Over the past five years, a collaborative project between the Getty Conservation Institute, Stanford University/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and The Aerospace Corporation has investigated the chemistry and material structure of the black gloss found on ancient Athenian pottery. The iconic red- and black-figure vessels produced in Athens from the 6th to the 4th century B.C. are considered to be both the pinnacle of ancient ceramic craftsmanship and one of the first precision ceramic technologies. Samples from ancient vessels were studied using a variety of analytical techniques, including XANES, TEM and Raman spectroscopies; the results guided replication studies which in turn helped us infer the firing conditions under which the ancient vessels were produced. All ancient Greek pottery were previously thought to have been made using a single, three-stage (oxidizing – reducing – oxidizing) firing. Our findings provide evidence that multiple firings were employed, attesting to the sophistication – and diversity – of the firing protocols employed by ancient craftsmen. [1-4] Bringing together scientists, art historians and conservators, this collaboration has enabled us to develop a multi-faceted research program to study the chemistry and morphology of black gloss, and, importantly, to contextualize the findings in terms of ancient workshop practice and technological development. This paper will highlight the major findings of this project to date, and, in keeping with the theme of this symposium on analytical partnerships, reflect on how the multi-partner collaboration helped advance this research, and what challenges it engendered. 1. Walton, M., et. al, Material Evidence for Multiple Firings of Ancient Athenian Red-Figure Pottery. Journal of the American Ceramic Society, 2013. 96(7): p. 2031-2035. 2. Walton, M., et. al, Zn in Athenian Black Gloss Ceramic Slips: A Trace Element Marker for Fabrication Technology. Journal of the American Ceramic Society, 2015. 98(2): p. 430-436. 3. Cianchetta, I., et. al, Investigating the firing protocol of Athenian pottery production: A Raman study of replicate and ancient sherds. Journal of Raman Spectroscopy, 2015: DOI: 10.1002/jrs.4662. 4. Cianchetta, I., et. al, Evidence for an unorthodox firing sequence employed by the Berlin Painter: deciphering ancient ceramic firing conditions through high-resolution material characterization and replication. Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry, 2015. 30(3): p. 666-676.

Reverse engineering ancient Athenian pottery: A collaboration between cultural heritage, industry, and academia

251st National Meeting (2016)

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