ETHNOGRAPHIC CERAMICS FROM BANKIM (ADAMAWA, CAMEROON / WEST CENTRAL AFRICA): MINERALOGICAL AND THERMAL CHARACTERIZATION

The study investigates mineralogical characteristics and thermal threshold at successive steps of Tikar pottery production chaine-operatoire from Bankim (Adamawa, Cameroon). It is a pilot study relying on X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermal analysis (DSC/TG) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The ceramics were collected in the drying and firing stages of the production chain. The work aimed to estimate the drying and firing temperature of the studied pottery sherds. Due to the mineralogical change occurring during the drying or pre-firing and firing stages, the correlation between the three analytical methods suggested that the pre-firing temperature were below 450°C whereas the firing temperature was between 650-800°C in a simple bonfire.