BUSCADOR RECOLECTA

This dataset includes the archaeological, typological and morphometric data on sugar pots retrieved in Sicily from 11th-16th cent. AD contexts. These data were collected as part of the project “SPotEU: Sugar Pot manufacture in Western Europe in the medieval and post-medieval period (11th -16th centuries AD)”, funded under the Horizon 2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions (https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/797242/).

This dataset includes the chemical data obtained by wavelength Dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WDXRF) analysis on sugar pots retrieved in Sicily from 11th-16th cent. AD contexts. These data were collected as part of the project “SPotEU: Sugar Pot manufacture in Western Europe in the medieval and post-medieval period (11th -16th centuries AD)”, funded under the Horizon 2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions (grant agreement: 797242)., Chemical characterization was conducted by means of wavelength Dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WDXRF) analysis. The concentrations were quantified using an AxiosmAX-Advanced PANalytical spectrometer with a Rh excitation source calibrated by a suite of 56 international Geological Standards. Interferences were considered and the correction of matrix effects was done using PANanalytical Pro-Trace software for trace elements. The determined elements were: Na2O, MgO, Al2O3, SiO2, P2O5, K2O, CaO, TiO2, V, Cr, MnO, Fe2O3 (as total Fe), Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Rb, Sr, Y, Zr, Nb, Mo, Sn, Ba, Ce, W, Pb and Th. Minor and major elements are expressed as concentrations of oxides in percentage by mass (wt %). Trace elements are conveyed as concentrations of elements in μg g-1. Samples are prepared according to a procedure explained in Madrid i Fernández, Marisol, and Alejandro G. Sinner. "Analysing technical choices: improving the archaeological classification of Late Republican Black Gloss pottery in north-eastern Hispania consumption centres." Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences 11, no. 7 (2019): 3155-3186., The dataset also includes a file with a description of the charactersitics of each sample

This dataset includes some of the petrographic pictures of the of sugar pots retrieved in Sicily from 11th-16th cent. AD contexts. These data were collected as part of the project “SPotEU: Sugar Pot manufacture in Western Europe in the medieval and post-medieval period (11th -16th centuries AD)”, funded under the Horizon 2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions (https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/797242)., Petrographic examination was performed on 30µ-thick thin-sections prepared as standard for ceramic analysis and observed on the petrographic microscope Olympus BX43P and the picture taken with the camera Olympus SC50. The photomicrographs show the section of the pots where the mineral and rock fragments can be identified. Fabrics are described and discussed in: Mentesana R., Hein A., Madrid i Fernàndez M., Kilikoglou V., Buxeda i Garrigòs J. 2022. “Think globally, act locally: global requirements and local transformation in sugar pots manufacture in Sicily in the medieval and post-medieval periods”. Minerals. The scalebar is located in the bottom-right corner of each photomicrograph., The dataset also includes a file with a description of the charactersitics of each sample.

This dataset includes the microstructural data obtained by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) examination on sugar pots retrieved in Sicily from 11th-16th cent. AD contexts. These data were collected as part of the project “SPotEU: Sugar Pot manufacture in Western Europe in the medieval and post-medieval period (11th -16th centuries AD)”, funded under the Horizon 2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/797242)., SEM observations were performed on fresh cross-section fractures passing through the oro-aboral axis of the body wall in order to observe the microstructure. Bulk specimens were fixed on metal specimen stubs using silicone adhesive and the non-conductive ceramic specimens were made conductive. Colloidal silver paint was applied on excess silicone adhesive and lateral sides of ceramic bulk specimen. Then, the specimen surface was coated with a thin carbon film (~ 10 nm) by vacuum evaporation. The observations were made by using a FEI QUANTA 200 coupled with a microanalizer EDS: Thermo Ultradry – Pathfinder and photomicrograph taken at x1000, x2000 and x4000. The observations were performed using an acceleration voltage of 20 kV and a working distance of 10 mm. In a few cases, a JEOL J6510 coupled with an EDS Oxford Instruments Ultim Max – AZTecLive was used., The photomicrographs show the micromorphology of the pots, where the vitrification stages could be identified. The photomicrographs were taken at the bottom margin, core and the top margin of the ceramic section. Microstructures are described and discussed in: Mentesana R., Hein A., Madrid i Fernàndez M., Kilikoglou V., Buxeda i Garrigòs J. 2022. “Think globally, act locally: global requirements and local transformation in sugar pots manufacture in Sicily in the medieval and post-medieval periods”. Minerals. At the bottom of the photomicrographs, the image detection method (det), the accelerating voltage (HV), the working distance (WD), the magnification (mag) parameters and the scalebar could be found. Photomicrographs were taken at the CCiTUB of the Universitat de Barcelona., The dataset also includes a file with a description of the charactersitics of each sample.

This dataset includes the mineralogical data obtained by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses on sugar pots retrieved in Sicily from 11th-16th cent. AD contexts. These data were collected as part of the project “SPotEU: Sugar Pot manufacture in Western Europe in the medieval and post-medieval period (11th -16th centuries AD)”, funded under the Horizon 2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions (grant agreement: 797242)., Sample preparation methodology: manual pressing of some of the received powder materials, by means of a glass plate to get a flat surface, in cylindrical standard sample holders of 16 or 27 millimeters of diameter and 2.5 millimeters of height. Instrument and experimental conditions: PANalytical X’Pert PRO MPD powder diffractometer in Bragg-Brentano θ/θ geometry of 240 millimeters of radius. Ni filtered Cu Kα radiation: λ = 1.5418 Å. Work power: 45 kV – 40 mA. Divergence slit of 0.5º. Mask defining a length of the beam over the sample in the axial direction of 12 millimeters. Incident and diffracted beam 0.04 radians Soller slits. Sample spinning at 2 revolutions per second PIXcel detector. Active length = 3.347 º. θ/2θ scan from 5 to 80 º2θ with step size of 0.026 º and measuring time of 100 seconds per step., The dataset also includes a file with a description of each sample.

This dataset includes the mechanical and thermal properties test data on sugar pots retrieved in Sicily from 11th-16th cent. AD contexts. These data were collected as part of the project “SPotEU: Sugar Pot manufacture in Western Europe in the medieval and post-medieval period (11th -16th centuries AD)”, funded under the Horizon 2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions (https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/797242)., Two disks with a diameter of c. 30 mm were cut out of each wall fragment using a diamond coated cup-hole saw. The surfaces of the disks were polished afterwards in order to be flat and parallel with a thickness of 7 to 10 mm. The heat transfer properties were determined by means of the transient plane source (TPS) method (Log and Gustafsson 1995). For this, a Trident Thermal Conductivity Instrument was used (C-Therm Technologies Ltd.). A flexible TPS sensor with a diameter of 6 mm was placed between two disks of the same fragment in order to measure simultaneously thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity and the specific heat capacity of the specimens. Each measurement was repeated five times in order to estimate the analytical uncertainty of the method. For determining the mechanical fracture strength of the specimens an INSTRON 1195 universal testing machine was used (Illinois Tool Works Inc.). The disks were tested by means of the biaxial flexure test (Shetty et al. 1980, 1983, Morrell 1998). For this, they were placed on a hollow steel cylinder with an inner diameter of c. 21.7 mm and a spherical steel indenter with 2.5 mm diameter was pressed in the in the centre of the disk with a speed of 0.1 mm/min. The increasing load was recorded until final fracture of the ceramic specimen. The fracture strength was estimated taking into account disk dimension, maximum load at fracture, size of supporting cylinder as well as the contact area between indenter and ceramic surface., The dataset also includes a file with a description of each sample.