Investigating the pottery firing techniques in western Slovenia during the Late Bronze and Early Iron Ages using FTIR and petrographic analysis (original) (raw)
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In this paper, the general view of the pottery firing processes in the Bronze and Iron Ages will be compared with the state of the research with the archaeological material from the archaeological sites of western Slovenia (Karst region). The latter will be upgraded with the data gathered from the three different archaeological experiments. Petrographic, chemical, and mineralogical analyses (XRD analyses) were used to recognize pottery kilns as firing structures used for pottery firing at least in Early Iron Age. By integration of different analysis it is possible to better understand and argue well-founded manner past activities connected with the pottery practices in late prehistory in western Slovenia. The results can also help to upgrade the established methodology.
Documenta Praehistorica, 2018
Pottery technology in the Early Iron Age remains understudied in Slovenian archaeology; especially in the use of description on a macroscopic level combined with the petrographic thin section analysis, taking in consideration also relevant stratigraphical information. In this study, we focus on the pottery technology of vessels from two recently excavated contemporaneous Early Iron Age sites in north-eastern Slovenia, Poštela near Maribor and Novine near πentilj. We characterised the inclusions based on macroscopic observation on whole and reconstructed vessels. In addition, vessel typology, surface treatment, decoration techniques, and firing atmosphere were established. Based on these results, a petrographic analysis was conducted on pottery samples. At both sites, we looked at the different contexts, comparing pottery from settlements, i.e. hillforts, to pottery found in the adjacent cemeteries. The results show that potters from the two settlements produced similarly shaped vessels using different pottery recipes from locally available raw materials. The use of grog as a possible chronological marker in the Early Iron Age is also discussed.
Pottery firing in the Early Iron Age in western Slovenia
Documenta Praehistorica, 2022
The article discusses the possible use of kilns for the firing of pottery in western Slovenia during the Early Iron Age. In the absence of archaeologically attested kilns, their use in this area is studied based on indirect factors, i.e. the analysis of the vessel firing technique, and with the help of experiments from the field of experimental archaeology. The article strives to determine the reasons for the poor state of preservation of the kilns in the area in question. Samples from archaeological experiments and archaeological pottery were subjected to AMS measurements, petrographic and mineralogical analyses (X-ray diffraction), which revealed the importance of considering the soaking time as a criterion for observing the firing processes and use of single-chamber kilns for the firing of pottery, even if they have not yet been discovered.
Rudarsko-geološko-naftni zbornik (The Mining-Geology-Petroleum Engineering Bulletin), 2023
Considerations of multiperiod archaeological sites to understand the mechanisms of large-scale cultural changes are still a very rare research topic in Croatia. Technological traditions are of great importance, especially in the context of considering continuity, innovation, and change. In this paper, we used an archaeometric approach to investigate pottery technology. Therefore, this article presents an analysis of petrography and mineralogy of archaeological ceramics and potential raw materials collected in the vicinity of the multi-period archaeological site (the Neolithic through the Medieval period) Jagodnjak-Krčevine located in eastern Croatia, i.e. the southwestern part of the Pannonian Basin. The primary goal is to determine what kind of clay recipe (clay and temper) potters used to make vessels in order to better understand their variability in the context of techno-functional features. The additional objective is to examine the availability and quality of clays for pottery production and to study their distribution in the local landscape. The analytical methods applied in the research are optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and grain size analysis. The comparison of archaeological ceramics with clayey materials established that ancient potters used locally available clays, and the selection of temper material added to the clay represents a strong element of techno-tradition, which is more pronounced for prehistoric communities. Furthermore, these results represent the first research in Croatia focused on a discussion about distances that potters travelled to obtain their resources in the different periods of the past, which can contribute to the study of a regional system of production and landscape use.
In this study, thirty-three samples from Late Bronze Age pottery were selected for macroscopic and petrographic analysis. Since the ceramic technology of the Late Tumulus – Early Urnfield period is fairly little-known, the aim of the analyses was to gain information on manufacturing techniques, like building technique, raw materials and the tempers used. The results are then compared in order to establish if there is a possible connection between composition groups, features of building techniques and vessel types, which may provide information on the scale of pottery production (domestic, domestic industry) and the traditions of the potters or groups of potters living in the settlement.
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Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory, 2018
The presented study is focused on the development of a new methodology for estimating the heating rate during firing as one of the principal characteristics of the firing process. We experimentally determined the limits of the heating dynamics (heating rate, cooling rate and soaking time) of the firing processes for two basic alternatives for pottery firing considered for the Early Neolithic in Central Europe-bonfires and single-chamber kilns-and analysed the thermal gradient within the walls of the fired pottery as the effect of these heating dynamics. Mineralogical transformations caused by the firing procedures were estimated by X-ray diffraction in order to apply the results of the experimental measurements in a study of archaeological ceramics. The difference between the maximum temperatures on the outer surfaces and in the cores of the vessel walls at the places where the pottery is exposed to the fastest heating and cooling rates appears to be a usable basis for distinguishing between the tested firing structures. XRD analysis has demonstrated that temperature differences measured and modelled experimentally can be traced to the products of these processes with sufficient reliability. The results of the experimental study were applied in the interpretation of the firing process employed in the manufacture of Early Neolithic pottery obtained from the Linear Pottery culture settlement in Bylany (Czech Republic).
Journal of Archaeological Science Reports, 2025
The traditional, typological approach of pottery analysis is often difficult to apply in the case of prehistoric settlement assemblages, as the material is highly fragmented, which limits the possibility of reconstructing pottery shapes and types. Moreover, recent research trends have started questioning the effectiveness of the methods solely based on classifying individual pieces into predefined types. Due to this, a different approach is proposed: the aim of the present research was to perform a functional reconstruction on a fragmented pottery assemblage by combining statistical methods and considerations about vessel usage. It can be assumed thatbesides adhering to sociocultural restrictionspotters designed vessels to fulfil primary practical functions. Therefore, it is verifiably possible to identify these primary functions by analysing the attributes linked to them. The study focuses on the Middle Copper Age Hunyadihalom culture's (3900-3700 BCE) pottery material from Bükkábrány-Bánya XI/B site, located in the northern part of the Great Hungarian Plain. This approach made it possible to include 92% of all Middle Copper Age sherds in the study (16,506 fragments of 9,150 vessels), thus improving the representativity of the results. The analysis was supplemented by a series of petrographic examinations, shedding some light on the raw material usage of the community. The functional reconstruction reveals not only the composition of pottery sets but also the practical considerations and habits of the potters. Functional reconstruction as a method can look beyond traditional typology: it might shed light on how past people thought about the vessels they used and how they created a pottery set that met all their needs, all within the framework of their cultural and cognitive systems.