Technological Techniques and Thin-section Petrography: Ancient Rooftiles from the Co Loa Settlement in northern Red River Valley, Vietnam

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Ceramic Petrographers in the Americas, Production Practices and Social Networks from Multilevel Angles" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Archaeological investigations at the site of Co Loa in Vietnam's Red River Valley (RRV) region yielded a class of architectural ceramics that emerged near the end of the first millennium BCE (300 BCE-100BCE). Laboratory analysis focused on the use of digital portable microscope on ceramic cross-sections and a petrographic microscope on thin-sections. Macro analysis revealed that ceramic roof tiles carry a unique design found only in Co Loa that became a prominent feature before the Han Annexation of the RRV region. Technological analysis revealed that a uniform, fine-clay slip was applied on both surfaces of the roof tile. Wavy, parallel patterns found on both sides of the sample have potential implications about local emerging aesthetic designs and manufacturing techniques. This poster will present the initial application of ceramic petrography on samples collected from site excavations, museum storage, and field surveys.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• Ceramic Petrographers in the Americas, Production Practices and Social Networks from Multilevel Angles

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 51050