickness the specimen becomes transparent. .It is then glued to a slide . When the slide is examined under the microscope,it is important to identify any mineral properties under Plane Polarized light PPL first. (Analiser out ) then to crossed polars (XPL crossed polarized light). This is where the two polaroid sheets are at right angles to each other (Analiser in) Its all to do with light transmission and very difficult to explain so hope you understand. It seems easy when you have the microscope in front of you. It is evidence from thin section work we can often detect where the rock or minerals fired into pottery originate, However, this is not always, especially if from another country.
The email has been sent to the appropriate facility at the University, it is only a waiting game now. I am familiar with pottery and masonry and this appears to me as pottery. I do know that when some pottery(terracotta can be gray) is/was mixed with ashes which would render such a hue. The primary color natural clay in this region is gray, as well. To note: I think both you and Richard are fantastic and your work on the Wisconsin pieces will not go without recognition. Regards, JAMES R HEATH
Wonderful, James! You are doing the best thing you could possibly hope to do to vindicate your dig. Even IF the tablet and shard do NOT fall within the approximate timeline of the Minoan civilization (CA 1900 – 1200 BCE), it makes little difference, because IF your finds are deemed to be ancient by carbon-dating, say, for instance, from 5,000 BCE or 1,000 BCE or 500 AD, one never knows, they AUTOMATICALLY become a highly significant archaeological find in their own right. In fact, if they turn out NOT to be Minoan-related, their value may INCREASE, because if the signs on the tablet are UNKNOWN, everybody will be scrambling to undecipher them. You would have to start your own new blog! Thank you so much for your kind words about Rita and me, James. It is so appreciated. Rita, who was my first Linear B student, has made enormous strides in the past eighteen months, and she is now working together with me deciphering 100s of tablets, which MUST be done, as many of them, would you believe !!! have never been translated before. I do not even know or understand why, but who am I to say…
Best
Richard