PRELIMINARY DATA ON BRONZE AGE POTTERY FROM SĂVEȘTI (NEAMȚ COUNTY, ROMANIA)

Abstract

The paper presents the results of the mineralogical and physical analyses carried out on 20 potsherds from Săveşti (Neamţ county, Romania) belonging to Noua Culture. The goal of this investigation was to provide information on the type of temper materials, the way that the vessels were shaped, the temperature and firing conditions. Generally, the colour is homogenous, grey to black indicating reducing atmosphere. Exceptions are three samples with a sandwich-type structure and one sample with a yellowish-brown colour that suggest an oxidizing atmosphere during firing. The matrix is relatively uniform, with clasts of various sizes (up to 3-4 mm). Macroscopically, quartz grains, micas, and ceramoclast were identified. Based on microscopic grain size, two types of ceramics can be separated: semifine (lutitic-siltic-arenitic), and coarse (lutitic-arenitic-siltic). Based on the ratio between crystalline vs. amorphous phases, microcrystalline-amorphous and amorphous-microcrystalline to amorphous fabrics were described. The presence in some samples of elongated primary pores and the preferential orientation of micas lead to a flow texture. As non-plastic materials (temper), crystalloclasts (quartz, micas, iron oxi-hydroxides, feldspars, epidote, zircon, rarely carbonates), lithoclasts (quartzite, micaschist, gneiss), and ceramoclasts were identified. The X-Ray diffraction analyses confirm the microscopic observations. Some physical characteristics were also measured: the water adsorption values range between 7.17 % and 14.44 %. According to the macroscopic, microscopic and compaction features we estimate the firing temperature of the studied potsherds to be between 850-900°C.