Marl Fabrics
From ArchaeoWiki
Marl Fabrics, as classified by the Vienna System
- Mineral particle inclusions, whether sand or limestone, are divided into three broad categories:
- fine (60-250 µ)
- medium (250-500 µ)
- coarse (> 500 µ).
- Straw inclusions are similarly divided, by length of particle, into three broad categories:
- fine (< 2 mm)
- medium (2-5 mm)
- coarse > 5 mm)
| - | Marl A | Marl B | Marl C | Marl D | Marl E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texture / Composition | dense homogeneous matrix within fine to medium-sized minerals | texture extremely coarse | matrix fine with limestone particles | angular limestone inclusions, smaller than those in Marl C | As for Marl B, but with straw as filler |
| Inclusions | - | - | - | - | - |
| Fracture Colour | Pale green surface colour, also in fracture | Fracture often has pink core and grey-green outer-zone | Grey-white firing surface with dark core | Light-grey to green surface, fracture is pale reddish brown | As for Marl B |
| Porosity | - | - | - | - | - |
| Hardness | Extreme hardness | Fabric hard except for highly-fired examples | Low porosity, hardness very great | Low porosity, fabric very hard | As for Marl B |
| Transverse Strength | - | - | - | - | - |
| Range | - | - | - | - | - |
| Application | - | - | - | - | - |
| Additional Observations | none | Upper Egyptian origin | Very common in Middle Kingdom and Second Intermediate Period | Employed throughout Egypt in 18th Dynasty | Most common at Tell Ballas (early 18th Dynasty) |
| Examples | none | none | none | none | none |
[edit]
Bibliography
- Bader, Bettina [2002], "A Concise Guide to Marl-C Pottery", Ä&L (2002), pp.29-54.
- Bourriau, Janine [1981], Umm el-Gaʿab - Pottery from the Nile Valley before the Arab Conquest, [catalogue by Janine Bourriau; exhibition organised by the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, 6 October to 11 December 1981], Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1981. ISBN 0521240654 (cloth) ISBN 0521284155 (paper)
- Nordtsröm, Hans-Åke and Bourriau, Janine [1993], "4. The Vienna System", Chapter 4 in Ceramic Technology: Clays and Fabrics, Fascicle 2 in Arnold, Dorothea and Bourriau, Janine (eds) [1993], An Introduction to Ancient Egyptian Pottery, [Deutsches Archäologisches Institut Abteilung Kairo Sondershrift 17], Mainz am Rhein: Philipp von Zabern, 1993, pp.168-182, pls. I-VII. ISBN 3805306237.
- [Marl fabrics are described pp.175-182, pls.IV-VII].
