From chaff to seagrass: The unique quality of Minoan mudbricks. A geoarchaeological approach to the study of architectural craft specialization in Bronze Age Crete

Marta Lorenzón

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Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History Cultural Heritage Materials Analysis Maritime and Coastal Archaeology

Abstract

This article illustrates how changes in the use of vegetal temper in Bronze Age earthen architecture in Crete are a key line of evidence for investigating the appearance of architectural craft specialization. The macroscopic study of sundried mudbricks is combined with geoarchaeological analyses (SEM and thin section petrography) to explore patterns and variations in the use of vegetal temper throughout the Pre-, Proto-, and Neopalatial periods (3650–1425 BCE). This diversity in the selection of vegetal temper is an important aspect of the chaîne opératoire, which points not only to opportunistic but also technological motivations in the selection of raw source material and also the development of earthen architecture. The seagrass species Posidonia oceanica is employed across the island, indicating a standardization of recipes between sites by manufacturers and builders.

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2000THE CHALLENGE OF ‘TECHNOLOGICAL CHOICES’FOR MATERIALS SCIENCE APPROACHES IN ARCHAEOLOGY*2008Encyclopedia of archaeology 1989Aegean Bronze Age chronology 2005Soils, stones and symbols: Cultural perceptions of the mineral world 2012Chronology and Terminology 1969The Traditional Crafts of Persia. Their Development, Technology, and Influence on Eastern and Western Civilizations 2017Archaeological Approaches to Technology 2007Archaeological approaches to technology

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2024Construction materials and building techniques – Comparing anthropogenic sediments of three Middle Bronze Age sites from Hungary 2023Exploring mudbrick architecture and its re-use in Artaxata, Armenia, during the 1st millennium BC. A multidisciplinary study of earthen architecture in the Armenian Highlands 2023Earthen Architecture and Craft Practices of Early Iron Age Ramparts: Geoarchaeological Analysis of Villares de la Encarnación, South-Eastern Iberia 2024Stratagems and Back Spoils: Utilizing Backdirt in the Management of Archaeological Earthen Heritage

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