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Papers by Štěpán Rückl

As an introduction to a project entitled »Potters on the move. Potters’ mobility in Bronze and Ea... more As an introduction to a project entitled »Potters on the move. Potters’ mobility in Bronze and Early Iron Age Greece as a mechanism of dissemination for ceramic style and technology«, this article addresses the question of potters’ mobility in the Bronze Age Aegean. We argue that movement of potters, rather than pots, had a major impact on the distribution of technological knowledge. The first part of the paper presents the project’s aims, methodology, and theoretical background.
The second part is devoted to the first results of our research concerning Aeginetan potters. Aeginetan cooking pottery of the later Late Bronze Age (LBA) is very different from other contemporary cooking pots, especially in its manufacture and morphology. It is interesting to note that there are examples of these distinct Aeginetan cooking pots lacking one key characteristic – the Aeginetan fabric. Based on this data, which is supported by theoretical and ethnographic work, we argue that these vessels are the products of mobile Aeginetan potters.

Our Cups Are Full: Pottery and Society in the Aegean Bronze Age Papers presented to Jeremy B. Rutter on the occasion of his 65th birthday, 2011

For various reasons, large storage vessels rarely attract the attention of pottery specialists. I... more For various reasons, large storage vessels rarely attract the attention of pottery specialists. It is quite remarkable that prehistoric pithoi from the Greek mainland have not received a thorough treatment so far, in contrast to their Cretan or Cypriot counterparts. the article attempts to fill partially the gap and to show the potential of such a study for approaching wider issues of social, economic, and political developments of LBA/eIA Central Greece. The majority of the pithoi derive from the site of Mitrou. Fragments from two other sites located nearby—the settlement of Kynos and the sanctuary at Kalapodi—complete our dataset. The outstanding characteristic of these pithoi is their size and decoration, consisting of designs made by impressions of a toothed tool. Macroscopic analysis of fabrics supports the existence of several workshops serving more than a single site. various lines of interpretation of the distributional pattern and the sudden rise of this type of pithos (and pithoi in general) at the LBA/eIA transition are suggested and elaborated

In this article, we reconsider manufacturing techniques of Protogeometric ceramic production in c... more In this article, we reconsider manufacturing techniques of Protogeometric ceramic production in central Greece. Contrary to the established notion that wheel-throwing was the exclusive technique used to produce Protogeometric fine-ware pottery, we argue that at least part of this ceramic category was not wheel-thrown but wheel-coiled. Informed by a macroscopic study of surface and breakage features, as well as the results of our experimental project, we present the evidence for Protogeometric wheel-coiling based on three assemblages from the sites of Mitrou, Halos, and Lefkandi. The potential significance of our findings for understanding ceramic production in Early Iron Age Greece is pointed out and possible directions for further research are suggested.

Talks by Štěpán Rückl

In stark contrast to the Bronze Age period, technology of ceramic production is a heavily underst... more In stark contrast to the Bronze Age period, technology of ceramic production is a heavily understudied topic within the context of Early Iron Age Greece. With a few notable exceptions, the past scholarship has in a greater or lesser degree subscribed to the notion of ‘pots = people’ and interpreted the distribution of ceramic styles in terms of status and socio-economic power of the communities. In paraphrasing this equation, I argue that the idea of ‘pots = potters’, i.e. ceramic vessels viewed as the result of particular technological choices on the part of potters, has much greater interpretive potential.
In Protogeometric (1050-900 BC) Halos, and in Thessaly in general, two different decorative ceramic styles have been recognized: the wheelmade lustrous painted ‘Euboean koine’ style and the handmade matt-painted ‘Thessalian’ ware. By shifting the perspective from the grand Euboean narrative to the study of local potting practices, the analysis brings to the fore both the local and translocal character of ceramic production in Halos and, at the same time, contributes to the discussion of the spread of technological knowledge in Early Iron Age Greece. While the pottery in the ‘Euboean koine’ style turns out to be wheel-coiled (as opposed to wheel-thrown), with a long tradition of local production going back to the Late Bronze Age, the so called ‘Thessalian’ handmade pottery is a complete novelty in Thessaly, making its appearance not earlier then Middle Protogeometric period (c. 1000-950 BC). Since technological skill of craft production does not ‘move’ through space by itself but it is contingent on its carrier (in our case the potter), I will argue for the latter being the result of potters’ mobility.

Conferences by Štěpán Rückl

Posters by Štěpán Rückl

Based on the idiosyncratic character of Aeginetan potting tradition, a group of locally made cook... more Based on the idiosyncratic character of Aeginetan potting tradition, a group of locally made cooking pots in 12th century BC levels at Lefkandi and other sites in Central Greece (Pefkakia, Agrielia) has been identified by the authors as products of Aeginetan potters working outside of the island. The macroscopic analysis of technological features was followed by a petrographic study that aimed to address the question of their provenance and to elucidate the potters’ choices related to clay collection, preparation, and firing. Local wheel made vessels of similar shape and function, as well as genuine Aeginetan imports, have been sampled to serve as control groups. In this poster, we would like to present preliminary results of the petrographic analysis of this material, concentrating on the site of Lefkandi. We were able to confirm the non-Aeginetan provenance of the pottery we consider to be the products of Aeginetan potters. Minerals and rock fragments identified in the clay matrix are compatible with local geology, and are similar to those contained in the local control group. However, the majority of pots associated with mobile Aeginetan potters falls into a single fabric group, which is different from fabric groups represented by material selected as control group. This observation likely reflects the use of different clay source within the same area and/or different approach to paste preparation by the Aeginetan potter(s).

Conference Presentations by Štěpán Rückl

Proving human mobility in prehistory is not an easy task, since the available archaeological evid... more Proving human mobility in prehistory is not an easy task, since the available archaeological evidence can often be interpreted in a number of different ways. Moreover, tracing peoples’ movement seems to be for a long time out of fashion, at least within the context of Aegean archaeology. Even some of the most unambiguous cases of human mobility have been restudied from the perspective of influence, emulation, and similar processes. We believe that technology is one of the few aspects of human activity that can be used successfully to trace mobility of people, in this case craftsmen, in archaeological contexts. Based on the particular mode of acquisition and spread of technological knowledge in general, we will argue that the presence of particular types of pottery in Lefkandi and Pefkakia, manufactured from local clays but following chaînes opératoires characteristic for non-local pottery traditions, is a strong evidence for movement of potters. The results we would like to present stem from a project entitled ““Potters on the move. Potters’ mobility in Bronze and Early Iron Age Greece as a mechanism of dissemination for ceramic style and technology”.

Conferences by Štěpán Rückl

We are pleased to announce the closing conference of the NPAP project. We started in 2007 with re... more We are pleased to announce the closing conference of the NPAP project. We started in 2007 with research that mainly concerns the ancient pottery of excavation in Italy (Satricum) and excavations in Greece (Halos, Zakynthos). The main aim was the development of new methodologies in archaeological pottery studies for increasing the quality and quantity of the information that can be derived from a basic ceramic dataset. Perspectives from a range of traditions in pottery studies were thus combined and integrated, such as technological, stylistic and geological approaches. Data from other regions mainly in Greece and Italy were also used and compared to increase the proportion of diagnostic material. In this conference the final results of the NPAP material studies will be presented and specific research questions regarding the cross-regional production, distribution and use (consumption) of pottery will be addressed. The NPAP final conference aims at facilitating dialogue and interaction between young and established researchers. Merging a wide spectrum of pottery analyses and adopting cross-regional and cross-temporal approaches, this conference will represent a innovative multidisciplinary event for all those working with ancient ceramics and interested in a holistic approach to the subject. Papadopoulos (keynote), Valentine Roux.

Our Cups Are Full: Pottery and Society in the Aegean Bronze Age Papers presented to Jeremy B. Rutter on the occasion of his 65th birthday, 2011