EAA 2023: Abstract

The earliest production and use of ceramic vessels in the western part of the Carpathian Basin, was introduced by the first farming communities. Their Starčevo-stlye pottery is characterised by a bonded technological tradition and design implemented in fairly uniform manner over a large geographic area. In the middle of the 54th century cal BC, various pottery styles were created and homogeneity was replaced by stylistic diversity, represented by the co-occurrence of Vinča, LBK and Ražište styles in southern Transdanubia. Our analyses, recently performed on pottery samples from several Transdanubian sites turned the spotlight from the swampy ground of chrono-typological debates towards the technology and the role that craftspeople played in the wider social network. The analysis of wear patterns and alteration, however, is an area that has not been fully exploited in our region. Pottery not only conveys the different traditions of potters' workshops, but also works as a versatile tool widely used in everyday life either as a whole earthen ware or a potsherd, thus incorporating a whole range of social activities. The function of a pot can also go beyond its primary function of storing and preparing food, and it can be exposed to various effects. In our study we intend to present traces left behind by users and recyclers from different regions and eras, deriving behavioral inferences. Our examinations of ceramic vessels from different sites revealed strikingly similar patterns of attrition, secondary modification, repair, and fragmentation in some cases, even though the vessels’ technology and design show considerable differences. In our presentation we provide a summary of these marks, and identify some standardized habits, which appear to span the conventional boundaries of archaeological cultures and phases.

Neolithic, pottery, use-alteration, Carpathian Basin

Oral presentation

  Abstract (PDF)

Janos Jakucs¹

Attila Kreiter²
Krisztián Oross¹
László Gucsi¹
Katarina Botić³
Tibor Marton¹