Why not let them rest in pieces? Grog‐temper, its provenance and social meanings of recycled ceramics in the Baltic Sea region (2900–2300 BCE)

Abstract

Ceramic recycling, that is, using discarded ceramics as raw materials in manufacturing, occurs sporadically in ceramic technologies worldwide. Adding pre-fired, crushed ceramic fragments, known as grog or chamotte, to clay can improve the manufacturing process and product performance (e.g., thermal-shock resistance). In ethnographic ceramic traditions, ceramic recycling also conveys various social meanings relating to identity, kinship and ancestry. However, 'foreign'origin grog complicates scientific provenancing of archaeological ceramic fabrics. This study investigates the geochemical discrimination of grog and grogtempered Corded Ware Culture pottery (c.2900-2300 BCE), and the possible social signals produced by ceramic recycling in the Baltic Sea region.