Asbestos-Ceramic (ca 3900-1800 BP) refers to two (or three) types of pottery manufactured with asbestos and clay with adiabatic behaviour in Northern Scandinavia and Finland. The third vessel does not contain any asbestos, but it have insulating properties and is therefore sometimes included under asbestos-ceramic.
There are two variants of asbestos-pottery depending on its asbestos amount. Asbestos pottery had an asbestos amount of 50-60%. It is usually found along evidence suggesting metal work, i.e. crucibles, moulds, slag, fused clay, artefacts of bronze and copper and stone sledge hammers. But it can also have been used as a heat-storage. The vessel patterns are identical to the Neolithic and Bronze Age Jomon culture in Japan (jomon = rope pattern).
The asbestos ware refers to vessels containing 90% asbestos and 10% clay, and can resist heat up to 900°-1000°. The clay made the shaping of vessel possible, but the high amount of asbestos does not classify it as pottery in formal sense. It is believed that the asbestos ware was used in iron production such as spearheads, arrowheads and artefacts. The vessel is also drilled with many holes. The fact that the reduction of iron ore (FeO3) with abundant carbon generates large amount of carbon monoxide (CO) may suggest that the drilled holes was used to increase the influx of air (Oxygen) required for proper glowing process.
Lastly, the hair-temperature pottery refers to ware made of fine, sorted clay tempered with ca 30% finely cut hair and chamotte with similar shape, size, surface treatment (including decoration) as the asbestos pottery. It does not generally contains asbestos, but some samples have small traces. Hair, when used as ceramic temper, leaves thin pores in the ware after firing. Its usage is unknown, but its adiabatic capacity suggest some kind of insulating usage (but not heat resistance.)
The analyze made by University of Lund, Department of Quaternary Geology, on asbestos pottery was quite unexpected, since this part of Northen Europe, usually considered to be a step behind rest of Europe, actually introduce iron production in pre-Roman Iron Age.
It disappeare around 1800 BP, presumably due to a transition to a semi-nomadic reindeer husbandry elite amongst Laplanders.
Source: Hulthén, Birgitta, "On Ceramic ware in Northern Scandinavia during the Neolithic, Bronze and Early Iron Age" (1993)
Last updated: 10-12-2005 06:12:10
