摘要:This paper summarizes the archaeological context, objectives, methods and the preliminary results of an
archaeometrical research project that started some years ago in order to characterize the oldest pottery
production of Hungary from Early Neolithic sites of the Körös-Starčevo Culture (dated to the first half and
middle of the VI millennium cal BC in a comparative study. To reach this goal, different scientific techniques -
including petrography, X-Ray Fluorescence analysis (XRF), X-Ray diffraction analysis (XRD), SEM and
electron-microprobe analysis - were used.
Starevo culture represents the north-westernmost aspect of the large Early Neolithic archaeological complex of
the Balcans, which comprises towards the north-east the Körös culture and furthermore eastward, the Criş
culture. In Hungary the Körös culture spreads in the Great Hungarian Plain, while Starčevo occupies the
southern part of Transdanubia, reaching its northernmost borders at lake Balaton (Kalicz et al., 1998). These
cultures show strong similarities in their material culture. The characteristic pottery of the period is
homogenous in form and macroscopic features over a wide area, suggesting a high degree of cultural contacts
and transmission of technological skills. Representative pottery samples were studied from five different
Neolithic settlements of the Körös Culture and compared to those coming from one Starčevo Culture site,
namely Vörs. Moreover other fired clay artefacts of the Körös Culture (net weights, plaster) were also studied.
Both Körös and Starčevo pottery products have a fine-grained, dominantly serial fabric, with a porous texture,
containing vegetal tempering material, probably chaff. In some samples rounded, pebble-like, almost opaque
inclusions can also be found. Petrography of ceramics and geochemistry of nodules suggest that argillaceous
silt or silty clay was used as raw material for manufacturing pottery. Macroscopically, all the potsherds have a
"sandwich-like" structure (black core and brownish red margin). Compositional differences between the core
and the margins show that ceramics were fired at low temperature (maximum 700-750 °C) with short soaking
times and high heating rate.
Data available so far seem to confirm the great homogeneity - already noticed at stylistic level - of the ceramic
production of the Early Neolithic in Hungary. Probably local clay sources were exploited for pottery production
throughout a long period, most probably indicating cultural transmission within groups belonging to a
traditionally structured, technologically stable society.
This research is conducted in the framework of the Hungarian-Italian Intergovernmental Science&Technology
Co-operation Program 2004-2007, Project "Archaeometry of the first ceramic pirotechnology in the Carpathian
Basin".