Ayyubid/Mamluk Glazed Pottery from Ya'mun: An Archaeometric Study

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the raw materials of the paste and glaze layer, manufacturing technology, and provenance of a collection of Ayyubid/ Mamluk glazed potsherds excavated from Ya'mun, north Jordan. The samples were classified into four groups according to the color of the glaze, and then they were described based on the color of the paste, decoration, and fabric. An integrated approach of mineralogical, chemical and thermal analyzes, using many analytical techniques, was used to achieve the aims of this study. The results of the study indicated that the studied samples are of high lead glaze type. A mixture of lead and silicate solution was applied on the pottery vessel, which was made of homogeneous paste consists of non-calcareous non-ferruginous clay contains large amount of quartz. The X-ray diffraction and photomicrographs of scanning electron microscope revealed that Ayyubid/ Mamluk potters fired this pottery using the double firing method to a temperature more than 1000 C. The raw materials that were used in the manufacture of both the paste and the glaze layer are not available at Ya'mun and its surrounding, which is a strong indication, that this pottery was not locally made.