Pottery Sherds Research Articles

TRYPILLIAN SETTLEMENT MAKARIVKA IN BUKOVYNA

The information about archaeological sites located near the village of Makarivka, Dnistrovskyi district, Chernivtsi region is collected and generalized in the article. Special attention is paid to the materials of the Trypillia culture. The results of the archaeological research conducted by the Dnister expedition of Lviv department of the Institute of Social Sciences of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR led by O. Chernysh near this village are considered. Namely, it is a small collection of finds from different periods, consisting mainly of flint products and preserved in the storage of the Department of Archeology. Based on the researcher's report, two locations were identified where archaeological material was found. The first – Pomirky tract, where ceramic sherds from the Slavic period were collected. The second – Schovb tract. Trypllian, Scythian, Slavic, and Paleolithic finds came from this place. An overview of information about the site from the scientific literature was made. The results of the archaeological research conducted by the author near the Makarivka village on a large cape, formed by the Dnister river, are presented. Special attention is paid to the surveys of the plateau in the central part of the cape. Probably, it is the place where Trypllian materials were found in 1950. Among the locals, the name of this tract has not been preserved, so we do not know its exact location. Most of the finds were discovered on the slopes, on the plateau sherds of modern ceramics, natural stones, and flint without traces of knapping were mainly found. According to the results of the archaeological surveys conducted near the Makarivka village in 2022, it was established that there are three locations of different times on the territory of the cape: the location of the Mesolithic Age (core and three flint flakes) and the Chernyakhiv culture (two pottery sherds), located on the northern slope of the plateau. It is noted that flint products and a fragment of the wall of a ceramic vessel with a handle are quite typical for various stages of Trypillia culture, starting from Trypillia BI, so a more detailed definition of the relative chronology of the site based on them is impossible. The materials collected during archaeological surveys have been processed and published. It was found that in scientific literature the name «Makarivka» was also related to another Trypillian site – Luka-Vrublivetska II. It was revealed that T. Passek used the new name, and then N. Vynogradova. The latter also attributed the settlement to the Zalischyky group of Trypillia culture. From the description of the ceramic complex of the site, and also taking into account the fragments published by N. Vynogradova, conclusions were drawn that agree with the definition of the relative chronology of Luka-Vrublivetska II, which was proposed by S. Bibikov, and it was assigned not to the Zalischyky group of the stage Trypillia BI– BII, but to the sites of the final of Trypillia BI. It was noted that the Luka-Vrublivetska II site is located on the high plateau of the left bank of the Dnister river 3–3.5 km northwest of the Luka-Vrublivetska village almost opposite the right-bank Makarivka khutir. It has been suggested that this very circumstance probably contributed to the fact that T. Passek, and later N. Vynogradova, renamed this site from Luka-Vrublivetska II to Makarivka. This change of the primary name of Luka-Vrublivetska II to Makarivka is uncaused and has created confusion in the literature. It is proposed to use the name assigned to the site by its discoverer S. Bibikov – Luka-Vrublivetsika II. Since Makarivka Trypillian settlement exists, located near the village of the same name, discovered by M. Rudynskyi i S. Bibikov O. Chernysh in 1950 and examined in 2022. In addition, the sites are situated not only on opposite banks of the Dnister river, but also in different regions of the country: Makarivka in Chernivtsi, and Luka-Vrublivetska II – in Khmelnytskyi. Keywords: Eneolithic Age, ceramics, painted ornament, Makarivka, Luka-Vrublivetska II, relative chronology

МАСТЕРСКАЯ МАСТЕРА ЙЕНЫ: НОВЫЕ МАТЕРИАЛЫ

The article analyzes three fragments of Attic red-figure pottery found during the excavations of the ancient Panticapaeum by the Bosporan Archaeological Expedition of the State Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts in 2021. One is the cup bottom on the low ring base showing a young man and a satyr in a tondo. The stylistic and compositional features allow us to attribute it to the Jena Painter, who was active between 400 and 380 BC. The second fragment belongs to a cup of a similar type: the image of two young men walking, one after the other is partially preserved in tondo; and the legs of two naked young men have survived on one of the outer sides. The painting of the tondo was most likely done by an anonymous painter of style B, and the decoration of the outer sides by the Q Painter. Finally, the third fragment is part of the cupskyphos, with two draped youths by the Painter of Kiel B 599. All three vessels were made in the same workshop, headed by the Jena Painter.

Excavation of the Western Suburban Complex of Bol’shoy K’irk-K’iz in 2022

During the 2022 excavation season at the Western Suburban Complex (WSC), work on Room III (Blue Hall) has been continued. Two fragments of pottery discovered there date back to the ancient Chorasmian period. At the -210 and -212 cm levels from the benchmark, a flooring consisting of mud brick pavement was discovered (41–42 × 41–42 cm). The most numerous finds in the 2022 season were fragments of painting, made with glue paint on loess plaster, covered with white loose soil – gypsum in the form of dihydrate. The polarizing microscopy of the composition of paint samples showed that the blue pigment consists of natural ultramarine, the red-brown one is red ocher, and the green paint is made of atacamite (copper hydroxychloride). When Room III had ceased functioning normally, it lost its roof and has been gradually filled with various layers of ground. Judging by the complete absence of animal bones, hearths and/or bonfires, as well as the meager amount of ceramics, secondary habitation of the ruined premises is clearly improbable. The discovered brick pavements are not related to the period of the WSC’s functioning and appeared after the process of destruction of the walls had gone far enough. The last stage of the destruction corresponds to the layer lying on top of the brickwork in the northeast corner of Room III, containing numerous fragments of painted plaster. The lifetime and destruction of the WSC fully corresponds to the ancient Chorasmian period.

Neural Network-Based Classification of XRF Profiles Of Pottery Shards Using Synthetic Data

Neural Network-Based Classification of XRF Profiles Of Pottery Shards Using Synthetic Data

Classification of Pottery Shards from Diverse Geographical Regions Based on XRF Profiles

Pottery fragments found in archaeological sites across the world provide insights into the prevalent manufacturing technology, commercial usage of wares and the socio-politico-economic fabric of the societies which crafted them. Their chemical profile can be used to characterise the clay used in their making, and thus, locate their origins. The technologies for the generation of such geochemical profiles have been around for decades, and several researchers have published the results for their samples. However, such data has undergone just basic statistical analysis. This work collates such data from multiple sources and performs a comparative analysis of multiple machine learning classifiers, to showcase the potential utility of bringing up such datasets for further exploration. It can speed up the segregation and mapping of historical artefacts and add value to archaeological teams working in developing countries of Asia and Africa.

Cercetari de suprafata in Dealurile Poganisului. Locuirile din epoca bronzului

Field research in the spring of 2023 led to the identification of new sites with material that can be chronologically assigned to the Late Bronze Age‑Early Iron Age. From the point of view of cultural classification, we consider that the pottery discovered can be attributed to the Balta Sărată cultural group. The pottery fragments collected from the surface are characterized by the fine sand or large‑grained sand mixed with the clay. The decorations found are grooves, horizontal incisions or incisions in the form of semicircles.

Pottery from the Survey in 2022 at the Gebel el-Nur Archaeological Site in Middle Egypt: Dating and Planigraphy

The article analyzes the ceramic material discovered in 2022 during the survey of the settlement and necropolis of Gebel el-Nour (Beni Suef governorate, Middle Egypt) by the Russian-Egyptian archaeological expedition (Institute of Oriental Studies RAS – Supreme Council of Antiquities of Egypt). Pottery fragments belong to the household group – tableware and kitchen utensils; they are dated to the Ptolemaic (332–30 BC) and Roman Periods (30 BC to 395 AD), mostly to the 1st–2nd centuries AD. Numerous analogies for the Gebel el-Nour pottery come from Memphite and Theban regions, but mostly from Middle Egypt, including Graeco-Roman cities of the Fayum Oasis. Technological features of the pottery from Gebel el-Nour indicate that the ancient population used mainly the products of local pottery workshops, but imported ceramics were also found, for example, a bowl with “barbotine” decoration from Aswan and an amphora for olive oil from Leptis Magna (Libya). Kitchen and table utensils from Gebel el-Nour demonstrate the Hellenization of pottery and similarity not only with the ceramic types synchronous with it from other Egyptian regions, but also with pottery from Asia Minor and Magna Graecia. In the Ptolemaic and Roman Periods, the original Egyptian types of tableware and kitchen utensils practically disappear, while everywhere there is a replacement for Hellenizated shapes. Thus, Egypt as a whole and Gebel el-Nour in particular organically fit into the Hellenic world both at the level of nobility and ordinary population. This process was extended in time and prepared by earlier changes in Egyptian material culture.

New data on the Late Bronze Age / Early Iron Age metallurgy in Central Portugal. The contribution of Vila do Touro (Sabugal, Guarda)

This paper focuses on the study of a group of metal artefacts recently recovered during the archaeological excavations in Vila do Touro (Central Portugal), i.e., 19 artefacts and a small metallic inclusion embedded in a pottery sherd. The objects have been analysed by an X-Ray Fluorescence spectrometer to characterise the elemental composition of metal artefacts. A Scanning Electron Microscope with X-ray Microanalysis System and an optical microscope were used to observe and chemically characterise the metal inclusion in the pottery. The fragment of an ingot was also analysed by a multicollector Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer to address issues bound to the provenance of raw material. The results revealed different compositional patterns (pure copper, binary bronze, i.e., Cu+Sn, leaded bronzes, i.e., Cu+Sn+Pb, and gold), while pointing out the Ossa Morena region (Southwest of the Iberian Peninsula) as likely source of copper used to produce the ingot.

Preliminary results of excavations of the Early Bronze Age settlement in Lernakert (Armenia)

In 2019 an Early Bronze Age settlement was recorded within the territory of Lernakert village of Shirak. It occupied the territory of the Early Iron Age fortress of Vari Berd and its surrounding area, reaching the south-western limits of the village. The homogenous and contemporary pottery fragments of the Karnut-Shengavit group associated with the second stage of the Early Bronze Age were unearthed in three test trenches. The assemblage mainly included rim fragments of pithoi, pots, deep bowls, as well as lids, handles, andiron-pedestals etc. These objects represent mainly kitchen ware and objects of everyday use. Some of them, however, bear geometrical patterns, bird and animal decorations and incised ornaments. A bronze crescent-shaped artifact was found within the territory of the site, which is one of the rare examples found in Armenia typical of this period. The mentioned findings reveal a relatively developed level of Early Bronze Age culture in Lernakert.

Clay figurines from Agarak

The archaeological site of Agarak is located southwest of a homonymous village in the Aragatsotn province of the Republic of Armenia. The excavated segment of the Agarak site is the northern rock platform which is divided into two parts by the Yerevan-Gyumri highway. The site was excavated during 2001-2014. Systematic excavations of Agarak revealed that the occupational phases of the stie date from the 29th century BC to the Late Middle Ages. This article discusses the Early Bronze Age figurines discovered in the L10 quadrant of the site. The figurines were found from the surroundings of the retaining wall bordering the rock platform, within disturbed cultural layers outside the retaining wall, resulting from later human activity. The pottery fragments inside the cracks of the rock platform and the lower layer of a dwelling built from cobblestone attest to Early Bronze Age human habitation on the rock platform.

Tembikar Tera-Tali di Situs Buttu Batu Enrekang: Suatu Rekonstruksi Pengaruh Austroasiatik

Past civilizations showed specific patterns of development that reflected their mastery of technology and behavior. Cultural developments took the form of technological developments such as pottery, pickaxes, axes, jewelry, and ike stones. The Buttu Batu site, located in Enrekang (South Sulawesi), is evidence of the development of human life with the discovery of traces of past human activity in the form of pottery fragments, stone artifacts, bones, jewelry, and ike stones. One form of decorative motif on pottery fragments found at this site is a pottery fragment decorated with cord-marked. As is known, cord-marked pottery is evidence of a western route migration (migration of Austroasiatic speakers). The methods used to achieve the research objectives were field data collection, data processing in shape analysis, and stylistic analysis, especially for cord-marked pottery. The discovery of cord-marked pottery fragments in Enrekang Regency shows that the western migration route (Austroasiatic) probably migrated to the eastern part of Indonesia, especially the South Sulawesi region, and this requires further investigation.

The in-depth study of Romanian prehistoric ceramics: Late Neolithic/Eneolithic pottery and clay materials from the Foeni Tell-Orthodox cemetery in Timiş county

The study aims to analyze pottery samples from the archaeological site Foeni Tell – Orthodox Cemetery, a late Neolithic & early Eneolithic multi-stratified site (three phases, covering the period 4720-4457 cal BC), also inhabited during the Early Bronze Age and Middle Ages. The site is located on the western edge of Foeni (Timiș county, Romania), on the eastern bank of the Timișaț river. The analyzed samples come from 20 pottery shards, belonging to the Foeni cultural group (4920/4675–4580/4460 cal BC, corresponding to the later period of the Vinča culture, from the end of phase C to the end of phase D), and are representative of the categories (black, red, orange, painted) and types (fine, semi-fine, coarse) pottery associated with the cultural group; also analyzed were soil samples from the site. Complementary techniques were used in the analysis (TG/DTG, FT-IR, SEM, EDX, XRF, XRD and LIBS) to ascertain details regarding production technology and origin of the raw materials used in making the pottery. Results indicate the pottery was based on a high plasticity illite and montmorillonite paste, alongside albite, microcline, analcime, with heavy use of quartz and mica as temper. The clay composition shows an obvious link between the pottery and the local sampled source, implying the local production of Foeni type pottery. The firing temperature is uniform in Foeni pottery, estimated in the range of 550–600 °C, with a maximum firing temperature of 600 °C, with slightly higher temperatures for painted wares, of up to 620–630 °C, with a maximum temperature of 650 °C. The sole exception has an estimated firing temperature in excess of 900 °C.

An experience of the experimental use-wear analysis of made of tools pottery shards (based on the materials of the fortified settlement of Marai 4)

The paper concerns the determination of the functional purpose of scraper-shaped pottery tools of the forti-fied settlement of Marai 4 of the initial period of the Early Bronze Age. The site is located in the territory of the Lower Ishim River basin in Kazan District of Tyumen Oblast. Its materials are dated to the 6th (7th) — end of the 5th centuries BCE; culture-wise, they belong to the circle of the Zhuravlevo antiquities. The collection of the pot-tery scrapers of the site amounts to 78 items. Initially, the majority of them were interpreted as scrapers for fle-shing. However, a series of features gave rise to doubts, and the problem of the functional purpose of the scraper-like implements from Maray 4 remained open. In order to elaborate and correct the conclusions, in 2019–2022 the author conducted experiments on the use of pottery shards in the process of skin treatment, wood scraping, abrasive treatment of copper and bronze, in pottery making — at the stage of smoothing, compacting and sleeking the walls of pottery containers. The purpose of this paper is to present the results of the experimen-tal use-wear study of the scraper-like pottery artefacts from the Early Iron Age sites of Maray 4. The investigation is based upon the use of the experimental use-wear method, which involves the study of the traces of wear on the surface of implements, and their functional attribution. The use-wear analysis and microphotography of the traces of wear were carried out with the aid of a pancratic microscope MC-2 Z00M with a magnification from 10× to 40× with a Canon EOS-1100 camera. The performed studies allowed refining the previously conjectured hypothesis on the functional purpose of the scraper-shaped tools from Maray 4 and reaching the conclusion that most of them were used for smoothing and compacting the surface of pottery vessels. This conclusion is supported by the preliminary view of V.V. Ilyushina based upon the comparison of available reference experimental samples of surface treatment of clay vessels with pottery tools with the vessels from the site.

Luminescence dating and firing temperature determination of ancient ceramics fragments from the Tunata-hill site in the Churajon archaeological complex in Arequipa, Peru

Ancient pottery fragments from the Tunata-hill site in Churajon archaeological complex, Arequipa, Peru, were dated by means of luminescence techniques such as thermoluminescence (TL) and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) in order to provide absolute chronology. For TL, additive and regenerative methods were performed. For OSL a regenerative method was carried out for IRSL dating. A rigorous description of the study area and its context has been made. The ages of the samples were found to be between 0.50 ± 0.06 ky and 0.49 ± 0.03 ky for TL methods, and 0.49 ± 0.02 ky for OSL methods. On average, the estimated age by TL and OSL techniques is 490 ± 70 yr (1600 AD and 1460 AD). This means that Churajon ceramics under study would belong to the Late periods which corresponds to the Inca region, and the North sub-region of the Late Churajon phase, and the beginning of European colonization in Peru. X-ray fluorescence technique (XRF) analysis has shown the main presence of Fe (39.5%), Si (30.0%), and Al (10.4%) in fine pottery powder. Furthermore, the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) technique was used to study the firing temperature using the iron signal (Fe3+) as a firing temperature reference. The firing temperature of ceramics was found to be around 550 ± 50 °C.

Resinous deposits in Early Neolithic pottery vessels from the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula

The use of resinous substances, certainly one of the earliest technologies developed by humans, was well-known by Holocene hunter-gatherers at the onset of the Neolithisation process across Europe. Recent research has revealed the use of birch bark tar in the central Mediterranean far from this taxon’s endemic regions both in the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods and shows that the first farmers from the Fertile Crescent hafted lithic tools and waterproofed artefacts using bitumen.The generalised absence of these natural products in south-western Europe may have thus forced a reformulation of Early Neolithic technologies by exploring and benefitting from existing knowledge in local European hunter-gatherer societies. However, information on resin use from the western Mediterranean is still scarce. Here, we report on the analysis of organic residues from 168 pottery sherds by gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry from 10 archaeological sites in this region dating from the second half of the VIth millennium to the first half of the Vth millennium cal BC. In a limited number of samples, minor amounts of several diterpenoids diagnostic of aged Pinaceae resins were detected as mixtures with fats.The presence of pine in the palynological and carpological record supports the human exploitation of this taxon, but its minimal incidence in the anthracological record suggests that other species were selected as fuelwood. This supports the hypothesis that Pinaceae resins were used in association with pottery sporadically but ubiquitously either as its contents, or as post-firing treatments to waterproof the vessels. This demonstrates the development of adhesive technologies and resin-involved labour processes specific to Early Neolithic societies.

Focusing on red and black engobes in Roman pottery from Cumae (southern Italy): Pompeian Red Ware and Graue Platten ceramic productions

This short paper provides additional details to a recent minero-petrographic investigation on local and exotic ceramic artefacts collected from the Forum of Cumae and particularly about the composition of the ceramic slips of locally produced Pompeian Red Ware (PRW) and the imported pottery known as Graue Platten (GP). These pottery fragments were characterised via non-destructive techniques (portable XRF and Raman spectroscopy), the results of which have been validated with micro-destructive X-ray diffraction, and conventional electron and optical microscopy techniques.As a whole, the internal red slip of PRW samples should be made using a slurry of a levigated, iron-rich clay material (i.e., ochre) suspended in water and then fired in oxidizing atmosphere in order to obtain the typical red hue. Clear differences in the technological manufacturing between the older (dated from the 1st century BCE to the early 1st century CE) and later (from the 1st to the 4th centuries CE) PRW ceramic productions have been highlighted.The dark colour of the ceramic slip in fragments of Graue Platten (dated between the 1st century BCE and the 1st century CE) seems to be conferred by the occurrence of carbon black material, detected via Raman spectroscopy and EDS spectrometry. Probably, presence of carbon black could be due to the thermal decomposition, in absence of oxygen (pyrolysis), of colloidal organic matter.This investigation sheds new light on production technologies of engobes of these ancient Roman ceramic productions, although further investigations are required to infer the provenance of clayey materials used for the manufacturing of PRW coating in archaeological workshops of the Campania region.

Hoisesti – La Curmătură 1, Neamt county. An archaeological survey in Eastern Romania

Field survey activities in the Verdele brook basin, South of Hoisești village, Neamț County, have led to the identification and integration of new sites in the national archaeological database. At first, we made a visual analysis of the Verdele brook basin (left tributary of the Bistrița River), a stage followed by the identification of the places that presented specific parameters of areas with archaeological traces. In this context, South of the Hoisești village, on the left high terrace of the Verdele brook, on a flattened hillock delimited by two fossil riverbeds, we identified many archaeological traces. The fieldwalking activity continued during four agricultural seasons in which we took in consideration the distribution of the artefacts, the degree of damage inflicted to the area and the way the use of agricultural machinery was affecting an archaeological site. In order to confirm the presence of the archaeological content, the artefact distribution and the need to recover and protect the heritage, non-invasive investigations were performed, which proved the existence of a Eneolithic stronghold with three linear arranged 19 housing structures. As a result of this evaluation, it was proposed to carry out an archaeological survey in which the main objective was the research of a rectangular house. After removing the topsoil containing archaeological remains, was reached the archaeological level represented by the remnants of a burnt housing structure. The archaeological investigation started at the Hoisești-La Curmătura 1 led to the identification of some specific characteristics of the Eneolithic settlements with an area of less than one hectare located on minor watercourses and in the vicinity of some sources of liquid salt. In the same context, by recovering a batch of pottery fragments from the Middle Bronze Age, additions will be made regarding the occupation space and the connectivity in the central area of the Cracău-Bistrita Depression.

Lipid residues in ancient pastoralist pottery from Kazakhstan reveal regional differences in cooking practices

The Bronze Age—Iron Age transition in Central Asia (ca. 800 BCE) was a period of significant cultural change that was heavily influenced by greater population interaction and mobility. Indeed, scholars have increasingly emphasized the role that “food globalization in prehistory” has played in defining this period. In the mountain foothills of Kazakhstan, culinary traditions from across Eurasia were combined through the use of Southwest Asian wheat, barley, and livestock (cattle, sheep, and goats) with East Asian foxtail and broomcorn millets. The development of food cultures during this period has been investigated by archaeobotanical and isotopic analysis, yet lipid residues from pottery, which directly represent culinary practices, have not been adequately examined. In this study, lipid residue analysis was conducted on 72 pottery sherds, excavated from three burial mounds and one non-burial, ritual site located in Kazakhstan, dating to ca. 700–200 BCE. A particularly informative observation was the frequency of miliacin, a biomarker of broomcorn millet, detected in residues that corresponded well with previously published regional differences observed in carbon isotope ratios of human remains that indicate the consumption of C4 plants. This study also demonstrates continuity of Bronze Age dairying traditions into the Iron Age. Finally, this study sheds new light on the diversity of food cultures and mortuary practices in this region, which were not uniform across either space or time.

Petro-Archaeometric Study of Pre-Roman Pottery from the Archaeological Site of Bec Berciassa (Roccavione, Cuneo, North-West Italy): Technological Remarks from Petrographic Study of Tempers

The petro-archaeometric study of ceramics from the Rittatore excavations, Bec Berciassa archaeological site, was carried out on pottery sherds attributed to an older phase dating back to the Late Bronze Age. This collection represents a small sampling of pottery and the chronology of most of this material is homogeneously ascribable to a period between the 6th and the beginning of the 4th century BC (Iron Age). In addition to the archaeometric study, a geological survey highlighted the resources of the area potentially useful for the development of prehistoric communities, including resources that could be used for ceramic production. A thin section study under optical microscope distinguished five ceramic mixtures. They are mostly coarse-grained, hiatal, and serial-textured, calibrated with the addition of fillers. The fine matrix is homogeneous in composition, although with compositional variations in Fe2O3. Therefore, it is possible to hypothesise a single source of supply. The different types of filler can be traced back to minerals and rocks found outcropping within the basins of the Gesso and Vermenagna rivers and thus potentially present as pebbles in their beds. Calc-schists, sparitic calcite, magmatic rocks (granites and aplites), and sericite-schists have been used since the Bronze Age; quartz sandstones and quartzites are only present in Iron Age pottery. At a macroscopic level, all these filler agents are light in colour, tending to white, almost as if the colour and homogeneity of the geological material were a criterion of choice dictated more by tradition and know-how rather than by any particular technological choice.

9 A brief history of the BSA Museum Study Collection

The BSA Museum houses a study collection of artefacts donated to the BSA and collected by its members up to the 1960s. The collection provides a valuable resource for teaching and research, enabling scholars to gain first-hand familiarity with objects from a range of material types (including ceramics, metals, stone, terracotta) dating from the Neolithic through to the Late Byzantine period. The collection comprises some 4,000 individual artefacts and over 46,000 sherds of pottery, objects that have been displayed in different parts of the BSA premises over the past 130 years. Of the whole collection, various small sections have been published in the Annual of the BSA. What has been lacking, however, is a narrative about the museum itself: where its objects came from, who studied them, how the collection as a whole has been catalogued and organized. This paper tells that story: from the collection’s humble beginnings, with the first donation of just a few sherds in 1892, through to recently completed digitization and public engagement projects.