Other
Experimental testing of prehistoric archaeological features and the results of firing pottery on an open fire
Andreja Kudelić
orcid.org/0000-0003-2598-1653
; Institute of Archaeology, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
As the part of the project: The genesis and development of Bronze Age communities in the northern Croatia, during November 2010 and May 2011, three experimental attempts to reconstruct the presumed function of the archaeological creation dating from the Bronze Age, were carried out. The default function of a small prehistoric pit is the function of a ceramics kiln. The function was tested on three occasions, and the results of the experiments are: the kiln works perfectly, and the basic characteristics of the furnace are low fuel consumption, due to limited space and excellent temperature control during the baking process. Furthermore, the vessels are not in direct contact with the fuel and the damage is minimal. The walls of the furnace are baked up to 2 cm thick. In the space for baking only faint traces of fire can be found, whereas the section of the dome located directly above the furnace is burnt to somewhat greater extent. The original pit was dug into a layer of gravel and sand, and this seems to be an ideal substrate for the construction of furnaces. However, traces of fire are less visible on this background, and for these reasons it is necessary to perform a test on the original site.
Within the 2nd International archaeological colloquium Roman Ceramic and Glass Manufactures; Production and Trade in the Adriatic region, Experimental archaeology, held in Crikvenica between 28th and 29th October 2008, experimental baking of vessels on an open fire (experimental bonfire firing) was conducted, and as a result the traces on vessels caused by this method of baking were presented. The traces in the form of oval shells are the result of rapid warming and insufficiently dried vessels.
Keywords
experimental archaeology; ceramics; ceramics kiln; marks on vessels
Hrčak ID:
106386
URI
Publication date:
12.6.2012.
Visits: 1.945 *