Page 57 - buvkeramika

57
Ieva Ose
Building ceramics
of Turaida Castle in the 13th–17th centuries
Introduction
Turaida/Treiden Castle is one of the fewmedieval masonry bond fortifications in the territory of Latvia,
which has been constructedmainly frombricks (Figs. 1, 2). During all the time of existence of Turaida Castle,
the most important roof covering material were tiles, andmany floors of the ground floor were covered with
clay tiles, or they were paved with bricks. Bricks, roof tiles and floor tiles, made of burnt clay, are building
materials with the general name of building ceramics. Most part of them are common mass articles, the
outer appearance, proportions and size of which have changed very little throughout several centuries.
Only few items stand out by some particular form, a relief imprint, a maker’s mark, or a unique graffiti.
Part of Turaida Castle’s medieval building ceramics – common brickwork – can be seen in the places
of their original usage – in the walls of buildings and towers, vaults, or flooring. Since the majority of
castle’s buildings have collapsed already two-and-a-half, three or even four centuries ago, a large part
of old building materials were found in the ruins at the foot of the ancient walls. Part of the unbroken
bricks were gathered and utilised already in late 18th century and in the 19th century, when new estate
buildings were erected in the closest environs of the abandoned castle. Various items made of burnt clay
were found during the archaeological excavations in Turaida Castle ruins, in 1976–2000, that were led
by Professor Jānis Graudonis. Architect-restorer Dr. h.c. Gunārs Jansons focused on Turaida medieval
brick research when he was developing the reconstructive restoration project of the castle. However, not
all finds and discoveries were summarised during the investigation process. The goal of this catalogue
is to systematise and evaluate the building ceramic articles stored in the collection of Turaida Museum
Reserve, showing the diversity of mass products and especially highlighting the unique specimens. Since
little attention has been paid in Latvia to medieval building ceramics until now, the Introduction of this
work briefly informs about the history of European building ceramics as well as about written sources
and similar finds in our castles and cities.
Building ceramics in medieval Europe
Raw material of ceramics – clay
The main raw material of ceramics is clay. It is widely distributed in nature and easily obtained in
many places. Clay is a sediment composed of a mixture of fine mineral particles. The main constituents
of clay attributing its plastic properties are alumohydrosilicates. However, the ratios of alumina (Al2O3),