Ceramic Petrography

Etudes céramiques du rempart de plateau de Vix - Bardel, Moreau, Kasprzyk 2011 -

by Bardel David

Bardel et al. 2011 : BARDEL (D.), MOREAU (C.), KASPRZYK (M.) – Etude de la céramique néolithique, protohistorique et antique du rempart de plateau Saint-Marcel. In : CHAUME (B.), MORDANT (C.).(éd.) — Le complexe aristocratique de Vix. Nouvelles recherches sur l'habitat, le système de fortification et l’environnement du mont Lassois. Dijon : éditions universitaires dijonnaises(Art, archéologie et patrimoine), 201, p. 235 – 288.

Preliminary report of Middle Bronze Age ceramic analyses from Százhalombatta

by Attila Kreiter

Kreiter A. 2005. Preliminary report of Middle Bronze Age ceramic analyses from Százhalombatta. In Poroszlai, I. – Vicze, M. (eds.) Emergence of European Communities Archaeological Research Report. Százhalombatta archaeological expedition annual report 2. 187-194.

Analysis of Early and Middle Bronze Age Storage Vessel Building Techniques from Hungary

by Attila Kreiter

Kreiter, A., Sofaer, J., Budden, S. 2006. Analysis of Early and Middle Bronze Age Storage Vessel Building Techniques from Hungary, Ősrégészeti Levelek/ Prehistoric Newsletters, 6, 85-91.

This paper discusses the techniques used to build storage vessels in the Early and Middle Bronze Age Nagyrév, Vatya,... more This paper discusses the techniques used to build storage vessels in the Early and Middle Bronze Age Nagyrév, Vatya, Kisapostag, Encrusted Pottery, Ottomány, Gyulavarsánd, Füzesabony and Tumulus ceramic traditions. In all cases, slab building was identified as an important method of construction, although techniques involving paddle and anvil, and coil construction were also recognised.

Technological choices and material meanings in Early and Middle Bronze Age Hungary: understanding the active role of material culture through ceramic analysis

by Attila Kreiter

Technological choices and material meanings in Early and Middle Bronze Age Hungary: understanding the active role of material culture through ceramic analysis. PhD thesis, University of Southampton, School of Humanities, UK

This thesis was also published:
Kreiter, A. 2007. Technological choices and material meanings in Early and Middle Bronze Age Hungary: understanding the active role of material culture through ceramic analysis. BAR International Series 1604. Oxford: Archaeopres

This thesis examines the relationship between technology and social organisation. The primary research site is the... more This thesis examines the relationship between technology and social organisation. The primary research site is the Nagyrév and Vatya tell settlement of Százhalombatta, Hungary. In order to
gain the widest possible picture about technological change and continuity the results of the investigation of Százhalombatta are compared with the ceramic technologies of other equally important Early and Middle Bronze Age communities. The chronological position of these sites makes it possible to investigate change and continuity in ceramic technology through time and to examine possible similarities or differences representative of a particular settlement, group of people or a particular period.
In pottery studies understandings of technology are often seen as limited as a result of functional and environmental constraints. There is little space for explanations of technology as stylistic expression. Through the concept of technological style, this thesis aims to break boundaries between the functional and social nature of technology and argues that the two are inseparable and that together they form a culturally accepted product. The concept of technological style
incorporates material selection, preparation and manufacturing and highlights the relationship between technology, manufacturing sequences and social production. Technological tradition and
change are investigated through macroscopic and ceramic petrological analyses. It is considered that in the process of material culture production technological choices are not only constitutive
towards an end product but complex, dynamic constructions that involve social strategies.
It is argued that Bronze Age social relations were maintained through material culture production. Ceramic technology and shared technological choices can be viewed as a process that
binds people together. Potters, and consumers, are seen to have a shared understanding of ceramic technological practices and how a culturally accepted vessel should be made. This approach calls into question the spatial boundedness of archaeological cultures and major historical processes such as migration, diffusion and acculturation, traditional to Hungarian approaches.

Ceramic technology and social process in Late Neolithic Hungary

by Attila Kreiter

Kreiter, A. – Szakmány, Gy. – Kázmér, M. 2009. Ceramic technology and social process in Late Neolithic Hungary. In Quinn, P. (Ed.) Interpreting silent artefacts: petrographic approaches to archaeological ceramics. Oxford: Oxbow. 101-119

By means of ceramic petrography this paper examines technological aspects of Late Neolithic Lengyel Culture ceramics... more By means of ceramic petrography this paper examines technological aspects of Late Neolithic Lengyel Culture ceramics from three settlements in southern Hungary and considers their implications in terms of social complexity. The petrography of several vessel types is compared in order to assess possible similarities and differences in manufacturing technology at the Neolithic settlements. The results
show that there are extensive ceramic technological similarities between the sites, particularly within some cups, mugs, bowls and jars. It seems that not only was it important that these vessels should look similar, but that they were made in a similar manner. These findings indicate that potters at the three different sites had similar
understanding of the properties of raw materials and also had a high degree of common knowledge and a similar approach to the fabrication of these vessels. The technological similarity between some of the cups, mugs, jars and bowls suggests that they were
specialised products and their production may have been standardised. Other pottery styles such as pedestalled bowls and storage or cooking vessels, exhibit differences in technological practice between similar vessel types, suggesting the existence of intrasite technological traditions.

Előzetes tanulmány Belvárdgyula-Szarkahegy (M60-as gyorsforgalmi út 98. sz. lelőhely) késő neolitikus (Lengyel kultúra) településről származó kerámiák petrográfiai vizsgálatáról – Preliminary study on the petrographical investigation of Late Neolithic pottery from Belvárdgyula-Szarkahegy

by Attila Kreiter

Kreiter, A. – Szakmány, Gy. 2008. Előzetes tanulmány Belvárdgyula-Szarkahegy (M60-as gyorsforgalmi út 98. sz. lelőhely) késő neolitikus (Lengyel kultúra) településről származó kerámiák petrográfiai vizsgálatáról – Preliminary study on the petrographical investigation of Late Neolithic pottery from Belvárdgyula-Szarkahegy. Archeometriai Műhely/Archaeometry Workshop, 3, 65-74. (the article is in Hungarian with English abstract)

The aim of this paper is to provide the results of a preliminary investigation into the ceramic technology of the... more The aim of this paper is to provide the results of a preliminary investigation into the ceramic technology of the Lengyel culture from Belvárdgyula-Szarkahegy, Hungary. By the means of macroscopic and petrographic analysis the technology of different vessel types is compared in order to assess possible similairities and differences in their manufacturing. The results of the analysis are compared with the results of other Lengyel culture settelments from Szemely-Hegyes and Zengővárkony that are situated within the same geographical area. At Belvárdgyula a relationship between vessel types and technological practices was observed in that consumption vessels have very fine fabrics and household wares usually have a much coarser fabrics. In assessing the fabric groups it seems that the raw materials of the different vessel types are very similar although potters treated them differently, for example through levigation and different types of tempering. There also seems to be a relationship between painting and vessel types in that only consumption wares are painted and coarse wares are not. The most common temper is clay pellet or argillaceous rock fragments that are
characteristic for both consumption and household wares. The implication of the results from Belvárdgyula becomes more clear when the technological practices are compared between the sites. In the three sites many similarities can be recognized in technological practices. The most striking similarity is that the consumption
wares not only look similar typologically but the technology of most of the examined vessels seems identical (very fine, probably levigated clay, slab building, firing under fully reduced circumstances). A fundamental difference between the sites is that at Zengővárkony coarse tempering appears among the consumption wares
while this type of tempering among consumption wares is not present at Szemely, and at Belvárdgyula coarse tempering is also characteristic for household wares. A further difference between the sites is that at Szemely the use of grog for tempering is common, but this practice was not observed at Zengővárkony and Belvárdgyula. In
the latter site, instead clay pellets and/or argillacecous rock fragments seem to be the main temper. Another interesting feature of the technological comparison is that organic tempering was present at Szemely but could not be observed at Zengővárkony and Belvárdgyula. The results clearly show that within consumption wares not only was it important that they should look similar, but it was also required to make them in a similar manner. Alongside the technological similarities the observed differences also show that within similar vessel types, mainly within household wares, potters used different recipes.

Petrographic analysis of Körös ceramics from Méhtelek–Nádas

by Attila Kreiter

Kreiter, A. – Szakmány, Gy. 2011. Petrographic analysis of Körös ceramics from Méhtelek–Nádas. In Kalicz, N. with a contribution by Attila Kreiter and György Szakmány. Méhtelek. The first excavated site of theMéhtelek group of the Early Neolithic Körös culture in the Carpathian Basin. BAR S2321, Archaeolingua Central European Series 6. 113-130. Budapest: Archaeolingua

Méhtelek lies in the easternmost corner of County Szabolcs-Szatmár (Carpathians, eastern Hungary). The importance of... more Méhtelek lies in the easternmost corner of County Szabolcs-Szatmár (Carpathians, eastern Hungary). The importance of this archaeological site is manifold. The finds from the 1973 excavation and the fresh archaeological information provided by the site confirmed earlier speculations that the broader region had been part of the Early Neolithic world. The finds enabled the separation of the Méhtelek group, a variant of the Körös culture of the Alföld (the Hungarian Plain), as well as the precise cultural and chronological attribution of several assemblages of stray finds, which had earlier simply been classified as Neolithic, to the Méhtelek group of the Alföld Körös culture. Assemblages related to or identical with the finds from Méhtelek came to light in the north-easterly region of the Alföld (principally in County Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg) and in the neighbouring regions of Romania and the Ukraine. Although the number of known sites is low, the currently known fourteen sites outline the boundaries of the group’s distribution. The number of sites will undoubtedly increase in the future. Owing to various technical and other reasons, many decades have elapsed between the site’s excavation and the publication of the final report on the Méhtelek site and its finds. No more than a few preliminary and incomplete reports have been published to date, some of them leading to misunderstandings and erroneous conclusions. The time is more than ripe for the publication of this report.

The aim of this paper is to assess the ceramic technological practices of the Körös culture settlement at Méhtelek-Nádas in northeast Hungary. By means of ceramic petrographic analysis the technology of several vessel types and figurines are compared in order to assess possible similarities and differences in their manufacturing technology and raw materials. The ceramic technological results are compared with the data from previous studies on Neolithic pottery in general, and with Early Neolithic pottery traditions in particular.

Crafting difference: Early Neolithic (Körös culture) ceramic traditions in north-east Hungary

by Attila Kreiter

Kreiter, A. 2010. Crafting difference: Early Neolithic (Körös culture) ceramic traditions in north-east Hungary. In Kozłowski, J. K. – Raczky, P. Neolithization of the Carpathian Basin: northernmost distribution of the Starčevo/Körös culture. Karaków: Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences – Budapest: Institute of Archaeological Sciences of the Eötvös Loránd University. 177-193.

The aim of this paper is to assess and compare the ceramic technological practices of the Körös culture settlements in... more The aim of this paper is to assess and compare the ceramic technological practices of the Körös culture settlements in Ibrány, Méhtelek-Nádas and Nagykörü-Tsz.-Gyümölcsös in north-east Hungary. By means of ceramic petrographic analysis this paper examines the technological aspects of Körös culture ceramics. The technology of several vessel types is compared in order to assess possible similarities and differences in their manufacturing technology. The results are compared with the data from previous studies on Neolithic pottery in order to situate the results of this study in a wider archaeological context and provide a better understanding of Neolithic ceramic traditions. In this study possible patterns in technological choices are assessed. It will be explored whether there are technological choices that show consistency, and are reproduced through time and space within each examined settlement. Possible technological patterns, which were practiced consistently, are viewed as the outcome of a technological tradition. If technological differences can be identified, and is seen as distinctive to a specific settlement, then it follows that by comparing several technological traditions within the Körös culture it may be possible to distinguish between the different social dynamics of Neolithic communities. If similar technological patterns are recognizable between the examined settlements, then it indicates the existence of a complex social relationship between the communities.

Technology and Craft

by Attila Kreiter

Sofaer, J. – Bech, J.H. – Budden, B. – Choyke, A. – Eriksen, B. V. – Horváth, T. – Kovács, G. – Kreiter, A. – Mühlenbock, C. – Stika, H. P. 2010. Chapter 7. Technology and Craft. In T. Earle and K. Kristiansen (eds). Organizing Bronze Age societies: the Mediterranean, Central Europe, and Scandinavia compared. Cambridge University Press. 185–217

A dunántúli mészbetétes kultúra kerámiáinak petrográfiai vizsgálata, és az inkrusztáció összetételének meghatározása röntgen por diffrakciós vizsgálattal Mernye–Nagy-ároktól északra lelőhelyről – Petrographic analysis of ceramics of the Transdanubian Encrusted Pottery culture and the determination of the composition of encrustation by X-ray powder diffraction from the site of Mernye-Nagy-árok

by Attila Kreiter

Kreiter, A. – Tóth, M. 2010. A dunántúli mészbetétes kultúra kerámiáinak petrográfiai vizsgálata, és az inkrusztáció összetételének meghatározása röntgen por diffrakciós vizsgálattal Mernye–Nagy-ároktól északra lelőhelyről – Petrographic analysis of ceramics of the Transdanubian Encrusted Pottery culture and the determination of the composition of encrustation by X-ray powder diffraction from the site of Mernye-Nagy-árok. In. Kvassay, J. (Szerk./ed.) Évkönyv és jelentés a K.Ö.SZ. 2008. évi feltárásairól – Field Service for Cultural Heritage 2008 Yearbook and review of archaeological investigations. Budapest: Kulturális Örökségvédelmi Szakszolgálat. 299-319. (the article is bilingual, Hungarian/English)

The analyses and description of ceramic technology through interdisciplinary methods are gaining more and more ground... more The analyses and description of ceramic technology through interdisciplinary methods are gaining more and more ground in Hungarian archaeology. The aim of this study is to increase the number of ceramic interdisciplinary studies and to gain insight into the production technology of Bronze Age ceramics contributing towards a better understanding of the relationship between ceramic raw materials and technological tradition. Another objective of the study is to examine encrustations. Fourteen Encrusted Pottery culture ceramics from a grave were examined by the means of microscopic and petrographic analyses. We also attempted to determine the composition of eleven encrustations by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD).

Kerámiavizsgálat - Ceramic analysis

by Attila Kreiter

Kreiter, A. 2010. Kerámiavizsgálat. In Pető, Á – Kreiter, A. (Szerk.) Mikroszkóppal a régészet szolgálatában. A Kulturális Örökségvédelmi Szakszolgálat Alkalmazott Természettudományos Laboratóriumában végzett természet- és környezettudományos vizsgálatok bemutatása – Ceramic anaylsis. In Pető, Á – Kreiter, A. (Eds.) Archaeology under the microscope. Introduction to interdisciplinary research in the Laboratory of Applied Research of the Field Service for Cultural Heritage. KÖSZ Tudományos-népszerűsítő füzetei 2. Budapest: Kulturális Örökségvédelmi Szakszolgálat. 66-77. (the article is in Hungarian)

A Baden kultúra kerámiáinak makroszkópos és petrográfiai vizsgálata – Macroscopic and petrographic analysis of the pottery of the Baden culture

by Attila Kreiter

Kreiter, A. 2009. A Baden kultúra kerámiáinak makroszkópos és petrográfiai vizsgálata – Macroscopic and petrographic analysis of the pottery of the Baden culture. In Kvassay, J. (szerk./ed.) Település- és temetőfeltárás Dunaszentgyörgy határában. A 6 sz. főút 121+650 – 124+800 km szakasza között, a rehabilitációs munkálatokat megelőző régészeti feltárások (2007) eredményei. VIA. Kulturális Örökségvédelmi Kismonográfiák 1. Monographia Minor in Cultural Heritage, 1. Budapest: Kulturális Örökségvédelmi Szakszolgálat. 41-59. (the article is bilingual, Hungarian/English)

In this study twenty-three samples were selected from Late Copper Age (Baden culture) pottery for macroscopic and... more In this study twenty-three samples were selected from Late Copper Age (Baden culture) pottery for macroscopic and petrographic analysis. Based on the typological study of the ceramic material, the vessel types under study are dated mainly to the later phase of the Classical Baden period and the Late Baden period (Baden III-IV). Since we have a very limited knowledge about the ceramic technology of the Baden culture, these analyses will provide important information on manufacturing techniques, building techniques, the raw material of pottery and the tempers used.

Kora vaskori korongolt kerámia a Kárpát-medencében – Early Iron Age wheel-turned pottery in the Carpathian Basin

by Attila Kreiter

Czifra, Sz. – Kreiter, A. – Széles, É. – Tóth, M. – Viktorik, O. 2011. Kora vaskori korongolt kerámia a Kárpát-medencében – Early Iron Age wheel-turned pottery in the Carpathian Basin. Archaeometriai Műhely/Archaeometry Workshop 8(3), 235-250

Along the M31 Motorway at Nagytarcsa−Urasági-dűlő amongst other periods an Early Iron Age settlement section was... more Along the M31 Motorway at Nagytarcsa−Urasági-dűlő amongst other periods an Early Iron Age settlement section was excavated. Wheel-made wares, represented amongst the finds from the Scythian period of the settlement, directed our attention to the problems concerning Early Iron Age wheel-made pottery. Forty-four sherds were selected from the ceramic material of the settlement, which were examined by the usual typological methods of archaeology and were also submitted for microscopic and petrographic analysis. Ceramic analyses were also supplemented by petrographic analysis of sediments, which were collected at the site. Three sherds, characteristic of the Vekerzug culture (a wheel-made biconical pot or plate; a hand-built bowl with inverted rim; and a hand-built barrel-shaped pot), were examined by LA-ICP-MS and XRD analyses to identify possible connections and variations between the raw materials and tempers in the different ceramic types. One of the aims of our analyses was to determine the provenance of the ceramics and to assess whether the technological characteristics postulate the former existence of specialized workshop at the site, since wheel-made wares required distinctive technological knowledge.

Kerámiák petrográfiai vizsgálata - Petrographic analysis of ceramics

by Attila Kreiter

Kreiter, A. – Viktorik, O. 2012 (in press) Kerámiák petrográfiai vizsgálata. In Mészáros, O. Vác – Piac utca: A középkori Vác német városrészének régészeti feltárásat- Vác – Piac utca: the excavation of the German part of Medieval Vác. VIA Kulturális örökségvédelmi kismonográfiák. Budapest: Magyar Nemzeti Múzeum

Tiszai és lengyeli kultúra kerámiáinak petrográfiai vizsgálata Aszód-Papi földek lelőhelyről, valamint a összehasonlítása helyi üledékekkel – Petrographic analysis of Tisza and Lengyel culture ceramics from the site at Aszód-Papi földek and their comparison with local sediments

by Attila Kreiter

Kreiter, A. – Viktorik, O. 2012 (in press) Tiszai és lengyeli kultúra kerámiáinak petrográfiai vizsgálata Aszód-Papi földek lelőhelyről, valamint a összehasonlítása helyi üledékekkel – Petrographic analysis of Tisza and Lengyel culture ceramics from the site at Aszód-Papi földek and their comparison with local sediments. In Kalicz, N. – Siklósi, Zs. – Kovács, K. (szerk.): Aszód–Papi földek késő neolitikus lelőhely: kapcsolat kelet és nyugat között.

Archaeometric investigation of Celtic graphitic pottery from two archaeological sites in Hungary

by Attila Kreiter

Havancsák I. – Bajnóczi B. – Tóth M. – Kreiter A. – Szöllősi Sz 2012 (in press). Archaeometric investigation of Celtic graphitic pottery from two archaeological sites in Hungary. In Martinon-Torres, M. (Ed.). From Craft to Science. Proceedings of the 9th European Meeting on Ancient Ceramics (EMAC '09) London, UK, 10-13 September 2009

The use of graphite has a prominent role in pottery making during the La Tène period. The term “graphitic ware” is... more The use of graphite has a prominent role in pottery making during the La Tène period. The term “graphitic ware” is commonly used for situla-like pots. Extended trade in Celtic times is evidenced by the widespread occurrence of graphite-bearing ceramics, far away from restricted graphite sources.
Graphite-bearing and non-graphitic ceramics were investigated from two Celtic sites, Dunaszentgyörgy 6.sz. főút (LT B2-C1) and Bátaszék-Körtvélyes dűlő (LT D) in South Hungary.
The aim of the research was to compare the characteristics of the graphitic raw material as well as the host vessels found at the two sites and to provide a preliminarily outline about the possible provenance of graphite.
Graphitic ceramics from Dunaszentgyörgy and Bátaszék contain graphite fragments and clasts of graphitic paragneiss. Graphitic rocks with sillimanite and kyanite cannot be found in outcrops in the territory of Hungary. According to the mineralogical composition, the potential source for graphitic (para)gneiss found in the Dunaszentgyörgy and Bátaszék ceramics can be restricted to the Variegated unit of the Moldanubicum zone.

A Neolitikum Kronológiai Kérdései Becsehely-Bükkaljai-dűlő lelőhelyen – Chronological questions of the Neolithic at Becsehely-Bükkaljai-dűlő

by Attila Kreiter

Kalicz, N. – Kreiter, A. – Kreiter, E. – Tokai, Z. M 2012 (in press). A Neolitikum Kronológiai Kérdései Becsehely-Bükkaljai-dűlő lelőhelyen – Chronological questions of the Neolithic at Becsehely-Bükkaljai-dűlő. In MOMOS-Őskoros Kutatók IV. Összejövetele, 2006. (the article is in Hungarian with English abstract)

Bronzkori kerámiák technológiai vizsgálata Százhalombatta-Földvárról – Examination of Bronze Age ceramic technology from Százhalombatta-Földvár, Hungary

by Attila Kreiter

Kreiter, A. 2012 (in press). Bronzkori kerámiák technológiai vizsgálata Százhalombatta-Földvárról – Examination of Bronze Age ceramic technology from Százhalombatta-Földvár, Hungary. In MOMOS-Őskoros Kutatók IV. Összejövetele, 2006. (the article is in Hungarian with English abstract)

The aim of this study is to examines the relationship between ceramic technology and chronology through the case study... more The aim of this study is to examines the relationship between ceramic technology and chronology through the case study of the Nagyrév and Vatya Bronze Age tell settlement at Százhalombatta, Hungary. In the Hungarian archaeological tradition research often focuses upon vessel shape and decoration. Form and decoration are then used to establish typological categories. Artefact types are viewed as chronological indices marking a phase or period within a given cultural group.
In order to assess the relationship between material culture and chronology, in addition to their form and decoration, their manufacturing technology also needs to be assessed. In pottery studies technology is often considered as limited by functional and environmental constraints. As opposed to this view this paper considers technology as a social phenomenon and highlights the relationship between manufacturing sequences and technological tradition.
By the means of ceramic petrological analysis this study establishes a strong relationship between the Nagyrév and Vatya periods at Százhalombatta in terms of technological practices and argues for the continuity and complex relationship between them. The strength of tradition depends on the reproduction of people’s social and technical knowledge through time and it seems that Nagyrév and Vatya potters had similar conceptions of how technological tradition should be maintained. This implies common social networks and common perceptions of the reproduction of material culture. The technological similarities between the Nagyrév and Vatya at Százhalombatta indicate their common cultural tradition.

A balatonszárszói neolit korú kerámia leletegyüttes archeometriai vizsgálata – Archaeometric investigation of Neolithic ceramics from Balatonszárszó

by Attila Kreiter

Zsók, I. – Szakmány, Gy. – Kreiter, A. – Marton, T. 2012. A balatonszárszói újkőkori leletegyüttes archeometriai vizsgálata – Archaeometric analysis of Neolithic ceramics from Balatonszárszó. In Kreiter, A. – Pető, Á. – Tugya, B. (szerk): Környezet –Ember –Kultúra: az alkalmazott természettudományok és a régészet párbeszéde - Environment–Human–Culture. Dialogue between applied sciences and archaeology. Budapest: Magyar Nemzeti Múzeum, 411-422. (the article is in Hungarian with English abstract)

This study provides the result of an archaeometric analysis on Linear Pottery (LBK) culture ceramics from... more This study provides the result of an archaeometric analysis on Linear Pottery (LBK) culture ceramics from Balatonszárszó –
Kis-erdei dűlő. Representative samples were examined by macroscopic, petrographic and X-ray powder diffraction methods. One-hundred and sixty-four ceramic samples were selected for petrographic study from which twelve samples were submitted for X-ray powder diffraction analysis. The aim of the study is to assess possible technological similarities or differences in the subsequent archaeological phases of the Linear Pottery Culture that can be identifi ed by the ceramic petrological method. At Balatonszárszó fi ve main phases of the Linear Pottery Culture were distinguished archaeologically and fi nds of the Sopot culture also came to light, from which representative samples were also included in the analyses. For the comparison of ceramics the qualitative and quantitative differences of non-plastic inclusions in the ceramic raw materials were assessed and the characteristics of the ceramic fabrics were also described. The macroscopic and petrographic analyses were supplemented by X-ray diffraction analysis in order to examine the very fi ne-grained composition of the ceramics and also to gain information on fi ring temperatures. In considering the archaeological phases at the site the variability in ceramic technology has increased towards the younger phases of the settlement. That is, technological variability has increased through time, which refl ected in the wider selection of local raw materials and tempers. The most common tempering practice through the archaeological phases, except for the Sopot culture ceramics, was the use of vegetal material. Vegetal tempering was utilized for calcareous and non-calcareous raw materials. In the second phase very fi ne-grained ceramics without tempering also appeared and this raw material has remained in use and increased towards the younger phases. In the second phase
a calcareous, but more sandy raw material also appeared with the traditional method of vegetal tempering. In the third phase, apart from the previous raw materials, a calcareous one without vegetal tempering became in use just as very fi ne to fi ne-grained raw materials also without vegetal tempering. In phase four the technological variability decresead, which change is also refl ected in the typological variability in this phase. Phase fi ve shows the highest technological variability when vegetal tempering remained in use although its utilisation has decreased.
The results show that phase one shows the least ceramic technological variability, which is a characteristic phenomena since similar practice was observed at other Hungarian Neolithic sites. Thus, the earliest ceramic technologies show little technological variability and potters used restricted number of raw materials and tempered them with vegetal material. The most consistent ceramic technological pattern at the site is vegetal tempering, which appears in all raw materials and vessel types and no relationship can be identifi ed between raw materials, vessel types and vegetal tempering. This result is in correlation with other Neolithic studies carried out in Hungary and also outside of Hungary. Potters of the Sopot culture also used local calcareous and non-calcareous raw materials but their ceramic technology was different from the Linear Pottery Culture in that the number of vegetal-tempered ceramics has considerably decreased and possible tempering with argillaceous rock fragments appeared. The decrease in vegetal tempering at Balatonszárszó is in complete agreement with other ceramic technological studies showing that towards the Middle Neolithic vegetal tempering indeed decreased and it has disappered in the Late Neolithic. The results of X-ray powder diffraction show that the fi ring temperatrure of the examined samples was not above ~750 – 800°C.

Kelta kerámiák petrográfiai, XRF, SEM-EDS és CL vizsgálatainak eredményei Bátaszék – Körtvélyes-dűlő lelőhelyről - Petrographic, XRF, SEM-EDS and CL analyses of Celtic ceramics from Bátaszék – Körtvélyes-dűlő

by Attila Kreiter

Pánczél, P. – Kreiter, A. – Szakmány, Gy. 2012 Kelta kerámiák petrográfiai, XRF, SEM-EDS és CL vizsgálatainak eredményei Bátaszék – Körtvélyes-dűlő lelőhelyről - Petrographic, XRF, SEM-EDS and CL analyses of Celtic ceramics from Bátaszék – Körtvélyes-dűlő. In Kreiter, A. – Pető, Á. – Tugya, B. (szerk): Környezet –Ember –Kultúra: az alkalmazott természettudományok és a régészet párbeszéde - Environment–Human–Culture. Dialogue between applied sciences and archaeology. Budapest: Magyar Nemzeti Múzeum, 397-410. (the article is in Hungarian with English abstract)

In this study an archaeometric investigation is carried out on Celtic non-graphitic ceramics from Bátaszék –... more In this study an archaeometric investigation is carried out on Celtic non-graphitic ceramics from Bátaszék – Körtvélyes-dűlő (also known as Bátaszék – Kálvária-domb). The aim of this study is to characterise the raw materials, in particular the non-plastic inclusions of the ceramics and also to establish the possible provenance of ceramic raw materials. It is also aimed at assessing the production technology of the different vessel types and examining possible relationships between raw materials, tempers and vessel types. By the means of archaeometric analyses we would like to provide an insight in the organisation and mode of Celtic ceramic production. In this study one-hundred and twenty-one ceramic samples and four potential local raw materials were examined by petrographic analysis in details. By the means of X-ray fl uorescence spectroscopy (XRF) the geochemical characteristics of ceramics and local raw materials are assessed. Cathodoluminescence microscopy (CL) was applied to analyse the non-plastic inclusions utilised for tempering the vessels. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM-EDS) was also used to determine the mineral phases observed in CL. The ceramics were grouped according to their non-plastic components revealed by petrographic analysis. The main non-plastic inclusions of the ceramics are quartz (mono- and polycrystalline), feldspar (potash and plagioclase), mica (muscovite and biotite), calcareous inclusions and granitic fragments. Petrographic analysis revealed that the raw materials of the ceramics were very similar. They differ in that one group of
coarse ceramics were tempered with sand that contained granitic fragments while another group of coarse ceramics were tempered with crushed granitic rock fragments. Tempering material was not observed in very fi ne-grained ceramics. The petrographic composition of local sediments agreed well with that of the nonplastic components of the ceramics. The petrographic results were also underlined by the main and trace
element composition of the ceramics and local sediments. A more detailed analysis of non-plastic inclusions by CL showed that the raw materials used for tempering the ceramics have similar luminosity to that type of inclusions in the local sediments. According to the Scanning Electron Microscopic analysis the composition of mineral phases with similar luminosity in the ceramics and local sediments were similar. The results suggest that the ceramics were most probably locally made from local raw materials although specialization could be
identifi ed in the very fi ne-grained wheel made vessels and in the case of granitic-tempered wheel made and handmade vessels.