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Experiment in archaeology – preparation and composition of clay paste
Andreja Kudelić
orcid.org/0000-0003-2598-1653
; Institute of Archaeology, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
In order to explore pottery production technology and its use during prehistory, systematic experimental research has been carried out since 2012. The aim of the research is to provide a better understanding of Bronze Age pottery production technology (Virovitica culture group) on the basis of specific indicators from settlement remains, primarily ceramic material. This paper presents the course of the research into a segment of pottery production, that is, preparation of clay paste. Based on the macro¬scopic analysis of pottery fragments and archaeometric analyses of a large number of samples, a series of experiments was undertaken to define the type and quantity of temper added to a clay paste. For research purposes, the raw material (clay) was collected near several archaeological sites. Types of temper present in archaeological ceramic were also prepared (organic material, grog, clay pellets). The aim of the experimental research, started in 2015, was to determine the feature of the clay paste and temper which could not be determined using only archaeometric methods. In or¬der to achieve this, over a hundred clay tiles were made from different types of clay material and according to different recepies (with different types of temper, as well as different ratios).
Keywords
pottery; Bronze Age; clay paste; organic temper; grog; clay pellets; experiment
Hrčak ID:
167348
URI
Publication date:
7.10.2016.
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