Archaeometrical analysis of Neolithic pottery from the Divača region, Slovenia

Abstract

The results of the mineralogical and chemical analyses of pottery from the Neolithic period from the Divača region are presented. Pottery samples from two rock shelters, i.e. Mala Triglavca and Trhlovca, were included in the analyses, as well as sediment samples from other rock shelters, caves and rivers around this area. The mineralogical and chemical composition of the ceramic is uniform in most of the samples; the differences between the clay pastes of the vessels are in the use of a tempering material, mostly calcite grains. The sediment samples, especially from the cave deposits, point to a local production of the Neolithic pottery on the Karst plateau.

Continuity and Innovation in Pottery Technology: The Karst Region (North-East Italy) from Neolithic to Early Bronze Age

“…159), whose typology is not typical of the Vlaška Culture, is similar to the previous ones, but it additionally contains a grog fragment and a fossil, probably an echinoid fragment. The calcite was probably obtained by grinding speleothems, which are very common in the Karst environment where the archaeological sites-all caves-are located [15,66,67]. Given the excellent preservation of the calcite [68], it is reasonable to infer firing temperatures below 700 • C for the majority of the pottery, as previously suggested for other Danilo-Vlaška ceramics analyzed in the past [15,66,67].…”

“…This imbalance, together with quite precise comparisons with Danilo pottery, might have led to the hypothesis of local production versus importation: a hypothesis that the results of our analyses would essentially question. On the other hand, previous analyses of rare artifacts culturally linked to the Dalmatian coast and the Danilo Culture, such as rhyta [66,67], had already indicated a mineralogical composition very similar to that of the much more common vasi a coppa, suggesting a shared local origin.…”

“…At present, determining whether the mineralogical and petrographic uniformity observed in the majority of analyzed LCA ceramics stems solely from technological advancements compared to Neolithic production remains challenging. It is plausible that certain studied potsherds were not locally produced, considering the presence of components less commonly found in the Karst area (i.e., muscovite, flint, and metamorphic rock fragments) [15,66,67]. However, arriving at definitive conclusions would require a more extensive dataset, including an analysis of the chemical composition of both artifacts and natural raw materials.…”