Studio archeologico e archeometrico sulle ceramiche islamiche di Uthina: analisi di una prima campionatura

The archaeological investigation in progress to Uthina has brought to light a series of exhibits that may be attributed, in a generic way, to productions Islamic. Currently the approach to the knowledge of Tunisian ceramics can benefit from at least two complementary avenues of research: on the one hand there are the editions of pottery from excavations carried out in Tunisia, on the other the presentations Islamic ceramics found in excavations or incorporated into Italian religious and medieval civil architecture, among which recognize (or it is supposed recognition) Tunisian ceramics, often hardly distinguishable from coeval Sicilian productions. Lacking so far made a repertoire of shapes, surface treatments and decorations to Reference, and although over time were highlighted the main problems for the knowledge of Islamic pottery coated, who faces for the first time a study of objects found during excavations Tunisians search in vain for sound reference points. This need has undertaken an examination of Islamic pottery found at Uthina that, putting together the feelings and archaeologists skills with those of researchers "of the exact sciences", is aimed at obtaining information useful to the definition of technological levels, the origin and histories of ceramic artefacts found at Uthina generally attributable to the medieval periods and, in part, post-medieval. It is clear now that the study will proceed in successive levels of detail, proposing to expand the analysis presented here to a greater number of exhibits and, above all, the different ceramics classes recognizable.