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Ancient Roman nano-technology: Insight into the manufacture of mosaic tesserae opacified by calcium antimonate
- Source :
- Journal of the European Ceramic Society. 38:4799-4805
- Publication Year :
- 2018
- Publisher :
- Elsevier BV, 2018.
-
Abstract
- Opaque mosaic glass tesserae containing calcium antimonates from Ancient Messene, Greece (1st–4th century CE) were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. Both trigonal CaSb2O6 and cubic Ca2Sb2O7, with crystallite diameters below 1 μm, were identified as opacifying agents. To better understand ancient technologies, we prepared model glasses that were opacified by crystallisation via a secondary heat treatment, by direct crystallisation during the melting process, or by the addition of pre-reacted calcium antimonate to a base glass. We found that direct crystallisation replicated the antique glass artefacts most accurately. We demonstrated that 0.2 wt% of nucleating agents like TiO2 and SnO2 already exert significant influence on the crystallisation behaviour of calcium antimonates. Secondary scattering centres such as silica and carbonates contribute to the optical appearance. Concurrently, we reproduced opaque white glass ceramics in a reconstructed, wood-fired, Roman-type glass furnace built by Wiesenberg (2014).
- Subjects :
- 010506 paleontology
Materials science
Opacity
Scanning electron microscope
Nucleation
chemistry.chemical_element
Calcium
01 natural sciences
law.invention
symbols.namesake
law
Materials Chemistry
0601 history and archaeology
Ceramic
Crystallization
0105 earth and related environmental sciences
060102 archaeology
06 humanities and the arts
Chemical engineering
chemistry
visual_art
Ceramics and Composites
symbols
visual_art.visual_art_medium
Crystallite
Raman spectroscopy
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 09552219
- Volume :
- 38
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Journal of the European Ceramic Society
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi...........91f8dbaad13a3682b681705ad81d43e5
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeurceramsoc.2018.06.031