Conference Presentations by Emma Richard Trémeau
UKAS conference , 2022
Interdisciplinary research including cultural, typological and characterization aspects enhance o... more Interdisciplinary research including cultural, typological and characterization aspects enhance our understanding of archaeological pottery design and manufacture. Approaches that integrate analysis at
macro-and micro-scales with chemical analysis allow inferences to be made on the different stages of the chaîne opératoire. Taking such an approach, this research looks at Late Punic/Late Republican pottery assemblages from two sites from Malta –the Punic-Roman sanctuary of Tas-Silġ, and the Żejtun Roman villa. Production sites for this period are little known in a Maltese context, and discarded products are the
only evidence of potential production on the islands. The main aim of this research was to perform the first systematic study of the fabrics of the Late Republican period and integrate this into existing macroscopic classifications of utilitarian wares (plates and bowls) and ‘cooking wares’. A second aim was to test the hypothesis that these vessels could have been produced locally, by comparing the mineral and chemical composition of the sherds to available data on the local geology. These vessels were described and illustrated macroscopically including typology and surface treatment. Seventy sherds were viewed under a stereomicroscope to establish an initial fabric grouping based on
visual differences in the matrices, inclusions, and voids. Preliminary results suggest that different fabric groups and manufacturing techniques are associated with different types of vessels and possibly different raw materials. A sub-sample of sherds is currently being studied using polarised light microscopy to reinforce or reconstruct this classification and characterise key mineral inclusions. To assess the fabric groups at a geochemical level further analysis using portable X-Ray Fluorescence (pXRF) will later be applied to both sherds and Maltese raw material.
Thesis Chapters by Emma Richard Trémeau
MA Dissertation, 2023
Characterisation studies of pottery fabric are carried out to understand how pottery vessels are ... more Characterisation studies of pottery fabric are carried out to understand how pottery vessels are made. Combined with typological analysis, techniques such as Polarised Light Microscopy (PLM) or chemical techniques, including X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF), offer an insight into the stages of the chaîne opératoires of vessels. In Malta, Late Punic and Roman vessels have not been characterised widely, and assumptions about the techniques and raw materials used have only rarely been tested with these methods. This research aims to compile a fabric classification for four stratigraphic assemblages from the Tas-Silġ sanctuary and the Żejtun villa. This study takes an interdisciplinary approach to assess the differences and similarities of fabric groups in regards to their chaîne opératoire and provenance of raw materials. A total of 70 sherds were recorded macroscopically and microscopically. Using PLM and XRF, a subset was then characterised. Sherds were compared to clays from the Maltese islands to assess the claim that the vessels could have been manufactured locally. Seven fabric groups were identified. Two main fabric groups, Fabrics 1 and 2, were established for the plates and bowls; Fabric 1 compared well with the characteristics of the Maltese Blue Clays. One additional group, Fabric 5, was found to be associated with specific cooking vessel forms, and local Terra Rossa is proposed as a possible raw material. Differences between these fabric groups reveal variations in the raw material types and treatment, possibly including clay mixing. It is suggested that some distinctions between the raw materials could be explained by a procurement strategy based on the vessels’ function. This research additionally opens the questions of when and how the savoir-faire of working Terra Rossa could have appeared in Malta. In the future, the fabric classification proposed could be expanded with vessels from other archaeological contexts and chronological periods and serve as a basis for future characterisation studies.
Papers by Emma Richard Trémeau
Libyan Studies, 2024
his interdisciplinary study contributes to the understanding of the use of raw materials and pott... more his interdisciplinary study contributes to the understanding of the use of raw materials and pottery production techniques in Late Punic–Late Republican Malta, focusing on the Tas-Silġ sanctuary and the Żejtun Villa. Plates, bowls and cooking vessels were described typologically, and their fabrics were characterised using polarised light microscopy and Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence. The aims were to classify these vessels into integrated and coherent fabric groups based on all analyses, to better understand the local production of vessels and to assess a possible local provenance.
Four integrated fabric groups were identified and represent local productions using distinct raw materials or production techniques. These groups can be distinguished typologically, macroscopically, petrographically and chemically. Multivariate techniques, including the chemical analysis of Maltese clays, were produced to enhance the fabric classification and discuss their raw materials. The raw materials identified are consistent with what is known in Maltese geology. One group is distinctive, and the results suggest the possible use of a previously unidentified raw material, Terra Rossa, found over the Upper Coralline Limestone. This new classification provides the basis for further studies of Late Punic–Roman sites in the Maltese islands and the future identification of imports and exports from the Maltese islands.
Open Archaeology, Dec 31, 2022
Sites from the earliest known phases of Maltese prehistory often consist of scatters of sherds fo... more Sites from the earliest known phases of Maltese prehistory often consist of scatters of sherds for the Għar Dalam and Skorba phases (6000-4800 BCE), and tomb contexts for the Żebbuġ phase (3800-3600 BCE). Neolithic studies are, therefore, heavily reliant on the study of pottery. Although traditional typological and seriation-based analyses of the pottery record have substantially enhanced our knowledge of Early Neolithic Malta, there is a growing appreciation of the need to go beyond these approaches to gain new insights. This study reviews the accessible literature on fabric studies on assemblages found in the Maltese Islands, presenting the state of knowledge for the pottery of the Għar Dalam, Skorba (Early Neolithic), and Żebbuġ (Late Neolithic) phases. Microphotographs of pottery wares were selected from a compilation produced for an ongoing project (the MaltaPot project) to illustrate the descriptions found in the literature. The advances made by archaeologists in studying the Maltese Neolithic pottery are reviewed, and suggestions for building on them are proposed, as archaeometric and petrographic techniques have not been applied systematically to Neolithic pottery from Malta.
Open Archaeology, 2023
Sites from the earliest known phases of Maltese prehistory often consist of scatters of sherds fo... more Sites from the earliest known phases of Maltese prehistory often consist of scatters of sherds for the Għar Dalam and Skorba phases (6000-4800 BCE), and tomb contexts for the Żebbuġ phase (3800-3600 BCE). Neolithic studies are, therefore, heavily reliant on the study of pottery. Although traditional typological and seriation-based analyses of the pottery record have substantially enhanced our knowledge of Early Neolithic Malta, there is a growing appreciation of the need to go beyond these approaches to gain new insights. This study reviews the accessible literature on fabric studies on assemblages found in the Maltese Islands, presenting the state of knowledge for the pottery of the Għar Dalam, Skorba (Early Neolithic), and Żebbuġ (Late Neolithic) phases. Microphotographs of pottery wares were selected from a compilation produced for an ongoing project (the MaltaPot project) to illustrate the descriptions found in the literature. The advances made by archaeologists in studying the Maltese Neolithic pottery are reviewed, and suggestions for building on them are proposed, as archaeometric and petrographic techniques have not been applied systematically to Neolithic pottery from Malta.
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Conference Presentations by Emma Richard Trémeau
macro-and micro-scales with chemical analysis allow inferences to be made on the different stages of the chaîne opératoire. Taking such an approach, this research looks at Late Punic/Late Republican pottery assemblages from two sites from Malta –the Punic-Roman sanctuary of Tas-Silġ, and the Żejtun Roman villa. Production sites for this period are little known in a Maltese context, and discarded products are the
only evidence of potential production on the islands. The main aim of this research was to perform the first systematic study of the fabrics of the Late Republican period and integrate this into existing macroscopic classifications of utilitarian wares (plates and bowls) and ‘cooking wares’. A second aim was to test the hypothesis that these vessels could have been produced locally, by comparing the mineral and chemical composition of the sherds to available data on the local geology. These vessels were described and illustrated macroscopically including typology and surface treatment. Seventy sherds were viewed under a stereomicroscope to establish an initial fabric grouping based on
visual differences in the matrices, inclusions, and voids. Preliminary results suggest that different fabric groups and manufacturing techniques are associated with different types of vessels and possibly different raw materials. A sub-sample of sherds is currently being studied using polarised light microscopy to reinforce or reconstruct this classification and characterise key mineral inclusions. To assess the fabric groups at a geochemical level further analysis using portable X-Ray Fluorescence (pXRF) will later be applied to both sherds and Maltese raw material.
Thesis Chapters by Emma Richard Trémeau
Papers by Emma Richard Trémeau
Four integrated fabric groups were identified and represent local productions using distinct raw materials or production techniques. These groups can be distinguished typologically, macroscopically, petrographically and chemically. Multivariate techniques, including the chemical analysis of Maltese clays, were produced to enhance the fabric classification and discuss their raw materials. The raw materials identified are consistent with what is known in Maltese geology. One group is distinctive, and the results suggest the possible use of a previously unidentified raw material, Terra Rossa, found over the Upper Coralline Limestone. This new classification provides the basis for further studies of Late Punic–Roman sites in the Maltese islands and the future identification of imports and exports from the Maltese islands.
macro-and micro-scales with chemical analysis allow inferences to be made on the different stages of the chaîne opératoire. Taking such an approach, this research looks at Late Punic/Late Republican pottery assemblages from two sites from Malta –the Punic-Roman sanctuary of Tas-Silġ, and the Żejtun Roman villa. Production sites for this period are little known in a Maltese context, and discarded products are the
only evidence of potential production on the islands. The main aim of this research was to perform the first systematic study of the fabrics of the Late Republican period and integrate this into existing macroscopic classifications of utilitarian wares (plates and bowls) and ‘cooking wares’. A second aim was to test the hypothesis that these vessels could have been produced locally, by comparing the mineral and chemical composition of the sherds to available data on the local geology. These vessels were described and illustrated macroscopically including typology and surface treatment. Seventy sherds were viewed under a stereomicroscope to establish an initial fabric grouping based on
visual differences in the matrices, inclusions, and voids. Preliminary results suggest that different fabric groups and manufacturing techniques are associated with different types of vessels and possibly different raw materials. A sub-sample of sherds is currently being studied using polarised light microscopy to reinforce or reconstruct this classification and characterise key mineral inclusions. To assess the fabric groups at a geochemical level further analysis using portable X-Ray Fluorescence (pXRF) will later be applied to both sherds and Maltese raw material.
Four integrated fabric groups were identified and represent local productions using distinct raw materials or production techniques. These groups can be distinguished typologically, macroscopically, petrographically and chemically. Multivariate techniques, including the chemical analysis of Maltese clays, were produced to enhance the fabric classification and discuss their raw materials. The raw materials identified are consistent with what is known in Maltese geology. One group is distinctive, and the results suggest the possible use of a previously unidentified raw material, Terra Rossa, found over the Upper Coralline Limestone. This new classification provides the basis for further studies of Late Punic–Roman sites in the Maltese islands and the future identification of imports and exports from the Maltese islands.