Pottery Manufacturing Centers from Early Nomadic Burials in the Western European Steppe Based on Mineralogical and Geochemical Approaches
摘要
The technological features of early nomad pottery from the archeological sites of the Early Iron Age located in the Dniester basin were studied using mineralogical and geochemical methods. To find out the possible centers of manufacturing pottery from the early nomad burials of the Carpathian-Danube origin, investigations of clayware were carried out from burials as well as from fortified settlements located in the Dniester basin. Pottery production and identification of raw material sources used by potters in the Sahara Mare and Glinjeni II-La Şanţ fortified settlements were considered in previous publications. These investigations present analytical results on pottery from burials as well as main data from the Şoldăneşti settlement and the Selişte cemetery, located in the forest-steppe zone (middle part) of the Dniester basin. There are burials of early nomad pottery of different styles was found. All the data were considered and compared together. The methods of thin-section analysis, XRF-WD analysis, and SEM-EDX were applied to study mineral and geochemical compositions as well as the technology of ceramic production. The comparison of the mineralogical and geochemical characteristics of pottery from graves with samples from settlements allowed us to obtain information about pottery manufacturing centers in which vessels for burial rituals were made.