South Asian Archaeology 2003 Proceedings of the Seventeenth International Conference of the European Association of South Asian Archaeologists 7-11 July 2003 Bonn
Iran. Five Millennia of Art and Culture. Exhibition Catalogue, ed. by U. Franke, I. Sarikhani Sandmann and S. Weber, 2021
The exhibition “Iran. Five Millennia of Art and Culture” was presented in the James-Simon Gallery... more The exhibition “Iran. Five Millennia of Art and Culture” was presented in the James-Simon Gallery in Berlin in 2021. Jointly organised by the Museum of Islamic Art, National Museums of Berlin, and the Sarikhani Collection.
360 exquisite works of art from the time of the first advanced civilisations during the late fourth and the third millennium BCE until the early eighteenth century illustrated the outstanding significance of Iran as an initiator and centre of intercultural exchange. The great pre-Islamic empires of the Achaemenids and the Sasanians, the establishment of a Persian-Islamic culture, the supreme artistic achievements of the ninth to the fifteenth centuries and the Golden Age of the Safavids are just some of the highlights of this journey through five millennia of Iranian art and culture.
The catalogue, edited by the organisers, available in English and German, contains contributions by 26 re-known scholars and is richly illustrated (520 images). Here, the editorial data and table of contents are available.
U. Franke, E. Cortesi (eds.), Lost and Found Prehistoric Pottery Treasures from Baluchistan, 2015
The outstanding collection of several hundred vessels confiscated by the Pakistani customs in the... more The outstanding collection of several hundred vessels confiscated by the Pakistani customs in the port of Karachi and presented here provides a glimpse into this amazing past and rich cultural heritage of Baluchistan. The sheer amount of objects on the art market is a sad message about the loss of this legacy and underlines the need to protect its treasures from being lost. This book puts them into a cultural and chronological perspective from the Neaolithic through the Indus Period and gives an account of the archaeological research carried out by the German-Pakistan Archaeological Mission to Kalat and the French Archaeological Mission to Pakistan, with a contribution by Aurore Didier and Benjamin Mutin.
Exhibition catalogue presenting 820 objects dating from the 4th millennium BC to the 4th/3rd century BC, confiscated by Pakistani customs in Karachi.
Printed in Karachi 2015, 400 pages, c. 1800 illustrations and images.
National Museum Herat – Areia Antiqua Through Time National Museum Herat, 2008
Pre-Islamic and Islamic Collections kept in the Museum in Herat in Afghanistan. Papers on various... more Pre-Islamic and Islamic Collections kept in the Museum in Herat in Afghanistan. Papers on various topics based on a preliminary documentation by U. Franke, C.-P. Haase, M. Müller-Wiener, A. von Gladiß, J. Kröger and others.
This book is the second in a series of three volumes presenting the results of the German-Afghan ... more This book is the second in a series of three volumes presenting the results of the German-Afghan Archaeological Mission to Herat. The Old City Project started in 2005 and concluded in September 2009, when the restored Timurid gateway was handed over to the Afghan government. The work on the citadel was supplemented by explorations in Kuhandaz and minor investigations in the city of Herat proper. It was conducted 2005 and 2008 in collaboration with the Délégation Archéologique Française en Afghanistan (DAFA); the conservation of the gateway was carried out in close cooperation with the Aga Khan Trust for Culture.
This work unfolded archaeological remains from the 1st millennium BCE to the 19th century. Notwithstanding stratigraphic gaps in the cultural sequence substantial evidence on the material culture and chronological developments through these 2500 years was obtained. For the first time, Iron Age and Achaemenid settlement traces were discovered as well as objects from the 10th-15th century, a Timurid gateway to the citadel and 16th-19th century remains, opening new perspectives on Ancient Herat and its urban topography.
Ute Franke and Thomas Urban with contributions by Warwick Ball, Benjamin Mutin, Cécile Buquet-Marcon, Stephanie Langer (†), Roland Besenval (†), Nader Rassuli and Ajmal Ayomuddin 784 pages, 31 x 22 cm, hardcover more than 7000 illustrations in color Berlin 2017 ISBN 978-3-00-051937-6
This 736 page book with 2200 illustrations and images is the outcome of a project conducted betwe... more This 736 page book with 2200 illustrations and images is the outcome of a project conducted between 2008 and 2012 in the Herat Museum in the frame of the German-Afghan Archaeological Research Missions, under the auspices of the Eurasia Department of the German Archaeological Institute and, later on, the Museum für Islamische Kunst, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin. The richly illustrated catalogue provides detailed descriptions of the objects, essays contributed by various scholars explore them in a broader context. It thus avails the material culture from an important yet inaccessible region to a wider audience.
736 pages, 31 x 22 cm, hardcover
Approx. 2200 illustrations in color
Contributions in English with Dari summaries
Berlin 2016
ISBN 978-3-00-051939-0
For further information please visit www.ancient-herat.de.
South Asian Archaeology Conference Paris 2012, 2015
Sohr Damb/Nal is known for one of the most important ceramic traditions in central Baluchistan. T... more Sohr Damb/Nal is known for one of the most important ceramic traditions in central Baluchistan. The excavations conducted by the German-Pakistani Archaeological Mission to Kalat brought to light four periods of occupation dating from 3500 - 2000 BCE and a huge corpus of artefacts and information, facilitating comprehensive archaeometric analysis e.g. on the ceramic assemblage. Chemical and petrographic analyses have been conducted with the target to investigate the provenance and circulation of ceramic artefacts and to reconstruct the operational chain, assessing the degree of craft specialization involved in manufacture. Samples from all periods were analyzed by means of re-firing analysis (Matrix Grouping by re-firing, MGR-analysis), X-Ray Fluorescence (WD-XRF) and petrographic thin sections. After a brief presentation of the adopted archaeometric techniques, the results obtained from Sohr Damb/Nal will be discussed and compared with information obtained from the analyses of ceramic specimens from Shahr-i Sokhta (Sistan, Iran), Balakot and Damb Sadaat (Baluchistan, Pakistan).
Sohr Damb/Nal, the type site of the Nal complex, is located in Balochistan, Pakistan. After 1 sea... more Sohr Damb/Nal, the type site of the Nal complex, is located in Balochistan, Pakistan. After 1 season of excavation by H Hargreaves in 1924, which made the polychrome Nal pottery widely known, no further work took place until the Joint German-Pakistani Archaeological Mission to Kalat resumed excavations in 2001. So far, 4 seasons of excavations have been undertaken, which have revealed 4 periods of occupation, dated from about 3800 to 2000 BC. The well-stratified assemblages provide new insights into cultural processes and developments, and enhance the comparative frameworks through typological series and a comprehensive set of radiocarbon dates. This information is essential for assessing cross-cultural relations and the date of urbanization. In this paper, the 14C dates from Sohr Damb/Nal are presented and their cultural context is discussed. Period III has several links to sites in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran, such as Miri Qalat IIIb–c, Mehrgarh VI–VII/ Nausharo I, Quetta III, Mundigak IV, and Shahr-e Sokhta II–III. Period IV represents a Kulli-Harappan occupation, which is dated to the second half of the 3rd millennium BC.
Herat has been an important economic and cultural as well as political centre at least since the ... more Herat has been an important economic and cultural as well as political centre at least since the Sasanian era, competing at times with cities such as Nishapur, Marv, and Samarqand. This position is attested to by sites and monuments, which until today mark the outline of the city, some of them dating back to the 15th century, when the town was capital of the Timurid empire under Shah Rukh and his wife Gauhar Shad. Its location in the favourable natural environment of the fertile Hari Rud river valley, with a perennial water supply, at an altitude of 1,000 m amsl at the foot of the Paropamisos, at the junction of major crossroads linking Asia with Arabia, India, and Europe, however, suggests a longer history of occupation, as also attested for neighbouring regions, homelands to flourishing civilizations from the late 4th millennium BC onwards. In the present paper, aspects of urban topography and the development of Pre-Timurid Herat are re-considered in the light of archaeological research carried out between 2004 and 2012.
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, Feb 27, 2023
Studied by micro X-ray fluorescence (µ-XRF), scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray... more Studied by micro X-ray fluorescence (µ-XRF), scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEM-EDS) and micro-Raman spectroscopy (µ-Raman), samples from thirteenth to fourteenth century lajvardina ceramics from various places in Iran (Takht-i Sulayman, Yazd, Sultaniya, Kashan and Rayy) showed tin oxide, haematite, chromite, manganese oxide and gold leaf have been employed on blue, turquoise and white alkali-lime and lead-alkali base glazes. It is suggested that while the overglaze decorations are metal oxides in a mixture with little amounts of their base glaze, the blue and turquoise inglaze decorations are most probably achieved by firing Co-and Cu-coloured powdered frits on a non-fired powdered base glaze, respectively. In addition, this article provides insight into the gilding decorations on lajvardina tiles by replicating several gilded samples. It is argued that a low-temperature firing has been employed for executing the overglaze lajvardina decorations on a pre-fired base glaze.
Abschlussbericht zum Forschungsprojekt Khurasan - Land des Sonnenaufgangs: eine Kulturlandschaft als Kerngebiet für die Ausprägung materieller Kultur der islamischen Welt und ihre Verortung in Sammlungen und musealen Präsentationen : (Berliner Teilprojekt) : Laufzeit des Vorhabens: 04/2014-03/2017
Tradition und Transformation am Indus : die Entstehung der Induskultur
La premiere civilisation citadine du subcontinent indien, la civilisation de l'Indus, a connu... more La premiere civilisation citadine du subcontinent indien, la civilisation de l'Indus, a connu son apogee entre 2600 et 2000 av. J.-C. environ. On a longtemps pense que l'influence mesopotamienne avait joue un role dans son apparition. La decouverte de civilisations anterieures remontant jusqu'a la periode neolithique aceramique du 7e millenaire a modifie cette conception. Cependant, malgre une continuite certaine, la civilisation de l'Indus presente des nouveautes qui ne se retrouveront pas dans les complexes culturels suivants. L'auteur se propose d'etudier l'influence de l'arriere-plan naturel et des phenomenes precurseurs sur l'avenement de cette epoque de prosperite.
Studied by micro X-ray fluorescence (µ-XRF), scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray... more Studied by micro X-ray fluorescence (µ-XRF), scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEM-EDS) and micro-Raman spectroscopy (µ-Raman), samples from thirteenth to fourteenth century lajvardina ceramics from various places in Iran (Takht-i Sulayman, Yazd, Sultaniya, Kashan and Rayy) showed tin oxide, haematite, chromite, manganese oxide and gold leaf have been employed on blue, turquoise and white alkali-lime and lead-alkali base glazes. It is suggested that while the overglaze decorations are metal oxides in a mixture with little amounts of their base glaze, the blue and turquoise inglaze decorations are most probably achieved by firing Co-and Cu-coloured powdered frits on a non-fired powdered base glaze, respectively. In addition, this article provides insight into the gilding decorations on lajvardina tiles by replicating several gilded samples. It is argued that a low-temperature firing has been employed for executing the overglaze lajvardina decorations on a pre-fired base glaze.
Keeping History Alive. Safeguarding Cultural Heritage in Post-Conflict Afghanistan, 2015
Iin 2004, the Joint German-Afghan Archaeological Mission initiated in cooperation with the Nation... more Iin 2004, the Joint German-Afghan Archaeological Mission initiated in cooperation with the National Institute of Archaeology and the Department of Monuments and Sites an archaeological project in Herat. Starting with a provincial survey, later excavations and surveys in Herat city, conducted in collaboration with the DAFA, and a museum project were added. These three projects supplemented each other in an ideal way, one providing spatial, the other temporal and the latter art historical information.
This publication is available in Open Access under the Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 IGO (CC-BY-ND 3.0 IGO) license (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/3.0/igo/). By using the content of this publication, the users accept to be bound by the terms of use of the UNESCO Open Access Repository (www.unesco.org/open-access/terms-use-ccbynd-en). The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The ideas and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors; they are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit the Organization.
That "writing" and "script" are appropriate terms to employ in reference to what has commonly bee... more That "writing" and "script" are appropriate terms to employ in reference to what has commonly been called the "Indus script" has been contested by Fanner, Sproat and Witzel (2004). They argue that the Indus script is not likely to have been linked directly to a spoken language and was probably a system of non-linguistic symbols. We, however, contend that given the development in the system of inscriptions over time as seen at Harappa and given the extensive use of the "signs" or "symbols" both fonnally and infonnally and on many media (see text discussion), making the distinction between a language-based script and a not-so-tied-to-Ianguage symboling system is not a particularly interesting distinction. In any event, in the absence of multilingual texts, long texts, and/or a successor symboling system or script, there can be no widely accepted understanding of what the symbols or signs of the "Indus script" actually meant to those who employed them, and thus there can be no true resolution of tIus issue. As a result, we continue to employ tenns like "script" and even "writing" in their broadest senses and are well aware that not everyone may agree with such usage. We are also rather imprecise in our use of the tenns "inscribed" and "inscription", which we employ broadly in relation to the Indus script and not in the restricted sense of something engraved, incised, or written. Thus pieces with script in relief are also referred to as inscribed (although not "incised"). Finally the tenn "tablet" is used in the sense employed in all volumes of the Corpus of Indus Signs and Inscriptions to refer to small inscribed pieces specially made of stone, terracotta, faience, or copper-with images and/or script incised or in relief-that are not intaglio seals. 2 The Harappa Archaeological Research Project (HARP), a long-tenn program of investigations into the origins and character ofIndus urban centers, was first initiated at Harappa by the late Prof. George F. Dales and Dr.
South Asian Archaeology 2003 Proceedings of the Seventeenth International Conference of the European Association of South Asian Archaeologists 7-11 July 2003 Bonn
Iran. Five Millennia of Art and Culture. Exhibition Catalogue, ed. by U. Franke, I. Sarikhani Sandmann and S. Weber, 2021
The exhibition “Iran. Five Millennia of Art and Culture” was presented in the James-Simon Gallery... more The exhibition “Iran. Five Millennia of Art and Culture” was presented in the James-Simon Gallery in Berlin in 2021. Jointly organised by the Museum of Islamic Art, National Museums of Berlin, and the Sarikhani Collection.
360 exquisite works of art from the time of the first advanced civilisations during the late fourth and the third millennium BCE until the early eighteenth century illustrated the outstanding significance of Iran as an initiator and centre of intercultural exchange. The great pre-Islamic empires of the Achaemenids and the Sasanians, the establishment of a Persian-Islamic culture, the supreme artistic achievements of the ninth to the fifteenth centuries and the Golden Age of the Safavids are just some of the highlights of this journey through five millennia of Iranian art and culture.
The catalogue, edited by the organisers, available in English and German, contains contributions by 26 re-known scholars and is richly illustrated (520 images). Here, the editorial data and table of contents are available.
U. Franke, E. Cortesi (eds.), Lost and Found Prehistoric Pottery Treasures from Baluchistan, 2015
The outstanding collection of several hundred vessels confiscated by the Pakistani customs in the... more The outstanding collection of several hundred vessels confiscated by the Pakistani customs in the port of Karachi and presented here provides a glimpse into this amazing past and rich cultural heritage of Baluchistan. The sheer amount of objects on the art market is a sad message about the loss of this legacy and underlines the need to protect its treasures from being lost. This book puts them into a cultural and chronological perspective from the Neaolithic through the Indus Period and gives an account of the archaeological research carried out by the German-Pakistan Archaeological Mission to Kalat and the French Archaeological Mission to Pakistan, with a contribution by Aurore Didier and Benjamin Mutin.
Exhibition catalogue presenting 820 objects dating from the 4th millennium BC to the 4th/3rd century BC, confiscated by Pakistani customs in Karachi.
Printed in Karachi 2015, 400 pages, c. 1800 illustrations and images.
National Museum Herat – Areia Antiqua Through Time National Museum Herat, 2008
Pre-Islamic and Islamic Collections kept in the Museum in Herat in Afghanistan. Papers on various... more Pre-Islamic and Islamic Collections kept in the Museum in Herat in Afghanistan. Papers on various topics based on a preliminary documentation by U. Franke, C.-P. Haase, M. Müller-Wiener, A. von Gladiß, J. Kröger and others.
This book is the second in a series of three volumes presenting the results of the German-Afghan ... more This book is the second in a series of three volumes presenting the results of the German-Afghan Archaeological Mission to Herat. The Old City Project started in 2005 and concluded in September 2009, when the restored Timurid gateway was handed over to the Afghan government. The work on the citadel was supplemented by explorations in Kuhandaz and minor investigations in the city of Herat proper. It was conducted 2005 and 2008 in collaboration with the Délégation Archéologique Française en Afghanistan (DAFA); the conservation of the gateway was carried out in close cooperation with the Aga Khan Trust for Culture.
This work unfolded archaeological remains from the 1st millennium BCE to the 19th century. Notwithstanding stratigraphic gaps in the cultural sequence substantial evidence on the material culture and chronological developments through these 2500 years was obtained. For the first time, Iron Age and Achaemenid settlement traces were discovered as well as objects from the 10th-15th century, a Timurid gateway to the citadel and 16th-19th century remains, opening new perspectives on Ancient Herat and its urban topography.
Ute Franke and Thomas Urban with contributions by Warwick Ball, Benjamin Mutin, Cécile Buquet-Marcon, Stephanie Langer (†), Roland Besenval (†), Nader Rassuli and Ajmal Ayomuddin 784 pages, 31 x 22 cm, hardcover more than 7000 illustrations in color Berlin 2017 ISBN 978-3-00-051937-6
This 736 page book with 2200 illustrations and images is the outcome of a project conducted betwe... more This 736 page book with 2200 illustrations and images is the outcome of a project conducted between 2008 and 2012 in the Herat Museum in the frame of the German-Afghan Archaeological Research Missions, under the auspices of the Eurasia Department of the German Archaeological Institute and, later on, the Museum für Islamische Kunst, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin. The richly illustrated catalogue provides detailed descriptions of the objects, essays contributed by various scholars explore them in a broader context. It thus avails the material culture from an important yet inaccessible region to a wider audience.
736 pages, 31 x 22 cm, hardcover
Approx. 2200 illustrations in color
Contributions in English with Dari summaries
Berlin 2016
ISBN 978-3-00-051939-0
For further information please visit www.ancient-herat.de.
South Asian Archaeology Conference Paris 2012, 2015
Sohr Damb/Nal is known for one of the most important ceramic traditions in central Baluchistan. T... more Sohr Damb/Nal is known for one of the most important ceramic traditions in central Baluchistan. The excavations conducted by the German-Pakistani Archaeological Mission to Kalat brought to light four periods of occupation dating from 3500 - 2000 BCE and a huge corpus of artefacts and information, facilitating comprehensive archaeometric analysis e.g. on the ceramic assemblage. Chemical and petrographic analyses have been conducted with the target to investigate the provenance and circulation of ceramic artefacts and to reconstruct the operational chain, assessing the degree of craft specialization involved in manufacture. Samples from all periods were analyzed by means of re-firing analysis (Matrix Grouping by re-firing, MGR-analysis), X-Ray Fluorescence (WD-XRF) and petrographic thin sections. After a brief presentation of the adopted archaeometric techniques, the results obtained from Sohr Damb/Nal will be discussed and compared with information obtained from the analyses of ceramic specimens from Shahr-i Sokhta (Sistan, Iran), Balakot and Damb Sadaat (Baluchistan, Pakistan).
Sohr Damb/Nal, the type site of the Nal complex, is located in Balochistan, Pakistan. After 1 sea... more Sohr Damb/Nal, the type site of the Nal complex, is located in Balochistan, Pakistan. After 1 season of excavation by H Hargreaves in 1924, which made the polychrome Nal pottery widely known, no further work took place until the Joint German-Pakistani Archaeological Mission to Kalat resumed excavations in 2001. So far, 4 seasons of excavations have been undertaken, which have revealed 4 periods of occupation, dated from about 3800 to 2000 BC. The well-stratified assemblages provide new insights into cultural processes and developments, and enhance the comparative frameworks through typological series and a comprehensive set of radiocarbon dates. This information is essential for assessing cross-cultural relations and the date of urbanization. In this paper, the 14C dates from Sohr Damb/Nal are presented and their cultural context is discussed. Period III has several links to sites in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran, such as Miri Qalat IIIb–c, Mehrgarh VI–VII/ Nausharo I, Quetta III, Mundigak IV, and Shahr-e Sokhta II–III. Period IV represents a Kulli-Harappan occupation, which is dated to the second half of the 3rd millennium BC.
Herat has been an important economic and cultural as well as political centre at least since the ... more Herat has been an important economic and cultural as well as political centre at least since the Sasanian era, competing at times with cities such as Nishapur, Marv, and Samarqand. This position is attested to by sites and monuments, which until today mark the outline of the city, some of them dating back to the 15th century, when the town was capital of the Timurid empire under Shah Rukh and his wife Gauhar Shad. Its location in the favourable natural environment of the fertile Hari Rud river valley, with a perennial water supply, at an altitude of 1,000 m amsl at the foot of the Paropamisos, at the junction of major crossroads linking Asia with Arabia, India, and Europe, however, suggests a longer history of occupation, as also attested for neighbouring regions, homelands to flourishing civilizations from the late 4th millennium BC onwards. In the present paper, aspects of urban topography and the development of Pre-Timurid Herat are re-considered in the light of archaeological research carried out between 2004 and 2012.
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, Feb 27, 2023
Studied by micro X-ray fluorescence (µ-XRF), scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray... more Studied by micro X-ray fluorescence (µ-XRF), scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEM-EDS) and micro-Raman spectroscopy (µ-Raman), samples from thirteenth to fourteenth century lajvardina ceramics from various places in Iran (Takht-i Sulayman, Yazd, Sultaniya, Kashan and Rayy) showed tin oxide, haematite, chromite, manganese oxide and gold leaf have been employed on blue, turquoise and white alkali-lime and lead-alkali base glazes. It is suggested that while the overglaze decorations are metal oxides in a mixture with little amounts of their base glaze, the blue and turquoise inglaze decorations are most probably achieved by firing Co-and Cu-coloured powdered frits on a non-fired powdered base glaze, respectively. In addition, this article provides insight into the gilding decorations on lajvardina tiles by replicating several gilded samples. It is argued that a low-temperature firing has been employed for executing the overglaze lajvardina decorations on a pre-fired base glaze.
Abschlussbericht zum Forschungsprojekt Khurasan - Land des Sonnenaufgangs: eine Kulturlandschaft als Kerngebiet für die Ausprägung materieller Kultur der islamischen Welt und ihre Verortung in Sammlungen und musealen Präsentationen : (Berliner Teilprojekt) : Laufzeit des Vorhabens: 04/2014-03/2017
Tradition und Transformation am Indus : die Entstehung der Induskultur
La premiere civilisation citadine du subcontinent indien, la civilisation de l'Indus, a connu... more La premiere civilisation citadine du subcontinent indien, la civilisation de l'Indus, a connu son apogee entre 2600 et 2000 av. J.-C. environ. On a longtemps pense que l'influence mesopotamienne avait joue un role dans son apparition. La decouverte de civilisations anterieures remontant jusqu'a la periode neolithique aceramique du 7e millenaire a modifie cette conception. Cependant, malgre une continuite certaine, la civilisation de l'Indus presente des nouveautes qui ne se retrouveront pas dans les complexes culturels suivants. L'auteur se propose d'etudier l'influence de l'arriere-plan naturel et des phenomenes precurseurs sur l'avenement de cette epoque de prosperite.
Studied by micro X-ray fluorescence (µ-XRF), scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray... more Studied by micro X-ray fluorescence (µ-XRF), scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEM-EDS) and micro-Raman spectroscopy (µ-Raman), samples from thirteenth to fourteenth century lajvardina ceramics from various places in Iran (Takht-i Sulayman, Yazd, Sultaniya, Kashan and Rayy) showed tin oxide, haematite, chromite, manganese oxide and gold leaf have been employed on blue, turquoise and white alkali-lime and lead-alkali base glazes. It is suggested that while the overglaze decorations are metal oxides in a mixture with little amounts of their base glaze, the blue and turquoise inglaze decorations are most probably achieved by firing Co-and Cu-coloured powdered frits on a non-fired powdered base glaze, respectively. In addition, this article provides insight into the gilding decorations on lajvardina tiles by replicating several gilded samples. It is argued that a low-temperature firing has been employed for executing the overglaze lajvardina decorations on a pre-fired base glaze.
Keeping History Alive. Safeguarding Cultural Heritage in Post-Conflict Afghanistan, 2015
Iin 2004, the Joint German-Afghan Archaeological Mission initiated in cooperation with the Nation... more Iin 2004, the Joint German-Afghan Archaeological Mission initiated in cooperation with the National Institute of Archaeology and the Department of Monuments and Sites an archaeological project in Herat. Starting with a provincial survey, later excavations and surveys in Herat city, conducted in collaboration with the DAFA, and a museum project were added. These three projects supplemented each other in an ideal way, one providing spatial, the other temporal and the latter art historical information.
This publication is available in Open Access under the Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 IGO (CC-BY-ND 3.0 IGO) license (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/3.0/igo/). By using the content of this publication, the users accept to be bound by the terms of use of the UNESCO Open Access Repository (www.unesco.org/open-access/terms-use-ccbynd-en). The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The ideas and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors; they are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit the Organization.
That "writing" and "script" are appropriate terms to employ in reference to what has commonly bee... more That "writing" and "script" are appropriate terms to employ in reference to what has commonly been called the "Indus script" has been contested by Fanner, Sproat and Witzel (2004). They argue that the Indus script is not likely to have been linked directly to a spoken language and was probably a system of non-linguistic symbols. We, however, contend that given the development in the system of inscriptions over time as seen at Harappa and given the extensive use of the "signs" or "symbols" both fonnally and infonnally and on many media (see text discussion), making the distinction between a language-based script and a not-so-tied-to-Ianguage symboling system is not a particularly interesting distinction. In any event, in the absence of multilingual texts, long texts, and/or a successor symboling system or script, there can be no widely accepted understanding of what the symbols or signs of the "Indus script" actually meant to those who employed them, and thus there can be no true resolution of tIus issue. As a result, we continue to employ tenns like "script" and even "writing" in their broadest senses and are well aware that not everyone may agree with such usage. We are also rather imprecise in our use of the tenns "inscribed" and "inscription", which we employ broadly in relation to the Indus script and not in the restricted sense of something engraved, incised, or written. Thus pieces with script in relief are also referred to as inscribed (although not "incised"). Finally the tenn "tablet" is used in the sense employed in all volumes of the Corpus of Indus Signs and Inscriptions to refer to small inscribed pieces specially made of stone, terracotta, faience, or copper-with images and/or script incised or in relief-that are not intaglio seals. 2 The Harappa Archaeological Research Project (HARP), a long-tenn program of investigations into the origins and character ofIndus urban centers, was first initiated at Harappa by the late Prof. George F. Dales and Dr.
Authenticity is not an absolute and constant quality inherent in an object or an experience; it i... more Authenticity is not an absolute and constant quality inherent in an object or an experience; it is constructed in the process of research. Actors inscribe and attribute it to both material objects and subjective processes like communication and consumption. This article from the research group seeks on the one hand to reflect on the historical scope of action and action patterns among actors from various disciplines between the conflicting priorities of authentication and communication, and on the other to find ways to visualize and operationalize attribution processes through joint reflection. When we look at both history and the discussions fifty years after the Venice Charter, its idea to hand on historic monuments “in the full richness of their authenticity” has turned into an abundance of vibrant action and decision-making.
Bodies and glazes of tiles from the Ilkhanid period found at the UNESCO World Heritage site of Ta... more Bodies and glazes of tiles from the Ilkhanid period found at the UNESCO World Heritage site of Takht-e Soleyman were studied to identify materials and certain technical characteristics of the architectural ceramics as part of a larger project to establish different productions. In addition, ceramic vessels and technical ceramics excavated at the site were analysed for comparison. µXRF, SEM/EDX, and Raman spectroscopy were used for the material investigations. Qualitative non-invasive µXRF results allowed for categorisation of the glazes and ceramic bodies based on their overall composition. Quantitative analysis by SEM/EDX on a subset of the samples delivered detailed results on the bodies and glazes. Tiles, made from clay or stonepaste, were almost exclusively decorated with a mixed alkaline lead glaze. The PbO content of this type of glaze ranged from 8 wt% to 25 wt%. The clay bodies of some tiles corresponded to the material of the locally used kiln furniture. Moreover, glaze res...
South Asian Archaeology 2003 Proceedings of the Seventeenth International Conference of the European Association of South Asian Archaeologists 7-11 July 2003 Bonn
Non-invasive methods including micro-Raman spectroscopy (μ-Raman), micro X-ray fluorescence (μ-XR... more Non-invasive methods including micro-Raman spectroscopy (μ-Raman), micro X-ray fluorescence (μ-XRF), fibre optics reflectance spectroscopy (FORS) and environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) were used to study thirty-five ceramic shards from Afrasiyab and forty-seven potshards from Nishapur. These shards are dated from the ninth to the tenth century AD and include various types of underglaze and inglaze decoration. Non-invasive scientific studies indicated that tin oxide was employed as a white opacifier in both sites while silicates including quartz, olivine, diopside and feldspar served as opacifier in Afrasiyab shards thus demonstrating a technological connection with the pre-Islamic tradition of glaze opacification. The white slip of most of the wares excavated at Nishapur contained dehydrated pyrophyllite which may be indicative of local production. Furthermore, while a dense distribution of chromite was found in the black underglaze decoration of the so-called yellow staining black ware from Nishapur, a diluted chromite probably obtained from a different source was used in the imitated lustre wares from Afrasiyab. Mixtures with different proportions of manganese oxide and black haematite were utilised as the black colouring agents. Taking all of these findings into account, it is proposed that a consistent ceramic technology and production is represented by the entire set of the shards from Afrasiyab while different materials and technologies are evinced in the Nishapur ceramics.
Papers from the twenty-ninth meeting of the Seminar for Arabian Studies held in Cambridge, 20-22 July, 1995 || German Mission to Julfar and Sheba's Palace (Ras al-Khaimah, UAE)
Drawing the Threads Together Studies on Archaeology in Honour of Karin Bartl, edited by Alexander Ahrens, Dörte Rokitta-Krumnow, Franziska Bloch and Claudia Bührig, 2020
The paper presents the results of a brief archaeological reconnaissance carried out 2010 on behal... more The paper presents the results of a brief archaeological reconnaissance carried out 2010 on behalf of the Unesco by the German-Afghan Archaeological Mission to Herat in the Musalla Complex in Herat. Apart from presenting the archaeological evidence, 19th and early 20th century graphic depictions and photographs as well as contemporaneous accounts on the monuments are reconsidered.
Sohr Damb/Nal is known for one of the most important ceramic traditions in central Baluchistan. T... more Sohr Damb/Nal is known for one of the most important ceramic traditions in central Baluchistan. The excavations conducted by the German-Pakistani Archaeological Mission to Kalat brought to light four periods of occupation dating from 3500 - 2000 BCE and a huge corpus of artefacts and information, facilitating comprehensive archaeometric analysis e.g. on the ceramic assemblage. Chemical and petrographic analyses have been conducted with the target to investigate the provenance and circulation of ceramic artefacts and to reconstruct the operational chain, assessing the degree of craft specialization involved in manufacture. Samples from all periods were analyzed by means of re-firing analysis (Matrix Grouping by re-firing, MGR-analysis), X-Ray Fluorescence (WD-XRF) and petrographic thin sections. After a brief presentation of the adopted archaeometric techniques, the results obtained from Sohr Damb/Nal will be discussed and compared with information obtained from the analyses of ceramic specimens from Shahr-i Sokhta (Sistan, Iran), Balakot and Damb Sadaat (Baluchistan, Pakistan).
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Books by Ute Franke
360 exquisite works of art from the time of the first advanced civilisations during the late fourth and the third millennium BCE until the early eighteenth century illustrated the outstanding significance of Iran as an initiator and centre of intercultural exchange. The great pre-Islamic empires of the Achaemenids and the Sasanians, the establishment of a Persian-Islamic culture, the supreme artistic achievements of the ninth to the fifteenth centuries and the Golden Age of the Safavids are just some of the highlights of this journey through five millennia of Iranian art and culture.
The catalogue, edited by the organisers, available in English and German, contains contributions by 26 re-known scholars and is richly illustrated (520 images). Here, the editorial data and table of contents are available.
Exhibition catalogue presenting 820 objects dating from the 4th millennium BC to the 4th/3rd century BC, confiscated by Pakistani customs in Karachi.
Printed in Karachi 2015, 400 pages, c. 1800 illustrations and images.
This work unfolded archaeological remains from the 1st millennium BCE to the 19th century. Notwithstanding stratigraphic gaps in the cultural sequence substantial evidence on the material culture and chronological developments through these 2500 years was obtained. For the first time, Iron Age and Achaemenid settlement traces were discovered as well as objects from the 10th-15th century, a Timurid gateway to the citadel and 16th-19th century remains, opening new perspectives on Ancient Herat and its urban topography.
Ute Franke and Thomas Urban
with contributions by Warwick Ball, Benjamin Mutin, Cécile Buquet-Marcon, Stephanie Langer (†),
Roland Besenval (†), Nader Rassuli and Ajmal Ayomuddin
784 pages, 31 x 22 cm, hardcover
more than 7000 illustrations in color
Berlin 2017
ISBN 978-3-00-051937-6
736 pages, 31 x 22 cm, hardcover
Approx. 2200 illustrations in color
Contributions in English with Dari summaries
Berlin 2016
ISBN 978-3-00-051939-0
For further information please visit www.ancient-herat.de.
Papers by Ute Franke
Chemical and petrographic analyses have been conducted with the target to investigate the provenance and circulation of ceramic artefacts and to reconstruct the operational chain, assessing the degree of craft specialization involved in manufacture. Samples from all periods were analyzed by means of re-firing analysis (Matrix Grouping by re-firing, MGR-analysis), X-Ray Fluorescence (WD-XRF) and petrographic thin sections.
After a brief presentation of the adopted archaeometric techniques, the results obtained from Sohr Damb/Nal will be discussed and compared with information obtained from the analyses of ceramic specimens from Shahr-i Sokhta (Sistan, Iran), Balakot and Damb Sadaat (Baluchistan, Pakistan).
This publication is available in Open Access under the Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 IGO (CC-BY-ND 3.0 IGO) license (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/3.0/igo/). By using the content of this publication, the users accept to be bound by the terms of use of the UNESCO Open Access Repository (www.unesco.org/open-access/terms-use-ccbynd-en). The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The ideas and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors; they are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit the Organization.
360 exquisite works of art from the time of the first advanced civilisations during the late fourth and the third millennium BCE until the early eighteenth century illustrated the outstanding significance of Iran as an initiator and centre of intercultural exchange. The great pre-Islamic empires of the Achaemenids and the Sasanians, the establishment of a Persian-Islamic culture, the supreme artistic achievements of the ninth to the fifteenth centuries and the Golden Age of the Safavids are just some of the highlights of this journey through five millennia of Iranian art and culture.
The catalogue, edited by the organisers, available in English and German, contains contributions by 26 re-known scholars and is richly illustrated (520 images). Here, the editorial data and table of contents are available.
Exhibition catalogue presenting 820 objects dating from the 4th millennium BC to the 4th/3rd century BC, confiscated by Pakistani customs in Karachi.
Printed in Karachi 2015, 400 pages, c. 1800 illustrations and images.
This work unfolded archaeological remains from the 1st millennium BCE to the 19th century. Notwithstanding stratigraphic gaps in the cultural sequence substantial evidence on the material culture and chronological developments through these 2500 years was obtained. For the first time, Iron Age and Achaemenid settlement traces were discovered as well as objects from the 10th-15th century, a Timurid gateway to the citadel and 16th-19th century remains, opening new perspectives on Ancient Herat and its urban topography.
Ute Franke and Thomas Urban
with contributions by Warwick Ball, Benjamin Mutin, Cécile Buquet-Marcon, Stephanie Langer (†),
Roland Besenval (†), Nader Rassuli and Ajmal Ayomuddin
784 pages, 31 x 22 cm, hardcover
more than 7000 illustrations in color
Berlin 2017
ISBN 978-3-00-051937-6
736 pages, 31 x 22 cm, hardcover
Approx. 2200 illustrations in color
Contributions in English with Dari summaries
Berlin 2016
ISBN 978-3-00-051939-0
For further information please visit www.ancient-herat.de.
Chemical and petrographic analyses have been conducted with the target to investigate the provenance and circulation of ceramic artefacts and to reconstruct the operational chain, assessing the degree of craft specialization involved in manufacture. Samples from all periods were analyzed by means of re-firing analysis (Matrix Grouping by re-firing, MGR-analysis), X-Ray Fluorescence (WD-XRF) and petrographic thin sections.
After a brief presentation of the adopted archaeometric techniques, the results obtained from Sohr Damb/Nal will be discussed and compared with information obtained from the analyses of ceramic specimens from Shahr-i Sokhta (Sistan, Iran), Balakot and Damb Sadaat (Baluchistan, Pakistan).
This publication is available in Open Access under the Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 IGO (CC-BY-ND 3.0 IGO) license (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/3.0/igo/). By using the content of this publication, the users accept to be bound by the terms of use of the UNESCO Open Access Repository (www.unesco.org/open-access/terms-use-ccbynd-en). The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The ideas and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors; they are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit the Organization.
Chemical and petrographic analyses have been conducted with the target to investigate the provenance and circulation of ceramic artefacts and to reconstruct the operational chain, assessing the degree of craft specialization involved in manufacture. Samples from all periods were analyzed by means of re-firing analysis (Matrix Grouping by re-firing, MGR-analysis), X-Ray Fluorescence (WD-XRF) and petrographic thin sections.
After a brief presentation of the adopted archaeometric techniques, the results obtained from Sohr Damb/Nal will be discussed and compared with information obtained from the analyses of ceramic specimens from Shahr-i Sokhta (Sistan, Iran), Balakot and Damb Sadaat (Baluchistan, Pakistan).