Archaeometry and Analysis of Ceramic Materials from Ávila (Spain): Late-Vetton Evidence

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Dear Sir,
The paper is interesting and well prepared and I think the author address the reviewers’ comments which highlighted in red color however it can be improved in some areas as follows:

In the abstract

In the sentence “This article shows the study a set of samples from the ceramic repertoire” is confusing please reword it

In other sections:

• Although this work may be of interest to the archaeological community, I would like to ask the authors to provide the link between sustainability and archaeometry in the introduction part.
• The quality of figures is not good enough such as 1 and 2.
• Some tables is very long I suggested to include it as a supplementary materials such as table 2

Regards

Author Response

Dear Editor and reviewers:

 

We appreciate the suggestions of the reviewers who have once again enriched the text of the paper.

 

Reviewer 1

In the abstract

In the sentence “This article shows the study a set of samples from the ceramic repertoire” is confusing please reword it.

The sentence is changed by:

This paper presents the study of a set of ceramic samples using XRD, ICP/MS, SEM/EDX and linescan analysis

In other sections:

• Although this work may be of interest to the archaeological community, I would like to ask the authors to provide the link between sustainability and archaeometry in the introduction part.

This article was prepared at the invitation of researcher Dra. Lara Maritan in Sustainability Journal’s Special Issue: Frontiers of Archaeological Studies on Ancient Ceramics.

The subject in question is of great interest to the archaeological community which, in the Special Issue: Frontiers of Archaeological Studies on Ancient Ceramics collect this type of research.

• The quality of figures is not good enough such as 1 and 2.

Figures 1 and 2 have been improved.

• Some tables is very long I suggested to include it as a supplementary materials such as table 2.

It is indeed a very long table that has been considered as supplementary material.

 

 

 

 

Reviewer 2 Report

If possible, a last lecture with a person  fluent in english 

Author Response

Dear Editor and reviewers:

 

We appreciate the suggestions of the reviewers who have once again enriched the text of the paper.

 

Reviewer 2

If possible, a last lecture with a person fluent in English

 

The text has been reviewed by a speaker English.

This manuscript is a resubmission of an earlier submission. The following is a list of the peer review reports and author responses from that submission.

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Manuscript ID: sustainability-1153734

Dear Sir,
The paper is interesting and well prepared however it can be improved in some areas as follows:

In the abstract

• Line 21: stablish that the materials could be “establish” which is more common
• Keywords should be arranged alphabetically.

Introduction section:

• The introduction is informative although I would recommend that author should stress and state their objective using the words “the aim of this research is to…” at the end of this section.
• Moreover, do the authors think that adding some famous inorganic clay which originated in Spain which can be used in further applications for example will be useful for the reader or not such as bentonites https://doi.org/10.3390/min9110696 sepiolite https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmst.2016.03.008

In the other sections:

• Do the authors think that moving the lines 117 to 133 to the result section will be easier to the reader to discuss the collected samples?
• All chemicals being used in the study should be addressed in this section including where they are purchased or obtained.
• State the model, the company and country of origin of any instrument used in the research such as oven, hot plate, ICP etc.
• Please state the ratio of dilution line 165?
• Line 245 and 253: “2. Chemical analysis: Mayor and minor elements 245” should be “3.2. Chemical analysis: Major and minor elements”
• Could the author give more information about the XRD analysis in particular the JPCDs?
• Could the author give more information about the line-scan analysis for the reader.
• Please specify how many replicates were measured using ICP-MS Future work should be mentioned at the end of the conclusion

References

Kindly FORMAT the references correctly according to the author’s guide.

Regards

Author Response

Response to reviewer 1

We would like to thank the reviewers for their critical comments and useful suggestions which helped us to improve the quality of the manuscript. These comments and suggestions have been carefully incorporated into the revised manuscript. In this revised manuscript, all changes were marked in red

In the abstract

• Line 21: stablish that the materials could be “establish” which is more common

The word has been changed          

• Keywords should be arranged alphabetically.

They have been arranged in alphabetical order

Introduction section:

• The introduction is informative although I would recommend that author should stress and state their objective using the words “the aim of this research is to…” at the end of this section.

• Added paragraph at the end of the introduction

 

“The aim of this research is to try to justify the late Vetton age of the initial settlement on which the Roman nucleus of Abula developed. That is to say, by studying the ceramics collected in excavations around the Ávila wall and through the study of little-known ceramics from late Vettonian tradition, set their pre-Roman age”.

• Moreover, do the authors think that adding some famous inorganic clay which originated in Spain which can be used in further applications for example will be useful for the reader or not such as bentonites https://doi.org/10.3390/min9110696 sepiolite https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmst.2016.03.008

The clays used to make the late vetton ceramics are local, for that reason, construction materials found in the excavation such as tiles or clay pellets have been analyzed, with which the ceramics object of this study coincide perfectly.In the surroundings of the city of Ávila there are no sepiolites.

In the other sections:

• Do the authors think that moving the lines 117 to 133 to the result section will be easier to the reader to discuss the collected samples?

The reason for studying each of the samples has been specified

• All chemicals being used in the study should be addressed in this section including where they are purchased or obtained.

Reagent characteristics have been added

• State the model, the company and country of origin of any instrument used in the research such as oven, hot plate, ICP etc.

Details of each device used have been added.

• Please state the ratio of dilution line 165?

Dilution has been added

Line 245 and 253: “2. Chemical analysis: Mayor and minor elements 245” should be “3.2. Chemical analysis: Major and minor elements”

It has been changed major by major

• Could the author give more information about the XRD analysis in particular the JPCDs?

It has been added the paragraph:

 

The diffractograms have been read and compared with a series of patterns that provide libraries inserted in the diffractometers and that are compared with the cards of the most similar materials and in which the diffraction peaks obtained coincide with those offered in the patterns.

• Could the author give more information about the line-scan analysis for the reader?

The purpose of this analysis system has been explained.

 “Linescan analysis allows a linear monitoring of the variation of the chemical elements detected along a transept, with a distance from the spot of the EDX analysis source, in addition to offering an image of each analysis point”.

• Please specify how many replicates were measured using ICP-MS

The number of replicates has been added in the description of the technique (2 replicates)

• Future work should be mentioned at the end of the conclusion

It has been added:

 

“As ceramics from future excavations are analyzed, the results obtained can be confirmed with more precision, trying to pin down the chronologies”.

References

Kindly FORMAT the references correctly according to the author’s guide.

References have been corrected according to the format of the journal.

Reviewer 2 Report

check the police size: 219-220-294-295

For a better understading, In"methods":shortly explain the "box and whiskers" graphic.

The discussion of Xray diffraction results is light and can be improved. Taking into acount the firing effect and the local geology is it possible to better discuss these results (clay, quartz, feldspar,..).

It is not clear that major elements and minor elements are both included in the discriminant analysis (is it the case?).

Discussion of discriminant analysis could be also improved, taking into account the origin of raw materials (clay) and the manufacture process, and with reference to previous Xray diffraction analysis.

Discussion for SEM observation could be also improved. The results could be explained versus the process fabrication which would be better described(double firing, slip layer...explain), less porous (compared to bulk) surface?, defect (pores( dispersion?, firing temperature,...

 

 

 

     

 

 

   

Author Response

Response to reviewer 2

 

We would like to thank the reviewers for their critical comments and useful suggestions which helped us to improve the quality of the manuscript. These comments and suggestions have been carefully incorporated into the revised manuscript. In this revised manuscript, all changes were marked in red.

 

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

check the police size: 219-220-294-295.

It has been standardized.

For a better understanding, In "methods": shortly explain the "box and whiskers" graphic.

Paragraph has been added:

In this plot, each box encloses the middle 50% and the median is represented as a horizontal line inside the box. Vertical lines extending from each end of the box (called whiskers) enclose data within the 1.5 interquartile ranges. Values falling be-yond the whiskers, but within three interquartile ranges, are plotted as individual points (suspect outliers) as well as points that are further away (outliers).

The discussion of X ray diffraction results is light and can be improved. Taking into account the firing effect and the local geology is it possible to better discuss these results (clay, quartz, feldspar,..).

The minerals that have been identified correspond to minerals common in the local area of Ávila region, given the silicate nature (quartz, phyllosilicates and feldspars appear) and in nearby areas carbonates (limestones and dolomites) that, suitably mixed, they constitute the raw materials of the clays for the ceramics. Samples of building materials such as tiles that require a local manufacturing process have a composition similar to that of ceramics. In the same way, clay pellets have been analyzed, corresponding to uncooked natural materials in which the same minerals are recognized with, in addition, kaolinite, a clay mineral that disappears in the cooking processes in ovens with temperatures above 600º / 700ºC. Due to the carbonates permanence and Clay minerals disappearance, the firing range in most of the ceramics studied is between 600º / 850ºC, the latter temperature corresponding to calcite destruction.

It is not clear that major elements and minor elements are both included in the discriminant analysis (is it the case?).

Paragraph has been added:

 

The values of minor elements have been used in this analysis because; the concentration of minor elements in ceramic samples provides very valuable information about the origin of the ceramics since they are like a “fingerprint” of the same [1].

Discussion of discriminant analysis could be also improved, taking into account the origin of raw materials (clay) and the manufacture process, and with reference to previous X- ray diffraction analysis.

Paragraph has been added:

Taking into account the results obtained by XRD analysis, it was identified silicate minerals and carbonates and both types of minerals are common in the local area of Ávila region [37]. In addition, samples of building materials such as tiles that require a local manufacturing process have a composition similar to that of ceramics. Therefore, the discriminant analysis suggested that even though the local origin of raw materials (clays); there were several production centers near Ávila city. In relation to the manufacture process, the XRD analysis have suggested that the firing range in most of the ceramics studied was between 600ºC to 850ºC due to the disappearance of kaolinite and the presence of the calcite in most of the samples. This suggests that the manufacture process was similar in all of these different production centers near the city.

Discussion for SEM observation could be also improved. The results could be explained versus the process fabrication which would be better described (double firing, slip layer...explain), less porous (compared to bulk) surface?, defect (pores( dispersion?, firing temperature,...

Paragraph has been added:

SEM images in each of the examined spots and by analyzing the elements described in Figure 5, allow and following the trace of the calcium analysis, to appreciate an external calcareous slip, where the calcium carbonateit is the main component.In general lines and by means of SEM it can be said that it is a uniform ceramic with some pores corresponding to the shrinkage processes associated with firing. The two cooking moments are identified by the trend break in the middle of the readings where the trace of the analyzed chemical elements changes trend.According to the analyzed transept, the composition is homogeneous, although in Figure 5A it allows identifying some large grains corresponding to the degreasers described with a binocular magnifying glass and corresponding to feldspars (sharp) and quartz (rounded).

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

Dear Authors,

Thanks for addressing most of the comments.