Asbestos-Ceramic

Asbestos-Ceramic

Asbestos-Ceramic ("ca" 3900-1800 BP) refers to types of pottery manufactured with asbestos and clay with adiabatic behaviour in Finland, Karelia and Northern-Scandinavia. A further vessel-type does not contain any asbestos, but it has insulating properties and is therefore sometimes included under asbestos-ceramic.

The most probable origin of this style of ware is the shores of lake Saimaa in Finland which is the only place for richer easily accessible natural deposits of asbestos in its area of distribution. Finds from inland Finland are the oldest. In Finland real Asbestos-ware is known from ca. 3900 BC - 2800 BC to ca. 1800 BC - 1500 BC. In Northern-Scandinavia asbestos ware appears apparently from ca. 1500 BC to ca. 500 BC.

Asbestos ware is usually classified under Comb Ceramic ware. From the times of the earliest comb ware (ca. 5000BC) in Finland asbestos was mixed with clay as an adhesive. At some point people started to make use of the characteristics of asbestos: its long fibres allowed large vessels with thin walls which made them lighter without compromising durability. Some of the vessels had 6 mm thick walls with a diameter of around 50cm (Pöljä-style). The ware is divided into the following styles (Finland):
*early asbestos ware:
**Pit-Comb ware with asbestos
**Kaunissaari ware
*main styles:
**Pöljä ware
**Kierikki ware
*late asbestos ware:
**Jysmä ware

There are two variants of asbestos-pottery depending on its asbestos amount. "Asbestos pottery" had an asbestos amount of 50-60%. It is usually found along evidence suggesting metal work, i.e. crucibles, moulds, slag, fused clay, artefacts of bronze and copper and stone sledge hammers. There are a few finds of pure copper artifacts among asbestos ceramic finds. These include a bracelet and a hachet (Finland) and some pieces of copper (Sweden). Asbestos ceramic can also have been used as a heat-storage. The vessel patterns are identical to the Neolithic and Bronze Age Jōmon culture in Japan (Jōmon = rope pattern). The most common patterns, however, are the comb and pit decorations typical of North-Eastern Europe at the time (Finland).

The "asbestos ware" refers to vessels containing 90% asbestos and 10% clay, and can resist heat up to 900°-1000°. The clay made the shaping of vessel possible, but the high amount of asbestos does not classify it as pottery in formal sense. It is believed that the asbestos ware was used in iron production such as spearheads, arrowheads and artefacts. The vessel is also drilled with many holes. The fact that the reduction of iron ore (FeO3) with abundant carbon generates large amount of carbon monoxide (CO) may suggest that the drilled holes were used to increase the influx of air (Oxygen) required for proper glowing process. Iron ore is abundant in lakes e.g. in Finland.

Lastly, the "hair-temperature" pottery refers to ware made of fine, sorted clay tempered with "ca" 30% finely cut hair and chamotte with similar shape, size, surface treatment (including decoration) as the asbestos pottery. It does not generally contains asbestos, but some samples have small traces. Hair, when used as ceramic temper, leaves thin pores in the ware after firing. Its usage is unknown, but its adiabatic capacity suggest some kind of insulating usage (but not heat resistance).

The analysis made by University of Lund, Department of Quaternary Geology, on asbestos pottery was quite unexpected, since this part of Northern Europe, usually considered to be a step behind the rest of Europe, actually introduced iron production in the pre-Roman Iron Age.

The style seems to disappear around 1800 BP in Finland but continues in Scandinavia. The disappearance is thought to be related to the transition to a semi-nomadic reindeer husbandry lifestyle.

ource

*Hulthén, Birgitta, "On Ceramic ware in Northern Scandinavia during the Neolithic, Bronze and Early Iron Age" (1993).


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Asbestos — For other uses, see Asbestos (disambiguation). Fibrous asbestos on muscovite …   Wikipedia

  • Asbestos (disambiguation) — Articles on Asbestos include:* Asbestos, the mineral * Asbestos abatement * Asbestos and the law * Asbestos Ceramic * Asbestos Convention, 1986 * Asbestos fibers * Asbestos Strike, a 1949 asbestos mine strike in Canada * Asbestosis * Baron Budd… …   Wikipedia

  • Comb Ceramic culture — Pit Comb Ware culture redirects here. For the contemporary (ca. 3200 2300 BC) Scandinavian culture with a similar name see Pitted Ware culture. The Comb Ceramic Culture or Pit Comb Ware culture was a northeast European stone age culture. It… …   Wikipedia

  • Pottery — Pot and Pots redirect here. For Pot, see Pot (disambiguation). For POTS, see POTS (disambiguation). Unfired green ware pottery on a traditional drying rack at Conner Prairie living history museum …   Wikipedia

  • Iron Age — This article is about the historical / archaeological period known as the Iron Age. For the mythological Iron Age, see Ages of Man. Iron Age This box: view · talk · …   Wikipedia

  • Liste archäologischer Kulturen — Diese Liste archäologischer Kulturen ist eine alphabetische Auflistung. Eine geographische oder chronologische Sortierung findet sich hier. Inhaltsverzeichnis A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Kierikki — is an area located in Yli Ii by the Ii River in Finland. Kierikki is about ten kilometres to southeast and towards Pudasjärvi from Yli Ii’s centre. Kierikki is also a surname in Finland which has come to be used after the Ii River’s rapid named… …   Wikipedia

  • List of Finland-related topics — This is a collection of articles relating to Finland, a country in Northern Europe. The main article *Finland Administrative regions *Historical provinces of Finland *List of towns in Finland *Municipalities of Finland *Provinces of Finland… …   Wikipedia

  • Saimaa — Infobox lake lake name = Saimaa image lake = Saimaan aalto.jpg caption lake = View from Joutseno town in western direction. image bathymetry = caption bathymetry = location = southeastern Finland coords = coord|61|15|N|28|15|E|region:FI… …   Wikipedia

  • Karelia — (Karelian and Finnish Karjala , ru. Карелия ( Kareliya ), sv. Karelen), the land of the Karelian peoples, is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for Finland, Russia, and Sweden. It is currently divided between the Russian… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”