Bronze Age Ceramics Research Articles

Exploring the limits of the provenience postulate: chemical and mineralogical characterization of Bronze Age ceramics from the Great Hungarian Plain

Determining the provenience of archaeological objects relies on the so-called “provenience postulate,” namely, that sources of these objects are more compositionally distinct from each other than they are internally variable. For ceramics, it can be relatively straightforward in geologically heterogeneous environments to determine where vessels were produced, and whether they were traded or not. In geologically homogeneous regions, this can be far more complicated. In this study, we mineralogically and chemically compare Bronze Age ceramics (primarily Middle Bronze Age) from five archaeological sites on the Great Hungarian Plain to a large regional clay sample. The Great Hungarian Plain is comprised almost entirely of Pleistocene loess deposits, yet prior compositional studies have identified patterned variability between ceramics from different sites. Our results show that chemical variation in the region is continuous and clinal, making it difficult to strictly apply the provenience postulate to identify distinct production locations. However, we show that this clinal chemical variability can be used to make broad statements about whether most ceramics at any given site were produced relatively locally or were obtained from further distances (c. 50 km or more). We show that while production at most of our study sites was likely relatively localized, in one instance (the tell at Berettyóújfalu-Herpály-Földvár), many ceramics may have been obtained from other Bronze Age communities, including those in the Körös River drainage.

Предварительные результаты технико-технологического анализа керамики с поселения Потаповы лужки-III (Томское Приобье)

The article presents the results of a technical and technological analysis of the developed and late Bronze Age ceramics from the Potapovy Luzhki-III settlement in the Tomsk Ob river region. The studies were carried out within the framework of the historical and cultural approach according to A.A. Bobrinsky’s method. The main task was to identify the specific features of cultural traditions in the selection of raw materials and the preparation of the pottery paste, and a comparative analysis of the data obtained. As a result of the study, it was established that iron-rich and non-iron non-sanded and heavily sanded clays were used for the making of ceramics. The Samus ceramics are made mainly from plastic clays differing in their degree of iron content, and the vessels of the late Bronze Age are made from low iron content clays with high content of fine sand. A single recipe was revealed: clay + crushed stone + organic matter. A comparative analysis with previously obtained data showed that the discovered tradition to use low iron content clays and non-iron clays for the ancient ceramics of the Tomsk Ob river region is also characteristic of the Bronze Age ceramics from the Potapovy Luzhki-III settlement. Also characteristic of this area is the addition of crushed stone to the pottery paste. It is noteworthy that there are no signs of mixing of cultural traditions in the preparation of the pottery paste on the site.

Early Bronze Age settlement from ancient city Samshvilde

A settlement of the Kura-Araxes culture was discovered on the territory of the ancient city of Samshvilde. Houses of the Early Bronze Age were excavated west of the Temple of Sioni of Samshvilde in of 50-70 m. The houses are damaged by pits and walls of the medieval era. The walls of the houses are so fragmented that the plan of housing is difficult to determine. In the northern part of the excavation site, only a small part of a stone wall and a shelf have survived. Both of these structures are built of basalt stones. The shelf was covered with a clay solution. On the shelf were placed grain grinders and mortars, flint inserts of a sickle, and ceramic vessels of various sizes. At the base of the shelf there was placed a rectangular slab, the surface of which was covered with intricate geometrical décor. At the base of the shelf there were also placed fragments of a large vessels and ceramics of various sizes. Almost all ceramics are richly ornamented with spiral and linear décor. A similar decor is typical for ceramics of the late stage of the Kura-Araxes culture of Kvemo Kartli, Armenia and Iran. The Early Bronze Age ceramics, which were discovered on the Samshvilde settlement belong to the late stage of the Kura-Araxes culture and dates back to the 28th-27th centuries. BC.

An archaeometric study of the Konya basin metallic ware through FTIR and XRD analysis with chemometrics: Central Anatolian Early Bronze Age ceramics

AbstractFourier‐transform infrared, X‐ray diffraction and chemometrics were used to characterize the mineralogical composition and firing conditions of 59 Early Bronze Age ceramic sherds from the Konya Plain (Turkey). These include the Konya Basin Metallic Ware (KBMW) and a control group of contemporary local products. The analysis indicates significant differences in mineral inclusions and firing temperatures, with KBMW generally being fired above 800°C and characterized by standardized fabric recipes. Assessed together with other published evidence, these results indicate a high degree of specialization in the production of KBMW ceramic assemblages in central Anatolia during the third millennium BCE.

Uniform in diversity: Typological and technological analysis of Bronze Age fine ware from Kakucs-Turján

The ceramic variability of fine ware pottery in Early and Middle Bronze Age Carpathian Basin (2600/2500–1500/1450 BCE) has been used as an argument for the existence of distinct, large-scale communities. The recent technological studies of coarse ware ceramics have shown that different stylistic groups are characterized by uniform technological traits, suggesting that current narratives result from an a priori classification of material culture. To verify whether fine ware ceramics were characterized by similar traits, a sample of 33 vessels from a multi-layered, fortified settlement of Kakucs-Turján (Hungary) was analyzed in terms of vessel forms and underlying production processes. The analyses compared the classical local and non-local provenance objects to determine whether the impressionistic categorization of vessels is supported by discrete parameters. The results indicate that similarly to coarse ware, Early and Middle Bronze Age ceramics in the Carpathian Basin was characterized by uniform production processes suggesting the impact of multi-directional and persisting interaction across the Carpathian Basin.

Bronze Age Funerary and Later Prehistoric Activity at Badminston Farm, Fawley, Hampshire

Archaeological excavations were undertaken by Southern Archaeological Services Ltd. between 1999 and 2010 at Badminston Farm, Fawley, on the eastern edge of the New Forest, adjacent to Southampton Water. The excavations identified evidence of near- continuous human activity from the early prehistoric period to the present day. Mesolithic activity was followed by Early Bronze Age pits, containing 'placed' flint assemblages. Evidence of Bronze Age funerary activity included deflated barrows/ring ditches, and associated cremations. Late Bronze Age ceramics were absent but a hoard of 68 Armorican-type socketed axes may have been a votive offering marking the 'ancestral' barrow which would have been visible here. Other Bronze Age evidence included two burnt mounds and an ill-defined structure possibly associated with weaving. Iron Age activity was represented by a number of pits containing domestic pottery, while Late Iron Age and Romano-British ditches may have formed part of an enclosure. A significant assemblage of non-local worked stone attests to long distance exchange, and the possibility of a nearby farmstead. Medieval activity was represented by pits, ditches and stakeholes, with some evidence of an enclosure or structure associated with grain drying. Later land divisions and a WWII radio communication station dominated more recent use of the site.

Результаты работ на грунтовом могильнике Максимовка I в лесостепном Поволжье в 2018 г.

Introduction. This is a report on the results of archaeological excavations at Maksimovka I, the subterranean burial ground located in the forest-steppe Volga region. The site is unique because it contains burial complexes of different epochs. The purpose of the paper is to introduce the materials found during the 2018 excavations for the attention of the academic community. In particular, the paper focuses on the description and characterization of the archaeological complexes under investigation, and, also, on their cultural-chronological attribution. Data. The cultural layer was not particularly rich but contained fragments of Neolithic, Eneolithic, and Bronze Age ceramics, stone tools, and waste left after stone processing. Three burials were examined in the excavation area. The first burial comprised the skeleton of a deceased person in a supine position; the head oriented to the north-northeast; the grave goods included iron items (a fragment of a boiler and of a bit, rod-shaped items, and a firesteel), grindstones, and flints. The second buried person was found in the seated position, leg bones bent at the knee joint, head oriented to northeast; the finds included a nonferrous metal ring, a bone pendant, a silicon wafer, and tubular beads. The third buried person was also in a seated position, head oriented to the northeast; no grave goods were found in the third burial. Also, two other burial constructions recovered on the site were partially examined. Results. The first burial was attributed to the Golden Horde period in the Middle Ages (the second half of the 13th or the 14th c.). The second burial has a number of parallels to burial complexes of mid-late Eneolithic era of the forest-steppe Volga region. The third burial was left unidentified in terms of its cultural-chronological attribution, granted the non-standard position of the skeletal remains in the grave and the absence of goods. Conclusions. The examination of the subterranean burial ground Maksimovka I has allowed to introduce the archaeological material of different periods, such as Neolithic, Eneolithic, Bronze, and Middle Ages.

Петрографический и элементный анализ керамики поселения Глубокое Озеро-2 (первые археометрические данные)

The paper highlights the first results of compositional (raw materials and technological) investigation of ceramic pastes from the Hlyboke Ozero–2 settlement of the Late Timber-Grave Culture — Post-Timber Grave Culture type in the middle flow of the Siverskyi Donets river. Petrographic analysis and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy have been applied. This allowed to characterize traditions of ceramic pastes preparation within the site and to start developing the database of petrographic and chemical composition of the Late Bronze Age ceramics of the studied region. Obtained petrographic data (allocation of two petrogroups) have been confirmed by elemental analysis of clay matrix. Elemental analysis showed chemical and mineralogical similarity of the samples of the two first layers of the site and allowed to provide distinction of the third layer samples. Supposedly, this could be explained by the change of the place of raw clay procurement on that stage.

Down to the Crust: Chemical and Mineralogical Analysis of Ceramic Surface Encrustations on Bronze Age Ceramics from Békés 103, Eastern Hungary

Békés 103, a primarily Middle Bronze Age (c. 1600–1280 calBC) cemetery and settlement on the Great Hungarian Plain, has been investigated by the BAKOTA project since 2011. Ceramics from the site are covered in dense white concretions, and it has been noted during compositional analyses that these vessels exhibit elevated concentrations of several potentially mobile elements in comparison to vessels from regional tell sites. Here, we use a multimethod (optical mineralogy, FT-IR, XRD, XPS, PXRF, SEM-EDS, and LA-ICP-MS) mineralogical and chemical approach to characterize the composition of surface encrustations on ceramics samples from Békés 103. We also chemically map interior paste composition using LA-ICP-MS to identify potential leaching of mobile elements into or out of vessel bodies. We demonstrate that the surface encrustations are primarily composed of calcite but also contain a variety of other mineral and organic constituents indicative of deposition of soil carbonates, phosphates, nitrates, and other inorganic and organic components. We further document the leaching of several mobile elements into ceramic pastes as well as formation of secondary calcite along void, pore, and temper boundaries. The presence of cremated bone and possibly bone ash in close vicinity to many of the studied vessels may also have contributed to the observed patterns of diagenesis. It is likely that similar post-burial processes might affect ceramics from other sites located in low-lying, seasonally inundated contexts.

КЕРАМИЧЕСКИЙ КОМПЛЕКС ЭПОХИ БРОНЗЫ СВЯТИЛИЩА МАЛАЯ СОПКА НА НИЖНЕМ ДОНУ

The paper contains an analysis of the ceramic collection of the bronze age sanctuary Malaya Sopka. The sanctuary is located in the Oktyabrsky district of the Rostov region and was investigated in 2017. A little more than 10,000 square meters of the cultural layer of the сentral part of the monument were studied, which is about two-thirds of the total area. On the entire territory of the excavation, there were no dwellings, buildings, household pits, and hearths. However, 10 religious complexes were studied on the site, in the form of a system of ditches of various configurations (ring, rectangular, double ring), 12 objects (stone slabs and layouts, ruins of vessels), which gave reason to call Malaya Sopka a place of worship or a sanctuary. The weakly saturated cultural layer contained tools and products made of stone, bone and bronze. The main part of the finds is represented by ruins and fragments of bronze age ceramics and fragments of cattle bones. The ceramic complex of the site was formed at the turn of the middle and late Bronze age at the base of two different cultural traditions: the local Babino (multi-ribbed) and the newcomer Don-Volga Abashevo culture. The syncretic ceramic complex marks the stage of formation of the early Srubnaya (Timber-grave) culture and supplements the data on the cultural genesis of the middle-late Bronze age with the materials of the cult site.

СЕНКИБАЙ-2 - НОВОЕ МЕСТОНАХОЖДЕНИЕ ЕЛУНИНСКОЙ КЕРАМИКИ В ЦЕНТРАЛЬНОЙ САРЫАРКЕ

The article describes the location where the Early Bronze Age ceramics was discovered during the study of the Petrovka Culture mound-enclosure in the Singkibay-2 burial ground in Central Saryarka. Based on analogies and a series of radiocarbon dates from the sites of the region, the analysed pottery can be attributed to the Elunino archaeological culture, and dated to the second half of the 3rd mil. BC. At the present state of the source base, the question of the nature of the location still remains open. Perhaps, it represents the evidence of the funeral-commemorative activities of the pre-Andronovo “population”, or a part of the destroyed cultural layer of the settlement. Only further field work will could address this issue. In general, this find significantly expands the distribution of the Elunino Culture to the south, which over time will possibly be extended further all the way to the northern coast of the Lake Balkhash. The recorded joint positioning of the Elunino and Petrovka materials provides the additional topographical information for the area of the pre-Andronovo complexes and puts forward the issue of the relationship between these two cultural formations. Keywords: Central Saryarka, Taldy River, early Bronze Age, Elunino Culture, location, ceramics, migrations

Traces of ancient agriculture in the soil around the archaeological sites (A case study from Northern Caucasus, Russia)

The article describes the results of research of traces of ancient and medieval agriculture in the vicinity of the settlement Podkumskoe-3 of the Alan culture (5th-8th centuries) in the Northern Caucasus, Russia. Methods of soil science, soil microbiology, archaeology, and archaeobotanical analysis were used. Soil sections were made at different distances from the settlement (up to 1200 m). It is shown that ancient and medieval agriculture left a noticeable trace in the soil in the form of ceramics, charred grains, and straw of cereals, and also led to changes in the chemical and biological properties of soils within the potential economic zone of the site. The soils within the 500-600-m zone around the settlement Podkumskoe-3 bear traces of plowing and fertilizing in the Early Middle Ages. At a greater distance from the settlement, traces of medieval agriculture disappear, but everywhere there are traces of plowing in the Late Bronze Age in the form of ceramics of the Koban culture. The most reliable indicators of ancient agriculture are, in addition to ceramics, coals and charred remains of grains of cultivated cereals and straw. However, charred grains and straw are preserved only in the lower layers of the soil, corresponding to the first stage of plowing. In the more recent layers, which were plowed for a long time, the coals are destroyed. The fertilization zone is determined by the abundance of thermophilic microorganisms. They got into the soil with manure after self-heating of animal dung during decomposing. This indicator well marks the fertilization zone in the Early Middle Ages and shows a close correlation with the ceramics of this time. In soils where only Bronze Age ceramics are present, the number of thermophilic bacteria is at the level of background soils.

The Chaîne Opératoire of pottery traditions at Pheneos, Peloponnese, mainland Greece

This paper will present the results of an integrated programme of analysis that combines typological, macroscopic, petrographic, and microstructural techniques, with experimental analysis, to examine and reconstruct the chaîne opératoire of production used to make Bronze Age ceramics from the site of Pheneos, Peloponnese, mainland Greece. The results demonstrate the prevalence of local production using a narrow range of raw materials and specific sequence of forming techniques that were applied to make a wide variety of vessel types from the Early through to the Late Bronze Age. This domination of local production is accompanied by the presence of a small number of high quality imports from key centres of production during the Middle and Late Bronze Age.

To smooth or not to smooth? A traceological and experimental approach to surface processing of Bronze and Iron Age ceramics

The biographic approach – that is, tracing artefacts’ ‘lives’ from production, through their use, and finally to their deposition – is commonly applied in the analysis of lithic, flint, and metal artefacts. Objects made of clay, although the most common artifacts at many prehistoric sites, are rarely subject to such studies. In this paper, we focused on the short span of time during the “life” of a ceramic object when its surfaces were smoothed or/and burnished. Both are typical properties of Bronze/early Iron Age pottery found in today’s Poland. We studied two factors that influenced the desired final effect: the vessel drying time and the applied tool(s). To accomplish this study, we combined the results of observations of 46 samples from three settlements and two cemeteries in southwestern Poland, as well as the analysis of experimental reference samples. We demonstrated that the drying time was crucial, while the tool kit was composed of rather simple, mostly unprepared, objects such as pebbles or pieces of antler. In the smoothing process, we also observed a connection between surface selection (internal/external) and the purpose to which the vessel was put (settlement/funerary).

OM, SEM-EDX, and micro-FTIR analysis of the Bronze Age pottery from the Băile Figa salt production site (Transylvania, Romania).

This article presents the results of analyses carried out on a lot of 11 fragments of Bronze Age ceramics discovered in the site from Băile Figa (Beclean town, Transylvania, Romania), where salt exploitation occurred. The samples were analyzed by means of optical microscopy, on the basis of which the morphology and distribution of the inclusions in the ceramic paste was established. Likewise, the samples were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry, producing microphotographs for each sample, and on the basis of the X-ray spectra, the elemental composition in gravimetric percentages was established. Through the micro-Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy analysis, on the basis of characteristic group vibrations, it was possible to ascertain the nature of the compounds from the ceramic samples. These analyses will contribute to the reconstruction of the prehistoric technologies for salt exploitation.

Late Bronze Age II pottery tradition from Qatna: The Palace Destruction Phase evidenced in Areas Q and T

The final phase of the Late Bronze Age (LBA) is well known from textual sources, through the documentation from Ugarit especially, and more recently through the discoveries from many sites in Western Syria, such as Tell Kazel, Tell Afis and Alalakh in the Amuq. Conversely, the evidence from the region of Homs, including Qatna and its surroundings is relatively poorly known. Recent archaeological investigations at Qatna have provided new data concerning the LBA occupation, particularly with regard to architecture and ceramic production. The areas excavated by the Syrian team, the ‘Coupole de Loth’ and Area T, are among the most important at Qatna for this period and show all the features characterizing the LBA II, from its emergence (1400 BC) to the destruction of the city by Suppiluliuma I around 1340 BC. The substantial amount of stratified material discovered there has been the subject of detailed research and allows us to propose a new chronology for the last phase of the LBA in Qatna and the surrounding region. This paper presents initial results of the typological and petrographic analyses conducted on the previously unpublished ceramic assemblage discovered at the ‘Coupole de Loth’ and Area T. As a result we can follow closely the evolution of the various stages of development of the Late Bronze Age ceramics and shed light on the typological and compositional features of LBA ceramic production.

Бинокулярный анализ керамики бронзового века лесной зоны Восточной Европы (к обсуждению термина «фатьяноидная» керамика)

Бинокулярный анализ керамики бронзового века лесной зоны Восточной Европы (к обсуждению термина «фатьяноидная» керамика)

Identification the Structure of Colorants Used on the Late Bronze Age Ceramics of Eastern Lake Urmia Based on the Specimen from Kul Tepe, Ajabshir

Identification the Structure of Colorants Used on the Late Bronze Age Ceramics of Eastern Lake Urmia Based on the Specimen from Kul Tepe, Ajabshir

Economic and social activities on ancient Cypriot terraced landscapes

We investigate ancient agricultural terraces and their associated social and economic activities across the site complex consisting of the village at Politiko-Troullia and its more extensive associated taskscape. Surface artifact distributions mapped over 12 ha are integrated with evidence excavated from this Bronze Age settlement in central Cyprus. Contrary to expectations, artifact densities do not diminish with distance from the village architecture. In particular, concentrations of Prehistoric Bronze Age ceramics and ground stone artifacts are most pronounced on nearby terraced hillsides. These terraces were not utilized for domestic structures, but for extensive processing of agricultural crops and copper ore. Bronze Age excavated plant remains indicate cultivation of olives, grapes and figs, with wood resources dominated by olive and pine. Larger, non-portable ground stones and gaming stones are associated with communal social and economic activities in open courtyard settings in Politiko-Troullia. This category of ground stone also is particularly common on the terraced hillsides around Troullia, suggesting that similar behaviors occurred beyond village structures. The terraced landscape of Politiko-Troullia exemplifies a multi-faceted taskscape with a range of agricultural, metallurgical and social activities.

Some results of technical and technological analysis of late bronze age ceramics of the Southern Urals tribes exemplified by the materials of Kazburun archaeological microdistrict (Republic of Bashkortostan)

This article discusses the use of traditional methods within the A.A. Bobrinsky historical-cultural approach to pottery analysis that allow us to consider each vessel as a source of information of the design and starting of the hollow body of the vessel. Thus, a more or less whole vessel may render information about a particular container design pattern or the skills of a particular potter group. This approach to ceramics allows you to study the cultural traditions in the manufacture of ceramics and, accordingly, closed family groups which have produced, and on the basis of radiocarbon dating to determine the time of its manufacture: Usmanovo I III settlements (1930 1750 BC Beta Analytic) and Kazburun I barrows (AMS 1820 1795 BC Beta Analytic). However, ceramic archaeological complex Kazburun neighborhood has become one of the important factors in identifying cultural transformations and cultural interactions in the Late Bronze Age in the Southern Urals. Experimental methods of historical-cultural approach A.A. Bobrinsky to reconstruct the pottery of the late Bronze Age, the Southern Urals. Methods of technical and technological analysis of pottery made it possible to reconstruct not only the pottery tradition of the Late Bronze Age of the Southern Urals, but also allowed a glimpse into the past of the studied population. As a new method of ceramic petrographic study research method was applied, which revealed the inclusion of various minerals in the blood vessels dough, to determine the temperature and the intensity of the burning, and to prove the presence of sludge in ceramic test. Further application of this method will allow in the future to determine the locations of ancient Clay and ceramic technology to reconstruct the Late Bronze Age of the Bashkir Transurals.