Ur- und Frühgeschichte und Archäologie des Mittelalters

Vinča Culture Ceramics: A Technological Approach

Silvia Rita Amicone

This paper focuses on the reconstruction of pottery making recipes and their transmission in the Neolithic/Chalcolithic sites of Belovode and Pločnik (c. 52004650 BC). These two Vinča culture sites are located respectively in North-East and South Serbia. Their rich material culture offers an opportunity for the study of the evolution of pottery and related craft technology during the transition of different phases of the Vinča culture.

In the study of ceramic, a material science-based approach has revealed enormous potential for the understanding of ancient technologies as it allows a degree of resolution that cannot be obtained with simpler macroscopic analyses; it also enables us to uncover patterns associated with the selection and provenance of raw materials as well as important aspects related to manufacturing processes, such as firing technology.

An interdisciplinary approach employing macro observation and analytical methods including thin section petrography, XRF, XRPD and SEM was applied to a wide selection of ceramic samples representing the full spectrum of pottery at Pločnik and Belovode in order to reconstruct and compare pottery recipes and their development in different phases that mark Vinča material culture in the two studied sites. This presentation will thus illustrate the potential of integrating material science perspectives into the study of pottery and how this can contribute to a better interpretation of the formation and transformation of pottery assemblages within communities on the Balkans during one of the most dynamic periods in the prehistory of Europe.