Identifying the chaîne opératoire of prehistoric clay figurines using experimental archeology and imaging methods

Abstract

This paper reports the use of experimental archaeology and imaging methods-X-ray computed tomography (CT) and radiography-that were employed to decipher the manufacturing techniques of Eneolithic clay artefacts. This study was triggered by the archaeological research conducted in some tell settlements in Southeastern Romania that belong to the Kodjadermen-Gumelniţa-Karanovo VI culture (c. 4500-3900 BC). The findings reported here represent the first accounts of a recently started research project, which has as its main goal the re-creation of Eneolithic clay artefacts and the identification of the chaîne opératoire used for manufacturing these objects. In particular, X-ray imaging techniques were used as complementary methods to help understand the structure of intact Eneolithic artefacts. In a subsequent step of this research, these techniques will be employed to check for similarities between the archaeological items and modern pottery replicas created in experimental archaeology workshops.

Between Object and Subject

“…For the experimental replication of the anthropomorphic pot from Sultana-Malu Rosu, we applied the methods and protocols developed by our team and previously published (Ignat et al 2017;. Generally, this kind of approach could offer us essential data about the invisible elements of the past, regarding the technological process (e.g., chaîne opératoire employed in making these prehistoric clay items), which are not identified in the archaeological excavation (Lazar 2015).…”

“…The interpretation of the XCT images was made according to the methodology developed in the latest studies that involved the analysis of archaeological clay artefacts by XCT-images (Kahl, Ramminger 2012;Green et al 2017;Ignat et al 2017;Kozatsas et al 2018;Manea et al 2019;Park et al 2019).…”

“…The main goal is to decipher the manufacturing process of such vessels, the possible way of using them, and their implied meanings. The use of multiple approaches is very effective, as demonstrated by our previously published studies (Ignat et al 2017;Manea et al 2019).…”

Looking beyond appearances: a multi-analytical approach on the prehistoric clay weights

“…The experimental replication of the archaeological clay weights involved the methods and protocols developed by our team [21] in order to reconstruct the manufacturing process and associated technological components (e.g., gathering of raw materials, paste preparation, drying and firing methods). Data recording was made with standard registration forms, including the typological, metrical, and contextual information also recorded for archaeological artifacts, along with technical (the number of persons involved in the experiment, the quantity of raw material used, etc.…”

“…For the interpretation of the imaging data obtained on the investigated artifacts, we followed the recent recommendations for interpreting X-ray images [26], coupled with our previous experience in the field [21,27].…”