Figure 13a: PPL view at x10 of sample HLB.22 showing general texture (width of field c. 6mm)
Macroscopic paste description: White stonepaste body, moderately porous with clearly visible granularity.
Petrographic description: Stonepaste body comprising predominantly quartz grains fused together by filamentous glass. Quartz grains comprise about 50% of the body, and consist of 3-15% clear, 15-30% slightly cloudy, 1-25% cloudy, up to 8% very cloudy grains, and also includes trace to 3% polycrystalline and 3-15% 'sheared' quartz (although some of the latter is completely 'sheared' and their clarity or cloudiness cannot be ascertained). Quartz extinction is mostly undulose, while fluid inclusions are generally fine and in clouds although occasional very dense lamellar groups also are noted. Polycrystalline quartz is generally equally divided between equant and elongate crystallization, and there is occasional mica in these grains. Other inclusions comprise 1-3% feldspars, roughly equally divided between untwinned feldspar and plagioclase, with sharp twin boundaries, plus trace microcline, all mostly brownish and cloudy; rare traces up to 1% brownish chert, rare traces of amphibole, and what appear to be traces of basalt. Grains moderately sorted and angular with calculated mode grainsize diameter of 0.025-0.05mm with maximum of 0.7mm. The occasionally very high 'sheared' quartz content is similar to the Raqqa-1 Petrofabric, but Raqqa-1 has predominantly clearer quartz and no feldspar. The Raqqa-2 group in many cases only differs in the finer grainsize and trace or absence of feldspars (samples with laboratory number beginning with HLB are from Aleppo and are currently in the excavation storehouse).
Figure 13a: PPL view at x10 of sample HLB.22 showing general texture (width of field c. 6mm)
Figure 13b: XP view at x10 of sample HLB.22 showing general texture (width of field c. 6mm)
Figure 13c: PPL view at x40 of sample HLB.22 showing general texture (width of field c. 1.5mm)
Figure 13d: XP view at x40 of sample HLB.22 showing general texture (width of field c. 1.5mm)
Figure 13e: PPL view at x100 of sample HLB.24 showing general texture and feldspar (width of field c. 0.6mm)
Figure 13f: XP view at x100 of sample HLB.24 showing general texture and feldspar (width of field c. 0.6mm)
Figure 13g: PPL view at x100 of sample HLB.24 showing two relict glass inclusions (width of field c. 0.6mm)