Analytical study of ancient ceramics from the archaeological site of Aghmat, southern Morocco

This paper explores Aghmat archaeological materials (VII centuries) using two types of ceramics, come from a recent archaeological excavation in Aghmat (Morocco) in order to enhance documentation, conservation and restoration issues, then putting into value the architectural heritage. Fortuitously discovered in 2005, Aghmat village has allowed the reformulation of several hypotheses about Aghmat population skills in construction and handicrafts. Even though the areal extent of this archaeological site exceeds 20 Km2, no traces of furnaces have been found yet, only ruins of buildings and streets. Bricks and pottery samples were the most abundant types of ceramics founded. Mineralogical and chemical analyses of this materials provided information about the origin of raw materials and manufacturing process. The chemical compositions indicated that SiO2, Al2O3 and Fe2O3 are major elements while K2O and MgO are less abundant. The ceramics were produced using at least two raw materials, non calcareous clay of permo-triassic age for bricks, and carbonate quaternary clays for pottery samples, as the calcium oxide content is generally more than 10%.