Chemical, mineralogical and physical study of Late Iron Age ceramics from Nditam: Cameroon (West central Africa)
Metadatos
Mostrar el registro completo del ítemEditorial
BioMed Central
Materia
Nditam/Cameroon Ceramics Petrophysical characterization
Fecha
2024-01-02Referencia bibliográfica
Zoila Luz, E.N., Giuseppe, C. Chemical, mineralogical and physical study of Late Iron Age ceramics from Nditam: Cameroon (West central Africa). Herit Sci 12, 6 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40494-023-01120-1
Patrocinador
Junta de Andalucía Research Group RNM179; Research Project B-RNM-188-UGR20 of the Regional Ministry of University, Research and Innovation of the Junta de Andalucía and FEDER (Spain), a way of making EuropeResumen
This paper studied Late Iron Age ceramic fragments from Nditam village (Centre Region, Cameroon), the technological
features and deduced the type of the raw materials used to produce them by combining different analytical
techniques based on X-ray fluorescence, powder X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetry, polarized optical microscopy,
spectrophotometry and hydric tests. Macroscopic observations suggest the existence of three types of ceramics
according to their colour, black, greyish and red, in the two opposite surfaces, outer (or external) and inner (internal).
The chemistry indicates that non-calcareous clayey material was used for ceramic production. The correlation
between mineralogy, petrography and the geology of the region suggests a local production of ceramics. Moreover,
the chemistry of the samples confirms the existence of the three macroscopic groups and suggests the use of local
raw materials for their production. From the mineralogical point of view, quartz, feldspar and mica (biotite and muscovite)
were identified in all the samples, while kaolinite and amphibole were detected in some of them. The differences
in the mineralogy may indicate some variations in the firing temperature, being lower in the ceramics containing kaolinite
compared to the other samples. All the samples have similar water absorption behaviour. According to the colours
of the ceramics, a prevalence of oxidising firing conditions was present in the kilns. However, partial reducing
and short duration firing conditions were also possible. Comparative study with the mineralogy of ethnographic
ceramics from southern Cameroon shows some similarities and suggests a continuity in the use of different local clay
pits in this region over time.