{"title":"A chemical examination of faience found in Nubia: preliminary observations","authors":"Juliet V. Spedding","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105341","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Egyptian faience has been extensively studied, while faience found in Nubia has received little attention. This pilot study uses scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDS) to examine 30 faience samples (bead and vessel fragments) from sites in Lower Nubia (Faras) and Upper Nubia (Kerma, Kawa, Sanam, Meroe) dated from the C-Group to the Meroitic Period (c.2160BC–AD350). The findings show the varied quality of the production of faience from Nubia with the potential identification of the use of cementation glazing in C-Group material, the presence of ‘glassy faience’ at Kerma, and the presence of high lead levels in a Napatan Period sample. The discussion that follows highlights the potential innovation in the development of faience found in Nubia set in the wider historical/social/political context. These results highlight the need for further examination of this vitreous material when found in Nubia and how it might have developed alongside—and separately from—faience found in Egypt.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"67 ","pages":"Article 105341"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5000,"publicationDate":"2025-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352409X25003748","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"0","JCRName":"ARCHAEOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Egyptian faience has been extensively studied, while faience found in Nubia has received little attention. This pilot study uses scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDS) to examine 30 faience samples (bead and vessel fragments) from sites in Lower Nubia (Faras) and Upper Nubia (Kerma, Kawa, Sanam, Meroe) dated from the C-Group to the Meroitic Period (c.2160BC–AD350). The findings show the varied quality of the production of faience from Nubia with the potential identification of the use of cementation glazing in C-Group material, the presence of ‘glassy faience’ at Kerma, and the presence of high lead levels in a Napatan Period sample. The discussion that follows highlights the potential innovation in the development of faience found in Nubia set in the wider historical/social/political context. These results highlight the need for further examination of this vitreous material when found in Nubia and how it might have developed alongside—and separately from—faience found in Egypt.
期刊介绍:
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports is aimed at archaeologists and scientists engaged with the application of scientific techniques and methodologies to all areas of archaeology. The journal focuses on the results of the application of scientific methods to archaeological problems and debates. It will provide a forum for reviews and scientific debate of issues in scientific archaeology and their impact in the wider subject. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports will publish papers of excellent archaeological science, with regional or wider interest. This will include case studies, reviews and short papers where an established scientific technique sheds light on archaeological questions and debates.