The Morgantina archaeological area, inhabited from the Early Bronze Age, had its widest expansion from the fifth to the first century bc. The volcanic millstones found at Morgantina fall into three ...different groups on the basis of the milling technique: (i) saddle querns (known from the Middle–Late Bronze Age and Iron Age); (ii) rectangular hopper‐rubbers (Olynthian) millstones, the invention of which dates to the fifth century bc; and finally (iii) Morgantina‐type rotary millstones (starting to be used from the fourth to the third century bc). In order to determine the provenance of the raw materials (lavas) used for all these millstone types, we collected 38 very small rock samples for thin‐section modal mineralogy, petrography and major trace element composition. The results have contributed to classifying different lithotypes and distinguishing between provenance from Etna and the Hyblean Mountains, the two volcanic areas respectively north‐east and south‐east of Morgantina. Saddle querns are made of tholeiitic basaltic andesites from the Hyblean Mountains and transitional basalts, mugearites and hawaiites from Etna. The variety of sources of portable saddle querns, mostly used in households, indicate that there was no general preference for specific quarrying sites. By contrast, the rectangular hopper‐rubber and the Morgantina‐type millstones, which document the period of Morgantina's greatest prosperity, are almost completely made of hawaiites from Etna. The use of a specific lithotype (i.e., Etna hawaiite) for the more efficient rectangular hopper‐rubber and rotary millstones could be linked to the fact that these mills may have been operated in business establishments. It is worth noting that the Gornalunga river was, in antiquity, a waterway joining Morgantina to the final stretch of the Simeto river and then the Ionian coast. The best candidate areas for the millstone hawaiite quarrying sites from Etna are the far south‐western sectors of the volcano, along the Simeto Valley (i.e., the ‘Piano Provenzana’ Formation) or the inner suburb of present‐day Catania (i.e., the ‘Pietracannone’ Formation). The very efficient Morgantina‐type rotary millstones spread during the reign of Hieron II of Syracuse (275–215 bc) in eastern Sicily and met the need for grinding large quantities of cereals during a relatively peaceful time and a period of agricultural development.
Kontinuirani rad na arheološkoj topografiji Korčule u novije je vrijeme rezultirao ubiciranjem željeznodobnog naselja na lokaciji Brdo-Stine u Žrnovu na istočnom kraju otoka. Višekratnim ...rekognosciranjem lokaliteta okvirno su određeni njegov prostorni opseg, osnovne organizacijske sastavnice, kao i karakteri pokretnih nalaza, a što sve skupa svjedoči iznimnom arheološkom potencijalu. Predstavljanjem položaja naselja te tipokronološkim određenjem sakupljenih ulomaka metalnih (željezna zgura), kamenih (brusevi, žrvnjevi, nakovnji) te keramičkih nalaza (krovne ploče, kalupi?, amfore i pitosi) naselje je preliminarno postavljeno u okvire kasnog željeznog doba/helenizma prostora na kojem dolazi do vrlo intenzivnog preslojavanja indigenih te helenističkorimskih sastavnica.
The argan tree, endemic to Morocco, is generally regarded as the last barrier against the encroaching Sahara desert.
For centuries, argan oil extracted from the fruits has also played a unique role ...in the diet, rituals and personal care of the Berbers, an ethnic group indigenous to North Africa. In 2014, … argan, practices and know-how concerning the argan tree was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, thus making the tree a rare instance of worldwide natural and cultural interest. The aim of this paper is to examine how the Berber women and the co-operatives they form have helped in transmitting the wealth of argan-related skills, knowledge, and material culture. We conclude that several actions are needed to enforce the safeguarding of this ICH element. Firstly, although the use of millstones is integral to traditional oil-making, their use is, by and large, not continued in the co-operatives.
Research should be conducted to document the craftsmanship of millstone-making. Secondly, at present, little attention is being directed towards the management side of the co-operatives, but to ensure the widest possible community participation, co-operatives must strive to reach sustainable growth. Thirdly, the rising oil price has caused many Berbers to be sparing in their use of the oil. The government should keep a close watch on the annual production and exports of the oil to further analyse changes in consumption, and they must find a way to bring the oil back into the life of the Berbers. KCI Citation Count: 0
In the southern part of the Western Desert, the regional geology constrains the form of grinding slabs and their reduction. Grinding slabs in this area, locally called 'tjiwa', are rudimentary ...implements, which are not shaped prior to use, nor extensively reworked or resharpened during use, nor are they heavily worn. Yet even such basic grindstones can effectively process seeds, which are a seasonal food staple in this area, though 'tjiwa' are much less efficient than millstones for processing large volumes of grain. The question arises as to whether 'tjiwa' can be used as an archaeological marker for seed-grinding. The answer to this is no. 'Tjiwa' are general purpose grinders, used for a variety of materials, and even when used for seed exhibit few diagnostic traits of such use. I propose that any identification as seed-grinders will rely on associated evidence (residues, assemblage composition, use-wear and type of associated topstones). 'Tjiwa' should be distinguished from more elaborate grindstones, such as millstones. In this paper I formally describe 'tjiwa' and 'tjungari' (their associated topstones) to complement similar studies of millstones.
A great number of Roman millstones have been discovered in the archaeological site of Byrsa at Carthage since the nineteenth century by different international archaeological teams which have ...excavated the site. Most of these millstones (
catilli/metae
) are hourglass-shaped, and all are made of igneous rocks whose source was identified through petrochemical study. The location of the artefact rock source was determined by comparing thin sections of samples taken from black and red-brownish lava
catilli
found at the Byrsa Roman site with geological samples taken from Tunisian volcanic rocks located in the northern-western part of the country (Nefza and Mogods regions). The comparison shows that the volcanic petrological and geochemical compositions (basalt and rhyolitic ignimbrite) of the
catilli
are not from local sources where basaltic and rhyodacite outcrops have been identified in the Guelb Saad Moun (Mogods region) and in the Nefza region respectively. The comparison with existing literature data on similar rocks from Italy has constrained the volcanic origin of the exploited lavas. Thus, the diversity of volcanic rocks (basalt and rhyolitic ignimbrite) suggests several outside origins, such as the Pantelleria Island for the black lava mills and Sardinia (in the area of Mulargia) for the red-brownish lava mills, where these two types of igneous rocks have been widely identified.
The Longola protohistoric village (spanning from the late Middle Bronze Age to the sixth century bc) is a perifluvial settlement located in the Sarno River floodplain to the north‐east of Pompeii ...(southern Italy) and east of the Somma‐Vesuvius volcano. A great abundance of artefacts have been found at Longola and in the neighbouring areas, including a variety of volcanic stone objects, mainly related to building and to the manufacture of ordinary tools and instruments. The aim of our work is to characterize lithic objects (lava pebbles and millstones) and to understand their geological provenance by petrographic and geochemical studies. Compositions of millstone samples (porphyritic phonolitic tephrites) and of a set of pebbles (mainly phonolitic tephrites, leucite–shoshonites and trachytes) are compatible with the Somma‐Vesuvius magmas erupted before 8 ka bp. For the trachyte lithics, an additional source from the Accademia lava dome (Phlegrean Fields) cannot be ruled out. Among the pebble samples, a rhyolite and a poorly evolved trachyte clearly lie outside the compositional variation of the Somma‐Vesuvius and other volcanoes of the Naples area (e.g., Ischia and the Phlegrean Fields) and emphasize an extra‐regional provenance. Ponza Island is the best candidate for the provenance of the above two outlier samples.
An archaeometric study of all the Roman millstones preserved today in the National Archaeological Museum of Aquileia, the ancient capital of the X Regio Augustea –‘Venetia et Histria’ located on the ...Friuli plain (northeastern Italy), has been recently envisaged to define their geological–geographical provenance. We present here the results of the first step of the research, which is aimed at characterizing all of the definitely allochthonous lithologies. In order to carry out petrography on thin‐section and geochemical analyses, 10 small samples were picked out directly from Pompeian‐style millstones (catilli and/or metae) and rotary querns. Five different lithologies originating in various Italian regions were recognized: eight samples consist of pale‐ and dark‐grey lavas from the Venetian Volcanic Province, Vulsini Volcanic District (Latium), Etna Volcano and Pantelleria island (Sicily), whereas two samples were shown to be made of green garnet‐bearing schists (pietra ollare) from the Western Italian Alps. The presence of Alpine pietra ollare in northeastern Italy, used to produce pots and food containers, was established for numerous classical findings at Roman and Middle Age sites, but the analysed items represent the first evidence for the utilization of this kind of stone to produce mills during the Roman epoch.
The Europeans started to come to India at the beginning of the 16th century for trade. The Portuguese were the first group of Europeans to reach the southwestern coast of India in 1498 and establish ...their colonies. They were also the last group of the Europeans to leave the Indian territory after ruling a part of the country for about 450 years. With their arrival, new technology and warfare tactics were introduced in the region. Associated with their artillery, preparation of gunpowder as a new technology was introduced in Goa. Gigantic sized millstones were used for the production of gunpowder in Casa de Polvora, Panelim, Goa. In 2007, when real estate developers commenced their construction work at Casa de Polvora, the Archaeological Survey of India salvaged the endangered millstones from Panelim. The aim of the present communication is to analyse the samples and to find out whether the stone used was quarried from Dharavi (Uttan; which was a part of Bassein territory of the Portuguese) from where the Portuguese acquired stones on a large scale for the decoration of churches in Goa. To achieve this, archaeological, petrographic, mineralogical and geochemical studies have been carried out on samples of millstones and the quarried site at Dharavi (Uttan). In addition sample was also collected from cannon ball found at Arsenal (Old Goa) to find out whether stone from Dharavi (Uttan) was used. The analytical results suggest that the millstones are made of limestone, the Dharavi (Uttan) stone is more siliceous – and the cannon balls are made from basalt.
InThe Life-Giving Stone, Michael Searcy provides a thought-provoking ethnoarchaeological account of metate and mano manufacture, marketing, and use among Guatemalan Maya for whom these stone ...implements are still essential equipment in everyday life and diet.Although many archaeologists have regarded these artifacts simply as common everyday tools and therefore unremarkable, Searcy's methodology reveals how, for the ancient Maya, the manufacture and use of grinding stones significantly impacted their physical and economic welfare. In tracing the life cycle of these tools from production to discard for the modern Maya, Searcy discovers rich customs and traditions that indicate how metates and manos have continued to sustain life-not just literally, in terms of food, but also in terms of culture. His research is based on two years of fieldwork among three Mayan groups, in which he documented behaviors associated with these tools during their procurement, production, acquisition, use, discard, and re-use.Searcy's investigation documents traditional practices that are rapidly being lost or dramatically modified. In few instances will it be possible in the future to observe metates and manos as central elements in household provisioning or follow their path from hand-manufacture to market distribution and to intergenerational transmission. In this careful inquiry into the cultural significance of a simple tool, Searcy's ethnographic observations are guided both by an interest in how grinding stone traditions have persisted and how they are changing today, and by the goal of enhancing the archaeological interpretation of these stones, which were so fundamental to pre-Hispanic agriculturalists with corn-based cuisines.
