Sympozjum Egejskie. 7th Conference in Aegean Archaeology (Warsaw, June 6-7, 2019)_Book of Abstracts (original) (raw)

E. Kiriatzi, 2010. “Minoanising” Pottery Traditions in Southwest Aegean during the Middle Bronze Age: Understanding the Social Context of Technological and Consumption Practice

L’impact des pratiques « minoïsantes » sur les sociétés et la culture matérielle de la Grèce continentale, pendant les premières phases de l’HM et la période des tombes à fosse, fait depuis longtemps l’objet d’un débat pour savoir dans quelle mesure la dynamique de la période résulte de facteurs endogènes ou exogènes. L’analyse de la céramique de plusieurs sites de Grèce continentale et des îles adjacentes peut éclairer cette question d’un jour nouveau. L’approche adoptée ici est double. Tout d’abord l’analyse technologique des produits céramiques (par examen macroscopique, analyses pétrographiques et chimiques) fournit des informations essentielles sur les modes d’apprentissage des potiers, et parfois même sur leur origine géographique, ce qui permet d’apprécier dans quelle mesure les productions « minoïsantes » se différencient ou se rapprochent des traditions locales. Ensuite l’étude fonctionnelle et contextuelle de la gamme des récipients produits selon les techniques « minoïsantes » permet d’examiner le rôle de cette céramique dans les pratiques consommatoires des sociétés continentales. Cette étude souligne en outre les avantages d’une analyse diachronique, prenant aussi en compte les variations régionales et inter-sites, pour explorer l’impact des techniques et des pratiques « minoïsantes », ainsi que les réponses locales qu’elles suscitèrent.

Craftmanship, Operation, and the Configuration of Social Space: The Case of the Middle Neolithic Pottery Workshop Site of Imvrou Pigadi, Thessaly, Greece

Journal of Field Archaeology, 2023

This paper examines, in parallel, two key archaeological material groups: the kilns and the ceramics from the exceptional tell site of Imvrou Pigadi, the first known and systematically excavated MiddleNeolithic pottery workshop in Thessaly. The study forms an all-encompassing, material-based, and scientifically integrated framework based on macroscopic and microscopic analyses, including typological classification and geoarchaeology with an emphasis on micromorphology, as well as an examination of spatial organization. Direct and indirect evidence for standardization and specialization in technology and production practices points to advanced pyrotechnological knowledge and expertise in pottery manufacture at the site. Moreover, the paper examines the social interplay developed around pottery production by discussing cooperation and the organization of social space within the community. Overall, this analysis touches upon the discussion of the wider community of pottery manufacturing centers in Neolithic Thessaly and places the site within its cultural context, offering new insights into craftsmanship and social reciprocity. You can DOWNLOAD the paper for FREE in the link below: https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/DN6ANQ99EMXEIKMSZUBM/full?target=10.1080/00934690.2023.2243692

PhD - The Final Neolithic - Early Minoan transition in Phaistos, Crete: Continuity and change in pottery manufacture

University of Sheffield (UK), 2016

The site of Phaistos in southern Crete offers great potential for examining the transition between the FN and the EBA in Crete. Given the completeness and continuity of its stratigraphy as well as the abundance and the sheer quality of the ceramic material, the site provides much information concerning the degree of change in material culture in these phases. This paper adopts a ‘bottom-up’ approach to explore the dynamics of technological and social change at Phaistos. It starts with an investigation into technological variation within ceramic assemblages across the period under study, which shows the adoption of distinctive surface treatments and paste recipes. However, the paper goes beyond technological reconstruction. The analytical study is intertwined with the contexts of consumption of the site in order to understand their relationship with artefact manufacturing. By examining the significance of technological choices in pottery making, this study demonstrates a complex picture of continuity and change over the period of study, which disproves recent assumptions of a single-phase transformation at the beginning of the EBA.

Advent of The Pottery Wheel: Technological Innovation and Craft Specialization in Minoan Crete

National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, School of Philosophy, Postgraduate Thesis, 2019

The aim of the present study is to introduce the adoption of the pottery wheel in Crete as not only an important technological advancement, but a key to understanding discrete cultural intricacies within Minoan Crete. The spread of the pottery wheel occurred over a period of about 800 years, between 2300 B.C.-1500 B.C., and its use throughout Crete was especially uniform, a point which will be discussed at length in the upcoming chapters. At present, there is extensive research regarding socio-technical theory, and there exists an overwhelming amount of material on the subject of Minoan pottery. Additionally, while some experimental research exploring the use of the pottery wheel and the building methods associated with this period has been performed by Corbetta, Evely, Jeffra, Morrison, and Roux, the results are preliminary and must be incorporated into the oeuvre of research on the subject as a whole. Furthermore, the majority of experimental research would benefit through cooperation between Archaeologists and modern potters such as those at Thrapsanos in eastern Crete, as the current experimental results do not meet the quality of ceramic product needed for analysis. This study attempts to bridge the gap between research published by pottery experts such as Evely, Knappett, Rice, and Roux and the socio-technical experts such as Binford, Lemonnier, Pelegrin, Pfaffenberger, and Wenger by analyzing primary formation methods in ceramic production using the pottery wheel as evidence for gradually increasing technical elasticity in a culture which previously exhibits rigidity. The goal of this study is not to address the phenomena of the physical appearance of the pottery wheel in Crete, for without the supporting data there is only room for speculation. Instead, the main purpose of this paper is to answer the following questions: how this culture accepted the innovation, the ways in which craftsmen adapted to foreign techniques, how long this process took, and what all of this information can tell us about the culture. In order to answer these questions, I adopt an a posteriori lens with which I examine the direct evidence: the pottery wheels, and indirect evidence: traces left on pottery showing the use of rotation (i.e. the use of pottery wheels).