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project: Merv, Central Asian city: a programme of ceramic analyses
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| Project start date: 2002-06 | Project end date: 2004-12 |
The project explored the changing types and styles of pottery found at the ancient cities of Merv (now in Turkmenistan, Central Asia), one of the great urban centres of the Silk Roads. A ceramic reference collection of the fabric & forms was created (in both London and Turkmenistan), and selective scientific analyses (technological, stylistic, petrographic and glaze analyses) and statistical studies have considerably enhanced our understanding of the development of the pottery industry, and wider trade networks, from the Achaemenid period (c 6th century BCE) to the Timurid period (15th century CE). A two volume report on the material, together with an on-line internet database, will enable scholars to use this sequence to develop studies along the length of the Silk Roads. Overall, the project has made a major contribution to our understanding of the development of pre-Islamic and early Islamic ceramics, not only at Merv but throughout Western and Central Asia.
| Methods used | Category |
|---|---|
| 2d modelling - raster | Data structuring and enhancement |
| 2d scanning and photography | Data capture |
| Coding and standardisation | Data structuring and enhancement |
| Data modelling | Data structuring and enhancement |
| Heads-up digitising and interactive tracing | Data capture |
| Image enhancement | Data structuring and enhancement |
| Image feature measurement | Data analysis |
| Indexing | Data analysis |
| Manual input and transcription | Data capture |
| Record linkages | Data structuring and enhancement |
| Record linkages | Data analysis |
| Searching and querying | Data analysis |
| Statistical analysis | Data analysis |
| Text encoding - descriptive | Data structuring and enhancement |
| Text encoding - presentational | Data structuring and enhancement |
| Text encoding - referential | Data structuring and enhancement |
| Text recognition | Data capture |
| Use of existing digital data | Data capture |
| Visualisation | Data analysis |
Original research undertaken by the Ancient Merv Project, University College London, partly derived from successful funding applications submitted to the Arts and Humanities Research Board, and partly from information gathered by the project over the past 15 years.
A Microsoft Access database, which is also web-mounted, holds detailed information on ceramic forms, styles and fabrics, along with excavation data. The database includes integrated digital graphics (scanned drawings) and photographic data (including petrographic thin-sections).
Digital technical reports (in pdf format), are also attached to the database.
A selection of the data will be conventionally printed, to ensure effective academic penetration within Central Asia. The majority of the data, however, will be disseminated digitally, to underpin the discussions in the conventional volumes, and to provide researchers with the opportunity to develop new hypothesis and research tools on Central Asian ceramic technologies and trade.
All the digital data is being deposited with the Archaeological Data Service, York University, while a functional on-line database will be managed at the Institute of Archaeology, UCL.
Generation of HTML files from XML data for web-delivery
Production of compressed JPEG files from uncompressed TIFF files for web dissemination
Book:
Puschnigg, Gabriel. Ceramics of the Merv Oasis: Recycling the City. UCL Press. In press.
Book:
Puschnigg, Gabriel, with contributions by D Gilbert and A Vince. The ceramics from Merv. Volume 1: The Achaemenid to late Sasanian ceramics from Merv c 6th century BC to 7th century AD. UCL Press. Forthcoming
Book:
Gilbert, Dave, with contributions by N Bashimova, G Puschnigg, A Feuerbach, A Vince and T Williams. Volume 2: The Islamic ceramics from Merv c 7th-14th century AD. UCL Press. Forthcoming
| Principal staff member: | Dr Georgina Herrmann; Professor Clive Orton; Mr Tim Williams |
|---|---|
| Other staff: | Postdoctoral researcher(s) / Research assistant(s) |
| External expertise: | Dr Alan Vince, freelance, petrography and chemical analysesDr N.S. Bashimova, Institute of History, Ashgabat, Islamic decorationsBryan Alvey & Dylan Hopkinson, Cultural Heritage Information Consultants, online databases |
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| This project description was developed as part of the ICT Guides project. |
| Metadata on this arts-humanities.net record | |
|---|---|
| Author(s) of record | Tim Williams / Georgina Herrmann |
| Title | Merv, Central Asian city: a programme of ceramic analyses |
| Record created | 2005-11-07 |
| Record updated | 2010-01-27 15:09 |
| URL of record | http://www.arts-humanities.net/node/2072 |
| Citation of record | Tim Williams / Georgina Herrmann: Merv, Central Asian city: a programme of ceramic analyses. <http://www.arts-humanities.net/node/2072> created: 2005-11-07, last updated 2010-01-27 15:09 |
