Abstract
This paper reports the results of forming processes used in pottery manufacture at La Cueva de El Toro (Málaga, Spain) during the Early Neolithic (5280–4780 cal. BCE). La Cueva de El Toro is one of the most important sites of reference on the southern Iberian Peninsula for providing extensive and systematised data on early farming practices. The identification of manufacturing traces on pottery has enabled the assessment of the variability of forming techniques used by the communities of herders that seasonally inhabited the cave during the Early Neolithic. Forming processes were also compared with characteristic features of pottery products (typology, decorations) that are representative of the first pottery production in this area. Furthermore, this study provides new insights into the distribution of the first pot-forming processes in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, which suggest the use of similar techniques to the forming-sequences documented at other Early Neolithic sites (the use of coils and circular patches) and other forming processes (moulding process and the use of discs) which are still unknown in the Western Mediterranean.
Highlights
The onset of the manufacture and use of ceramic vessels in the Western Mediterranean occurred with the spread of farming practices during the 6th millennium cal
This paper focuses on the examination of ceramic vessels from the Early Neolithic occupation of Cueva de El Toro, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula (Martín-Socas et al, 2004)
This study reveals the use of other forming techniques – elements with oval shapes and the pinching technique – that are practically unknown in Early Neolithic contexts from the Western Mediterranean
Summary
The onset of the manufacture and use of ceramic vessels in the Western Mediterranean occurred with the spread of farming practices during the 6th millennium cal. Ceramic vessels started to be used in each area in accordance with the different temporal, spatial and social dynamics of the Neolithisation process, which recent studies have coincided in defining as non-linear and possibly multidirectional (Ber nabeu and Martí Oliver, 2014; Binder et al, 2017; Guilaine, 2013; Manen et al, 2019a) In this context, the first pottery productions have been investigated on the basis of their formal and decorative attributes – grouped into the so-called Impressa, Cardial and Epicardial decorative styles – in order to define the spread and sequence of the Neolithisation process as well as to shed light on the connections and contacts between several regions of the Western Mediterranean (e.g., Bernabeu et al, 2017; Rigaud et al, 2018). One of the latest research lines to have been included in dis cussions of the Neolithisation process is the identification of pot-forming sequences used in the first pottery production in Western Europe and the Mediterranean basin (Gomart et al, 2017, 2020)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
