Abstract
Prehistoric pottery is the most abundant material discovered in archaeological sites and represents the main element of knowledge about human communities from the past. This study presents a model of interdisciplinary investigation of pottery through several types of analyses, enabling the scientific study of this category of artifacts. The analyses were performed on 11 ceramic fragments from the Middle Bronze Age settlement of Piatra Neamț–Lutărie, Eastern Romania, considering information about the color, production technique, type, size, functionality and category of the vessel, but also data related to ceramic paste inclusions. The samples were studied by optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) and micro-Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (µFTIR). The results obtained provide important information regarding pottery manufacturing technologies, such as sources of the raw materials and firing temperatures, and revealed the functionality of various vessel categories within a prehistoric settlement.
Highlights
The present archaeometric study generated a series of general data for the pottery from Piatra Neamt, –Lutărie settlement
All the pots were made of local kaolinitic clay, by the coiling technique, with well-finished and smoothed surfaces, burnished or covered with a ceramic slip, treatments adapted according to the functionality of the vessels
The physicochemical analysis indicated that the two communities used the same source of raw material located in the vicinity of the settlement, which shows that the potters preferred the immediate and effortless source
Summary
We know a repertoire of seven vessel categories for Costis, a and six vessel categories for Monteoru. Some of these vessels are found in the group of fragments from Piatra Neamt, –Lutărie. This approach is built on a case study that includes archaeological knowledge and aims to identify the physical and chemical characteristics specific to the pottery of a site in an area of interaction. The present study proposes a scientific recovery and interdisciplinary analysis of a group of ceramic fragments to enlighten the history of a site, which we do not have much data
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