Pottery Styles Research Articles

Technology and provenience of the oldest pottery in the northern Pannonian Basin indicates its affiliation to hunter-gatherers

Consensus holds that pottery technology came to Central Europe from the Northern Balkans with independent pottery traditions existing concurrently in Eastern Europe. An unusual grass-tempered pottery dating back to around 5800 cal BC found in lake sediments at Santovka, Slovakia, predated the earliest known Neolithic pottery in the region (~ 5500 cal BC), suggesting unexplored narratives of pottery introduction. Analyses of the pottery’s technology, origin, and grass temper shedding light on ceramic traditions' spread can unveil mobility patterns and community lifestyles. Our findings indicate a non-local provenance, low temperature firing, Festugc sp. grass temper and unique rectangular or cylindrical vessel shapes which align with Eastern European hunter-gatherer practices. Moreover, the pottery style and technology have no analogies in the contemporary Danubian pottery traditions and have more similarities to those of the Eastern traditions. The pottery's raw materials likely originated from distant areas, indicating extensive territorial access for its creators. Our findings imply late Mesolithic hunter-gatherers as the probable artisans and with implications for the site's significance in the late Mesolithic landscape.

Dolsko – Spodnje Škovce and a new insight into the settlement, chronology, ceramic style(s), and subsistence strategies of the Late Neolithic Sava group in Slovenia

Radiocarbon dates, analysis of ceramic finds, animal bones, fruits/seeds and wood (charcoal) from settlement features of the Sava group of the Lengyel Culture at the site of Dolsko – Spodnje Škovce in central Slovenia are presented and discussed in this paper. The aim of the study was to place the excavated material culture in its regional and supra-regional context in order to improve the understanding of Late Neolithic settlement features, chronology, pottery style(s) and subsistence strategies in settlements throughout the area of distribution of the Sava group. This is the first synthesis of archaeobotanical and archaeozoological data from the 5th millennium cal BC sites in Slovenia, including the evaluation and comparison of plant macro-remains and animal bones, and the first synthesis of data on technological and typological aspects of pottery production in the settlements obtained using the same analytical approach. Uncertainties regarding the chronology of different variations of a pottery style and subsistence strategies are emphasized.

Tick Island Incised: an early ceramic skeuomorph in Late Archaic Florida

ABSTRACT Tick Island Incised (TII) is a relatively rare variety of Late Archaic fiber-tempered pottery found across sections of central and northern peninsular Florida. The striking stylistic divergences of TII from other Orange pottery types have led multiple researchers to invoke foreign influences or migrations to account for its appearance. This paper presents newly collected data on TII vessels from the Silver Glen complex (8LA1/8MR123) and related sites along the St. Johns River and northern Gulf Coast. These data, which represent the most detailed information yet collected on the technology, style, composition, and spatiotemporal distribution of TII pottery, are used to address numerous published speculations regarding the type's timing, origin, and cultural meaning. This research supports the idea that TII's aberrant style, which features symbolically powerful sinistral or left-opening spirals, can be explained as an example of skeuomorphism linked to preexisting lightning whelk shell cups. It further indicates that TII appeared during a particularly volatile time during the Late Archaic period and that its use and deposition in ritualized contexts may have been part of a deliberate effort to intervene in ongoing historical processes and mediate their impacts.

Pottery and Social Practice: Between Home and Abroad

This article aims to explore the uses of material culture and their relevance to identity formation. The premise is applied specifically to the moving auxilia, in order to observe the effects of movement and transfers on the selection and consumption of material culture within the military environment. It is common knowledge that pottery supply and use within the Roman military were to an extent governed by specific state-controlled supply routes and contracts, meaning that the same pottery styles could have been observed at different forts from different regions. Nonetheless, the cultural side of demand should not be overlooked as it may have tailored supply differently to various regions depending on the preferences in the area. Similarly, auxiliary units transferred from home may have preserved some of their familiar pottery styles and reproduce them upon arrival to the new territory. This article will explore the ways pottery was employed at locations associated with Batavian auxilia in order to capture their image construction between home and abroad. Once removed from their core territory and placed in a new environment with new norms in terms of material culture and even dressing and addressing one another, how did their consumption adapt to the area and to which extent did it keep a unique character? The main case-study explored in this paper is Războieni in order to assess the pottery consumption patterns of Batavian auxilia abroad in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD.

The Knossian Kamares Style as Transgenerational Memory

This paper introduces a new perspective on the constitutive role of material culture for memory using the Knossian Kamares pottery style as a case study. It challenges prevalent approaches in mainstream memory studies, which confine memory to individuals’ brains or minds, suggesting a deeper relationship between material culture and memory. Presenting a novel methodology rooted in cognitive archaeology to study the long-term making of Knossian Kamares decorations, I suggest that the Knossian Kamares pottery style is a transgenerational memory that enabled generations of artisans to remember, learn, and update technological skills and knowledge. I also claim that, in assuming this distributed, enactive, and non-representational stance on style as memory, it becomes evident that remembering is something we do: an active engagement that emerges with and through material culture in specific sociomaterial settings.

Medieval Caucasian Consumption and Identity: A Study of Splashed Sgraffito Wares

NEW AND DISTINCT CERAMIC TYPES emerged from the cultural centres of the Islamic Caliphate in Western Asia beginning in the eighth century AD. Islamic potters carefully added colour, glaze, and finishes to their vessels, which became luxury items throughout the Caliphate. People within the sphere of influence of the Islamic Caliphate slowly adopted objects, such as unique styles of glazed pottery, which symbolised status and power. The Byzantine Empire and Islamic Caliphate both influenced the material culture of the Southern Caucasus, which ebbed and flowed between them both. In particular, the emerging Caucasian polities in medieval Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan began to produce splashed sgraffito ceramics in the 9th and 10th centuries AD that were very similar to those created by Islamic potters in centres such as Baghdad, Samarra, and Nishapur. Scholars have explained such changes in Caucasian consumption patterns as the result of influence and trade between the Islamic Empire and the Caucasus; however, they have not considered the cultural implications of such a change. My paper discusses how Caucasian elites and eventually even the peasantry used splashed sgraffito to construct their individual and group identities. I examine three sites from the Caucasus where local potters produced and used splashed sgraffito ceramics. I assess Ani in Armenia, Shamkir in Azerbaijan, and Tbilisi in Georgia. My analysis suggests that ceramics played a larger role in the construction of political and individual identity at a time when independent kingdoms were emerging in the Caucasus.

Ceramic Fine Wares of Natakamani and the Problem of Identifying the “Imperial Style” in the Material Culture of Meroe (Sudan)

The article analyzes ceramic fine wares of the ancient Meroitic Kingdom, made of white kaolinite clays (“eggshell wares”). This pottery appeared not earlier than the 1st century B.C. and gained popularity in the 1st–2nd centuries A.D., during the reign of king Natakamani and his successors. The kaolinite clays required professionalism and specific skills from ancient potters, as well as the availability of improved pottery wheels and kilns. Clay deposits were located near Meroe Royal City and in several other regions. The vessels were decorated with stamped or painted decoration in Egyptian or Hellenistic style and were distributed from Sennar and Abu Geili in the south to Karanog and Shablul in the north, being a clear marker of the Meroitic civilization. These complex wares could not be produced locally and became a marketable commodity. The morphological assortment of Meroitic fine wares is quite modest, while standardization of the shape and volume is noticeable, which may indicate centralized control over pottery workshops. The stylistic uniformity of the vessels suggests the existence of a special “Imperial” style of pottery in the time of Natakamani and his successors. At the same period plans of settlements, the architecture of palaces and temples, cult objects also demonstrated uniformity, which could be associated with state control of administrative centers and craft workshops. The decline of royal power in the 3rd – mid-4th centuries A.D. was synchronous with the degradation of Meroitic fine kaolin ceramics and its gradual replacement with wadi clays of grayish-beige colour and simplified decoration.

Tracing the pyro-technological evidence during the 3rd millennium bc in “Shahdad” through archaeometallurgical remains

Shahdad is located on the western side of the great “Lut” desert in the south-central Iranian Plateau. Shahdad has been a major focus of archaeological research in the region due to extensive metallurgical activities, which were documented at the site and supposedly have the most abundant remains of copper metallurgy in southeastern Iran during the Bronze Age (3rd millennium BC). Due to the archaeological studies of the vast peripheral area, the settlement was a permanently occupied city during the 3rd millennium BC. New excavations at Shahdad offer a unique opportunity to reconsider the pyro-technological remains which were probably related to metallurgical practices during this era. This research will focus on the characterization of typical Shahdad pottery styles and remains of metallurgical slags scattered across the area in association with amounts of other metallurgical remains such as copper ores, moulds, crucibles, furnaces and metallic residues. The typical characteristic style of pottery are their dense structure heavy with rough fabrication. The objects have been studied through optical microscopy, ICP-MS, and XRF to determine their chemistry, micro-chemistry, and mineralogy. The evident complexity of pottery production at Shahdad may eventually allow a better understanding of the timing of innovations and/or the adaptation of technological features observed in the overburden of Shahdad that as yet have not been scientifically documented. The scientific examination of slags and pottery sherds presented here recognizes new information regarding the microchemistry and production techniques of pottery and their possible potential application for metallurgical purposes.

Crafting Heritage: Exploring the Socio-Economic Dynamics of Pottery-Making in Nohar, Rajasthan

Pottery-making is one of the oldest crafts deeply rooted with India’s rich cultural heritage. Nohar, a town in Rajasthan and a rich pottery centre is renowned for unique pottery styles. With the objective of assessing the socio-economic status of potters in Nohar and understanding the awareness about government initiatives like KSY and PMAY among the potter community, 56 potters were selected through purposive and snowball sampling and were personally interviewed. The study concludes that the majority of participants fall under lower middle group in Kuppuswamy Socioeconomic Status (SES) scale emphasizing the importance of tailored policies for socio-economic development. The dual role of potters engaging in agricultural activities and the migration to semi-rural settings indicates the craft's adaptability to changing lifestyles while preserving its traditional essence. Low awareness about the schemes like KSY and the PMAY indicates the need to enhance awareness and understand potential gaps in implementation.

Emulation in Painted Pottery Styles in Egypt in the Prehistoric Period

This study examines how the painting technique was introduced into the pottery assemblages of Egypt and Nubia in the prehistoric period. For this purpose, I compare the introduction process of the painting technique in Egypt from the fifth to the first half of the fourth millennium BCE and that in Upper Mesopotamia between ca. 6200-5900 cal BC to establish if they had a similar introduction process or not. If they were different, I tried to clarify how exactly the case of Egypt was different from that of Upper Mesopotamia. This study suggests the possibility that white cross-lined ware (C-ware), and probably also black incised ware (N-ware), were the kinds of ware vessels invented locally in Upper Egypt in the process of introducing the inlay decoration technique using white pigment from the Nubian pottery traits (e.g., caliciform beakers) and introducing the painting decoration technique from the southern Levant, though the painting was made mostly with a reddish pigment in the southern Levant instead of white. The pigment color used for the painting decoration on pottery surfaces in Upper Egypt might have been changed from white (i.e., C-ware) to reddish (i.e., D-ware) even for the purpose of finding more efficient (i.e., less labou -intensive) decoration techniques.

Interregional and intraregional interaction of the Tianshanbeilu population in eastern Xinjiang from the perspective of pottery analysis

The beginning of human settlement in the Hami Basin, located in the eastern part of Xinjiang, has been a focal question for the academic community in China. In particular, the thesis that the immigrating population from the Hexi Corridor since the late Neolithic founded the Tianshanbeilu culture has riveted the attention of scholars. Pottery wares, abundantly discovered at the synonymous cemetery of this culture, have played a key role in extrapolating population migration and cultural interaction. This paper aims to test the thesis by characterizing the chemical composition, painting pigment, and carburizing technique of 70 pottery samples from the cemetery with various scientific methods. It shows that the chemical compositions of the coarse pottery in the three colors of red, yellow, and gray, painted and unpainted alike, are remarkably different from those of fine pottery in black and red, indicating that the raw materials for the coarse and fine pottery samples are possibly procured from different sources; the pigments of the red slip and black paint are derived from hematite, black manganese ore, and carbon black; carburizing and polishing techniques are further applied to the gray coarse pottery; In combination with the compositional data of pottery samples from the Yaer cemetery also in the Hami Basin and the Xichengyi settlement in the Hexi Corridor, this paper finds that some pottery wares of the Tianshanbeilu culture were exchanged within the Hami Basin, but each site had its own production facility. No direct exchange of pottery wares with Xichengyi is attested; the similar style of pottery wares between the two sites may have resulted from population migration and technological exchange.

House unit of the Linear Pottery culture?

The aim of the article is to critically evaluate the existing approach toward the Linear Pottery culture (LBK) settlement space in terms of the character of the pits, their fill and pottery decoration style. It is traditionally and implicitly assumed that the pits in the vicinity of a house (so-called house unit) are of the same period of formation, filling, and demise, so their testimony is usually considered comparable. However, research into the formative processes of ceramic material from pits with a spatial association to the house no. 88 in Bylany near Kutná Hora (CZ) shows that individual features differ significantly in terms of structure, and each in its own way is taphonomically unique. At the same time, formative processes have a strong influence on our current perception of the decorative style of Neolithic pottery and its relative chronology. The house unit thus becomes an optimistic assumption in the case of multiphase settlements, which cannot be applied without a better understanding of archaeological sources.

Plan of prehistoric stilt village in Maranhão Brazil may resemble the Pleiades

Archaeological surveys conducted in the Maranhão estuaries of Brazil, near the Atlantic coast, revealed the remnants of 21 prehistoric stilt villages constructed on piles of Tabebuia handroanthrus hardwood above three seasonal flood water estuaries. Radiocarbon dates of 27 samples from 11 of those sites yielded an Archaic Period of construction (6622 ± 119 calibrated years before present) followed much later by consecutive construction periods from approximately the first century B.C. to the thirteenth century A.D. (1994 to 728 cal. yrs BP). The Formoso site—currently dated as the longest occupied site (1509 to 930 cal. yrs BP)—yielded early Incised-Punctate/Arauquinoid pottery, a previously unreported pottery style in the Amazon region. Additionally, using StarryNight astronomy software, the night sky at Formoso was compared with a map of the pile dwelling layout, revealing a statistically significant resemblance to the Pleiades. This paper focuses on the Formoso site, suggesting that it may have served cultural significance to the Pleiades as early evidence for the later widespread ethnographic use of the star cluster’s annual sighting to mark the seasonal flood cycles and the management of agricultural and ecological activities throughout tropical South America.

Mirroring Mediterraneanization: Pottery production at Archaic Monte Iato, Western Sicily (6th to 5th century BCE)

With a total of 162 samples, one of the most extensive NAA sample series from one single inland settlement in Archaic Sicily is now available to address long debated issues about the impact of the so called ‘Greek Colonization’ on local pottery production. In a previous series, a wide range of wares manufactured on site could be determined, ranging from traditional style incised and stamped vessels via matt painted ceramics of regional style to Greek style pottery. The second series presented here was intended to extend and deepen the results obtained and to investigate the variability of the potter’s responses to new challenges and demands in the course of Monte Iato’s changing indigenous society. These responses were found to present even greater variance than expected before, fitting the overall picture of the site's increasing integration into Mediterranean networks.

Interactions between Trypillian farmers and North Pontic forager-pastoralists in Eneolithic central Ukraine.

The establishment of agrarian economy in Eneolithic East Europe is associated with the Pre-Cucuteni-Cucuteni-Trypillia complex (PCCTC). PCCTC farmers interacted with Eneolithic forager-pastoralist groups of the North Pontic steppe as PCCTC extended from the Carpathian foothills to the Dnipro Valley beginning in the late 5th millennium BCE. While the cultural interaction between the two groups is evident through the Cucuteni C pottery style that carries steppe influence, the extent of biological interactions between Trypillian farmers and the steppe remains unclear. Here we report the analysis of artefacts from the late 5th millennium Trypillian settlement at the Kolomiytsiv Yar Tract (KYT) archaeological complex in central Ukraine, focusing on a human bone fragment found in the Trypillian context at KYT. Diet stable isotope ratios obtained from the bone fragment suggest the diet of the KYT individual to be within the range of forager-pastoralists of the North Pontic area. Strontium isotope ratios of the KYT individual are consistent with having originated from contexts of the Serednii Stih (Sredny Stog) culture sites of the Middle Dnipro Valley. Genetic analysis of the KYT individual indicates ancestry derived from a proto-Yamna population such as Serednii Stih. Overall, the KYT archaeological site presents evidence of interactions between Trypillians and Eneolithic Pontic steppe inhabitants of the Serednii Stih horizon and suggests a potential for gene flow between the two groups as early as the beginning of the 4th millennium BCE.

Thermoluminescence and radiocarbon dating of pre-colonial ceramics and organic midden material from the US Virgin Islands: outline for a revised chronology

A sample of 128 pottery shards curated by the National Museum of Denmark, from seven archaeological sites in the US Virgin Islands, has been dated using the thermoluminescence dating (TL) technique with the purpose of refining local pre-colonial pottery chronology. The results of the TL-dating generally confirm chronologies offered by Wild for St. John and there is considerable variation identified in traditional frameworks due to overlap in distributions of various pottery styles. The results of this study show that the Virgin Islands offer a viable space for the application of TL-dating, and that TL-dating offer a reliable addition to the traditional radiometric radiocarbon technique in pre-colonial midden contexts. Using the TL-technique for dating of pottery assemblages allows for a nuanced chronology and better understanding of settlement timing, socio-cultural interaction, and information transmission.Graphical

Special Ceramic Figurines from the Late Bronze Age Settlement of Baks-Temetőpart

A planned excavation was conducted at the Late Bronze Age settlement of Baks-Temetőpart (Csongrád–Csanád County, Hungary) in 2007 by Gábor V. Szabó with archaeologists and students of the Eötvös Loránd University, Institute of Archaeological Sciences (Budapest). A previously known but unexcavated, rather large, and intensive settlement was researched during the short campaign. More than 4,000 ceramic objects were discovered in different pits, with 71 special ceramic objects among them. This article evaluates these anthropomorphic and zoomorphic figurines, wagon- and wheel models, sun discs, and miniature vessels that can give us some insight into the beliefs and ways of artistic expression of the classical Gáva pottery style community of Baks-Temetőpart.

An interdisciplinary approach to Iron Age Mediterranean chronology through combined archaeological and 14C-radiometric evidence from Sidon, Lebanon.

The construction of the Iron Age Mediterranean chronology began in the Levant based on historical evidence and has been additionally supported in recent decades by means of radiocarbon analysis, although with variable precision and ratification. It is only in recent years that new evidence in the Aegean and the western Mediterranean has opened discussion towards its further acceptance as an authoritative i.e. highly reliable, and widely applicable historiographic network. Altogether, the Mediterranean Iron Age chronology has only undergone minor changes during the last hundred years. The Phoenician metropolis of Sidon in southern Lebanon now provides a new, large and robust dataset obtained through a combination of archaeological and 14C-radiometric analysis of materials from stratified contexts that allow their statistical assessment. The appearance of substantial amounts of pottery of Greek, Cypriot and Egyptian origin together with Phoenician local wares in a long stratigraphy is a benefit for the synchronisation of regional pottery styles and allows wider geographic correlation of relative chronological systems. The close association of the archaeological data with a long series of AMS-14C-dates on short-lived samples provides new evidence for the absolute dating of many of the regional pottery styles that are represented in the stratigraphy of Sidon, and contributes towards a considerable improvement of the Mediterranean chronology.

Study of White and Blue Pottery in the Safavid Period

Art and the craft of pottery have always held a significant place in addressing human needs. Throughout different eras and societies, we have witnessed the growth, development, and significant influences of pottery on the richness and prosperity of culture and the general economy. This art and craft have endured and evolved over time. The continuation and evolution of blue and white pottery during the Safavid period highlight the importance of this pottery style. The transformative developments and support from the Safavid kings, especially Shah Abbas, led to the exquisite production of blue and white pottery during this period. In reality, the distinctive characteristics and quality in the creation of this type of pottery, along with the high demand in global markets, contributed to its mass production. The aim of this study is to elucidate the method of creating blue and white pottery during the Safavid period, introduce the influential factors in enhancing this type of pottery, and recognize its specific features.
 The research methodology employed in this study is descriptive-analytical, and the data collection method is primarily documentary (library-based). The examination and analysis of blue and white pottery demonstrate that Iranian potters during the Safavid period, drawing upon their experiences in creating pottery from the previous Timurid era, imitated and combined these techniques with Ming Chinese examples and familiarized themselves with Ottoman pottery specimens. This resulted in a new style of blue and white pottery with distinct Iranian characteristics. The colors of this pottery typically feature a white body with blue patterns. Decorative motifs were tailored to the vessel's form, where primary designs such as animals, human figures, and plant patterns adorned the center of the vessel, while abstract patterns, calligraphy, and natural elements embellished the vessel's margins. These vessels were primarily utilized for storing liquids, serving food, and as decorative ceramics.

Wealth Consumption, Sociopolitical Organization, and Change: A Perspective from Burial Analysis on the Middle Bronze Age in the Carpathian Basin

Abstract Tracing the patterns of wealth consumption within and between burial communities can reveal different aspects of the sociopolitical and economic abilities of and relations between individuals, groups, and whole communities. For a cross-cultural comparison, burial communities of the cultural groups of the Hungarian Middle Bronze Age Vatya and Füzesabony pottery styles in the Carpathian Basin were chosen. Special emphasis is put on the development of the wealth consumption during the late phase of the Middle Bronze Age. It could be shown that Vatya and Füzesabony communities exhibit very similar patterns of wealth consumption and seemingly sociopolitical organization. In the cemetery of Dunaújváros-Duna-dűlő, a dynamic competition and cooperation between different social segments can be witnessed, representing an arena in which signaling the individual’s and groups’ ability to participate in sociopolitical organization of the burial community took place. The wealth consumption over the whole considered geographical space, and beyond, changes during the late Middle Bronze Age. It can be assumed that during the times of change, cultural convergence increases, as changes in burial rites and wealth consumption suggest. This development is possible because Vatya and Füzesabony shared a very similar sociopolitical organization as well as the perception of wealth and how it should be consumed.