ABSTRACT

This paper concerns Sasanian to Early Islamic period transport containers, usually lined with bitumen, known as Torpedo jars. Widely distributed throughout the western Indian Ocean, with outliers as far west as Egypt and to the east in Indonesia, they are an important marker of maritime exchange. Their area of production is thought to be central/southern Iraq or southwestern Iran, the latter in keeping with proposed bitumen sources in the region of Ilam/Khuzestan. Here thirteen Torpedo jar samples from Siraf (southern Iran), belonging to two class categories defined by form and macroscopic fabric, were analysed. The technology of manufacture and potential source areas were examined in thin section by polarising, digital and scanning electron microscopy. These same techniques were used to examine the bitumen layer, providing insight into the vessel lining process. Analysis generally validated the distinction between the two classes; fabric variation within the classes identified eight petro-fabrics, suggestive of at least five workshops. These results point to regionally related workshops for each class category, exploiting distinct clay resources, rather than two single production sites. Suitable clay resources are widely available throughout central/southern Iraq and southwestern Iran, including Ilam/Khuzestan.

摘要

本文涉及萨珊王朝至伊斯兰早期时期的运输容器，通常内衬沥青，称为鱼雷罐。它们广泛分布于整个西印度洋，异常值西至埃及，东至印度尼西亚，是海上交流的重要标志。他们的生产区域被认为是伊拉克中部/南部或伊朗西南部，后者与伊拉姆/胡齐斯坦地区拟议的沥青来源一致。此处分析了来自 Siraf（伊朗南部）的 13 个鱼雷罐样品，属于由形状和宏观织物定义的两类。通过偏光、数字和扫描电子显微镜在薄片中检查了制造技术和潜在来源区域。这些相同的技术被用来检查沥青层，提供对容器衬里工艺的深入了解。分析通常验证了这两个类别之间的区别；班级内的织物变化确定了八种石油织物，暗示至少有五个车间。这些结果指向每个类别类别的区域相关研讨会，利用不同的粘土资源，而不是两个单一的生产地点。合适的粘土资源遍布伊拉克中部/南部和伊朗西南部，包括伊拉姆/胡齐斯坦。