Preliminary report of the first season work of the International Pluridisciplinary Archaeological Expedition to Bactria 2006

The International Pluridisciplinary Archaeological Expedition in Bactria (IPAEB) was created in 2006.The name underlines the international character of the team (which includes Uzbeks, Spanish, French, British and Greek members), the presence of specialists from various fields apart from archaeology and the fame of Bactria1.

Preliminary report of the first season work of the International Pluridisciplinary Archaeological Expedition to Bactria 2008

This year the development of our project can be divided into two main clearly different parts, on one hand the laboratory work, where the sampled ceramic individuals has been prepared and analyzed and the elaboration of the data obtained during the excavation of 2007 has been finished and, on the other hand, the field work developed at the archaeological site during this specific year (2008).In the mark of the analytical work a significant number of ceramic individuals (144) from the different stratigraphical units from various areas of the excavation of Termez and Tchinguiz Tepe sampled duringthe new and previous field works has been archaeometrically characterized. This specific material includedindividuals dated into the Hellenistic and Sassanian period, which has been confirmed by C14dating upon organic samples.At the same time, in the mark of the field work of 2008 the archaeological record, already started tobe under study during the excavation of 2007, has been completed and two new archaeological recordshave been registered on of which is located in the area of Tchinguiz Tepe. For the archeological studythe information of the previous geophysical prospecting has been indisputably taken into considerationand the same methodology has been applied to crosscheck the latter archaeological results.

Preliminary Report of the work of the International Pluridisciplinary Archaeological Expedition to Bactria (2009)

Institute of Archaeology & Institute of Fine Arts. Academy of Science of the Republic of Uzbekistan- Universitat de Barcelona- Ministerio de Cultura (Gobierno de España)- Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (Gobierno de España)

Un modelo de producción en gruta: el Alfar de Cabrera D'Anoia, Barcelona

La utilización de grutas y cuevas para llevar a cabo actividades productivas fue un hecho habitual en época medieval. Este trabajo pretende analizar un modelo de producción cerámica que se adapta a un espacio físico considerablemente limitado por las características geológicas del entorno. El alfar de Cabrera d¿Anoia constituye un ejemplo paradigmático de dicho modelo e ilustra un proceso de evolución cronológica y de transformación del entorno para satisfacer las necesidades de la producción cerámica.

Análisis del material epigráfico

Forma part de: "Un conjunt de materials d'època tardo-republicana de la ciutat romana de Pollentia (Alcúdia, Mallorca)"

Arqueologia y museografia didáctica en los aeródromos de guerra (1936-1939)

El presente artículo plantea cómo llevar a cabo una intervención arqueológica, museológica y educativa en los espacios asociados a la Guerra aérea en Cataluña partiendo de las aportaciones metodológicas de la Arqueología del conflicto, de las posibilidades del SIG (Sistemas de Información Geográfica), y de las nuevas líneas de actuación de la didáctica del patrimonio.

Un modelo de producción en gruta: el Alfar de Cabrera D'Anoia, Barcelona

La utilización de grutas y cuevas para llevar a cabo actividades productivas fue un hecho habitual en época medieval. Este trabajo pretende analizar un modelo de producción cerámica que se adapta a un espacio físico considerablemente limitado por las características geológicas del entorno. El alfar de Cabrera d¿Anoia constituye un ejemplo paradigmático de dicho modelo e ilustra un proceso de evolución cronológica y de transformación del entorno para satisfacer las necesidades de la producción cerámica.

Production of nanometric particles in radio frequency glow discharges in mixtures of silane and methane

The formation of silicon particles in rf glow discharges has attracted attention due to their effect as a contaminant during film deposition or etching. However, silicon and silicon alloy powders produced by plasma¿enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) are promising new materials for sintering ceramics, for making nanoscale filters, or for supporting catalytic surfaces. Common characteristics of these powders are their high purity and the easy control of their stoichiometry through the composition of the precursor gas mixture. Plasma parameters also influence their structure. Nanometric powders of silicon¿carbon alloys exhibiting microstructural properties such as large hydrogen content and high surface/volume ratio have been produced in a PECVD reactor using mixtures of silane and methane at low pressure (-1 Torr) and low frequency square¿wave modulated rf power (13.56 MHz). The a¿Si1¿xCx:H powders were obtained from different precursor gas mixtures, from R=0.05 to R=9, where R=[SiH4]/([SiH4]+[CH4]). The structure of the a¿Si1¿xCx:H powder was analyzed by several techniques. The particles appeared agglomerated, with a wide size distribution between 5 and 100 nm. The silane/methane gas mixture determined the vibrational features of these powders in the infrared. Silicon-hydrogen groups were present for every gas composition, whereas carbon¿hydrogen and silicon¿carbon bonds appeared in methane¿rich mixtures (R-0.6). The thermal desorption of hydrogen revealed two main evolutions at about 375 and 660¿°C that were ascribed to hydrogen bonded to silicon and carbon, respectively. The estimated hydrogen atom concentration in the sample was about 50%.

Playas fósiles sumergidas en la Costa Brava Meridional (Girona)

This paper describes petrologic and morphologic characteristics of fossil beaches submerged in the sector of the Costa Brava located between the Pals Beach and Blanes (Girona). These submerged beaches are composed of large-grain sandstone andconglomerate platforms, situated at a depth between 0.5 and 2.5 meters. These platforms are slightly inclinated towards the open sea. These deposits have been formed very recently, and date from Holocene, as noted by the presence of fragments of roman ceramics inside sandstone

Archaeological and archaeomagnetic dating at a site from the ager Tarraconensis (Tarragona, Spain): El Vila-sec Roman pottery

A very accurate archaeological dating of a Roman site in NE Spain (El Vila-sec) was made based on the typology of pottery artifacts. Three different phases were identifi ed with activity ranging from the mid- 1st century BC to the early-3rd century AD. Analyses of bricks from kilns at El Vila-sec produced data on their stored archaeomagnetic vector. These data were compared with the secular variation curve for the Iberian Peninsula and the SCHA.DIF.3K regional archaeomagnetic model. Both, the reference curve and the model, produced probability distributions for the final period of use for two kilns from the second archaeological phase that were not used during the third phase. At a 95% con fidence level, both time distributions cover a wide chronological range including the presumed archaeological age. Both the Iberian secular variation curve and the SCHA.DIF.3K regional model proved to be suitable models for dating the site, although on their own they do not produce a single unambiguous solution. This archaeomagnetic approach could also be applied to neighbouring archaeological sites that have an imprecise archaeological age.

Composition, nanostructure, and optical properties of silver and silver-copper lusters

Lusters are composite thin layers of coinage metal nanoparticles in glass displaying peculiar optical properties and obtained by a process involving ionic exchange, diffusion, and crystallization. In particular, the origin of the high reflectance (golden-shine) shown by those layers has been subject of some discussion. It has been attributed to either the presence of larger particles, thinner multiple layers or higher volume fraction of nanoparticles. The object of this paper is to clarify this for which a set of laboratory designed lusters are analysed by Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. Model calculations and numerical simulations using the finite difference time domain method were also performed to evaluate the optical properties. Finally, the correlation between synthesis conditions, nanostructure, and optical properties is obtained for these materials.

The use of micro-XRD for the study of glaze color decorations

The compounds responsible for the colours and decorations in glass and glazed ceramics include: colouring agents (transition metal ions), pigments (micro-and nano-precipitates of compounds that either do not dissolve or recrystallize in the glassy matrix) and opacifiers (microcrystalline compounds with high light scattering capability). Their composition, structure and range of stability are highly dependent not only on the composition but also on the procedures followed to obtain them. Chemical composition of the colorants and crystallites may be obtained by means of SEM-EDX and WDX. Synchrotron Radiation micro-X-ray Diffraction has a small beam size adequate (10 to 50 microns footprint size) to obtain the structural information of crystalline compounds and high brilliance, optimal for determining the crystallites even when present in low amounts. In addition, in glass decorations the crystallites often appear forming thin layers (from 10 to 100 micrometers thick) and they show a depth dependent composition and crystal structure. Their nature and distribution across the glass/glazes decorations gives direct information on the technology of production and stability and may be related to the color and appearance. A selection of glass and glaze coloring agents and decorations are studied by means of SR-micro- XRD and SEM-EDX including: manganese brown, antimony yellow, red copper lusters and cobalt blue. The selection includes Medieval (Islamic, and Hispano Moresque) and renaissance tin glazed ceramics from the 10th to the 17th century AD.

La Corona immarcescible : pintures de l'antiguitat tardana de la necròpolis alta d'Oxirinc (Mínia, Egipte)

La primera publicació de l’Institut enceta la Sèrie Documenta, que respon a la voluntat de promoure i editar estudis que donin a conèixer i emmarquin científicament nous elements de la cultura material de l’antiguitat clàssica.Aquest llibre estudia un conjunt de pintura mural dels segles V o VI que decorava les parets d’una casa funerària, convertida després en oratori, i que fou descoberta a la necròpolis alta de l’antiga ciutat d’Oxirinc (Mínia, Egipte). El cicle pictòric presenta una sobrietat simbolista que evoluciona després en una iconografia rica en figures i colors.Tot això, completat per la gens menyspreable qualitat artística de les representacions pictòriques, fa d’aquest conjunt una peça arqueològica molt singular.L’estudi inclou un primer capítol a càrrec del Dr. Josep Padró, de la Universitat de Barcelona, Maite Mascort i Hassan Ibrahim Amer, on es sintetitzen els treballs arqueològics i històrics realitzats, des de l’any 1992, a l’antiga Oxirin. Tot seguit, la Dra. Eva Subías, investigadora de la Universitat Rovira i Virgili i col·laboradora de l’Institut des del primer moment, ens ofereix l’estudi històricoartístic del cicle mural. Finalment, Concepció Piedrafita ens dóna la lectura i traducció dels textos grecs presents en les pintures.L’obra inclou una presentació a càrrec de Josep Guitart, director de l’Institut Català d’Arqueologia Clàssica i una traducció dels textos al francès.