Pottery Technology at the Dawn of the Metal Age

Exploring Dynamics within Vinča Material Culture

Inbunden, Engelska, 2025

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This book investigates the reconstruction and transmission of pottery-making recipes at the Neolithic/Chalcolithic sites of Belovode and Pločnik (c. 5350/5300–4500), two key settlements of the Vinča culture located in northeast and south Serbia, respectively. Both sites have recently yielded some of the earliest known copper artefacts in Eurasia, making them exceptional case studies for exploring the evolution of ceramic technology during the transition to the Metal Age. An interdisciplinary methodology—combining macroscopic observations with a suite of analytical techniques including thin section petrography, XRF, XRPD, and SEM—was applied to a wide selection of ceramic samples. These samples span the full typological and technological spectrum of pottery from both sites, enabling the reconstruction and comparison of production recipes across different occupational phases. The study’s primary aim was to trace the transmission of technological knowledge in pottery production and to investigate potential pyrotechnological links with the emergence of early metallurgy. The results demonstrate the value of integrating materials science with archaeological inquiry. They reveal distinct technological choices and refined craftsmanship, offering fresh insights into the interplay between ceramic production and metallurgical innovation at the dawn of the Metal Age.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum2025-10-16
Mått205 x 290 x 17 mm
Vikt1 102 g
FormatInbunden
SpråkEngelska
Antal sidor178
FörlagArchaeopress
ISBN9781803278896

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Silvia Amicone is a lecturer and researcher at the University of Tübingen, where she focuses on the study of archaeomaterials through an interdisciplinary approach. She earned her PhD in archaeological science at University College London, where she is also an Honorary Research Associate at the UCL Institute of Archaeology. Her research combines material analysis with scientific and archaeological methods to understand the techniques and knowledge of ancient materials. She is also deeply engaged in experimental archaeology, reconstructing ceramic production processes to gain deeper insights into past technologies and craftsmanship. She directs and co-directs several international projects and has published in academic journals worldwide. In addition to her research, she contributes to the training of young scholars and the development of interdisciplinary collaborative initiatives. She currently serves as President of the Ceramic Petrology Group, further supporting the advancement of ceramic research and professional exchange in the field.

PrefaceChapter 1: IntroductionCeramic studies in the BalkansStructure of the bookChapter 2: Archaeological backgroundThe Late Neolithic and Chalcolithic in the BalkansThe origin of the Vinča phenomenon and its chronologyThe Gradac phase and the appearance of metallurgyVinča settlement and subsistenceBurial practice and the afterlifeMaterial cultureThe end of the Vinča cultureSummaryChapter 3: Environment and archaeology of the studied sitesBelovodePločnikRelative and absolute chronology of Belovode and PločnickChapter 4: Theoretical backgroundTechnology and society: a theoretical overviewChaîne opératoire and technological choicesTechnological changeCultural transmission theories and social learningMechanisms of cultural transmission in dual inheritance theoryUnits of cultural transmissionRecipes as units of transmissionThe role of material science in reconstructing recipesApplication to the present studyChapter 5: Materials and methodsInterdisciplinary approaches to Vinča ceramicsPyrotechnological connections: pottery and metallurgyMacroscopic classification and sampling strategyCompositional characterisationStatistical treatments of the WD-XRF dataEstimation of firing temperatures and pyrotechnologyGeological prospection and raw material analysisChapter 6: Results of pottery macroscopic analysis – Belovode and PločnikBelovode - pottery types by horizonBelovode - macroscopic technological characterisation of potteryPločnik - pottery types by horizonPločnik - macroscopic technological characterisati-on of potteryChapter 7: Results of the archaeometric analysis - BelovodeResults of the XRPD and SEM analysesCharacterisation of the raw materialsDiscussionSummaryChapter 8: Results of the archaeometric analysis - PločnikResults of the compositional analysesResults of the XRPD and SEM analysesCharacterisation of the raw materialsDiscussionSummaryChapter 9: Discussion of the ResultsCeramic production technologyOrganisation of productionPottery circulationSummaryChapter 10: ConclusionsCultural Transmission in Vinča material culturePottery-making recipes: continuity in changeConnecting pyrotechnologies: new perspectivesSimilarities and diversity within Vinča material cultureFinal remarksBibliography