Insights into the raw materials and technology used to produce Copper Age ceramics in the Southern Carpathians (Romania)

An archaeometric study of early Copper Age pottery from a cave in Romania

“…The individual clay mineral and sometimes muscovite lamellae are difficult to separate visually due to a smooth transition caused by sintering (Figs 5a–d, 6a). The microchemistry of the clay mineral and muscovite forming the matrix of the Foeni sherds (Table 3) is comparable with data obtained for the Copper Age Coțofeni pottery found in the same cave (Giurgiu et al ., 2017). The clay mineral is illite-like and can be distinguished from muscovite (Fig.…”

“…Miocene illitic clays containing small amounts of montmorillonite cropping out towards the northeast of the cave were used for a younger pottery, namely Coțofeni (also from the Copper Age), found in the same cave (Giurgiu et al ., 2017). The use of the same raw material for the Coțofeni and Foeni pottery is supported by the X-ray elemental mapping (Fig.…”

“…2, Table 1) were too small to infer vessel typology. The sherds have a shiny appearance due to burnishing, either on the outer surface or on both outer and inner surfaces (Giurgiu et al ., 2015). All samples, except sherd sample CE-77, which is decorated by a ‘pattern burnish’, show so-called ‘plain burnishing’ covering the entire surface (see Ionescu et al ., 2015).…”

“…the late Neolithic Turdaș, the early Copper Age Foeni, the Copper Age Coțofeni and the Bronze Age Wietenberg), indicating a human presence from the late Neolithic to the Bronze Age. So far, only the pottery sherds attributed to the Copper Age Coțofeni culture have been studied (Giurgiu et al , 2017).

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“…The upper-right insert shows the position of the map within Romania. The image is modified from Giurgiu et al (2017). The map also shows the area of Miocene clays sampled by Giurgiu et al (2017) and the presumed location of pottery production in the Copper Age.…”