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Technical data and experiments on corded ware
Abstract
Studies of the typical late Neolithic Corded Ware beakers are usually undertaken from a morphological point of view, and describe the shape and decoration of the vessel. Interesting details can, however, also be identified via the technical description of the twisted cord impressions. In this paper, a clear methodology of such a technical analysis is presented. This analysis points out different quality standards of both the vessels and their patterning. The cord impressions have also been correlated with organic finds of cords from the same period. With the help of experimental archaeology, facts were investigated which elucidate the possible raw material used for the cord impressions, the quality of the clay, and the surface condition of the beakers.
... Also relevant methodologically are studies of 'classic' cord decoration and various other kinds of cord impressions in pottery (Hurley 1979;Hulthén 1991.21-22;KorkeakoskiVäisänen 1993;Grömer, Kern 2010;Skrzyniecka 2020). ...
... The comprehensive studies of ancient cordage conducted in North America and Japan solely on the evidence of impressions in pottery (Hurley 1979) testify to the wide potential of this kind of data. Technical studies on various kinds of cord decoration of pottery in Europe have begun to exploit this resource, indicating the character and possible origin of the fibre as well as various characteristics relating to cord production, namely the twist direction, tightness of twist and cord diameter (e.g., Semenov 1955;Mal mer 1962;KorkeakoskiVäisänen 1993;Dumpe 2003;Østmo 2008;Larsson 2009;Grömer, Kern 2010;Kooeko et al. 2010a;2010b;Dubovtseva 2016;Skrzyniecka 2020;Šataviè� 2020). Specifically with regard to wound cord, it must be said, however, that much of its potential as a proxy source on Neolithic and Bronze Age cordage remains to be tapped. ...
... Cord diameter (to 0.1mm) (Fig. 3). The width of a cord impression will correspond to the true diameter of the cord if the depth of the impression is at least 50% of the cord diameter (Grömer, Kern 2010). This will definitely be the case for those wound cord imprints that also display marks from the support between the cord windings, since this shows that the cord has been completely impressed into the clay. ...
Wound cord (whipped cord, cord stamp) decoration on pottery from the late 4th to early 3rd millennium BC in Latvia has been subject to detailed stereomicroscope study, incorporating reflectance transformation imaging, which proved an invaluable tool for documenting impressions. While this kind of ceramic ornamentation constitutes a European-scale phenomenon, considerable local variation in the methods of making pottery stamps emerges, most significantly in the kinds of support used for winding the cord, which indicates the importance of vertical transmission for this component of pottery technology. Further, the similarity of the cordage to that used for fishing nets implies a close link between pottery-making and fisheries.
... Verpimas ir audimas laikomas charakteringu "neolitinio paketo" bruožu (Zeder 2009, 12-13), tačiau jau Ertebiolės kultūros medžiotojų-žvejų-maisto rankiotojų gyvenvietėse Danijoje randama iš augalinio pluošto suvytų siūlų, tekstilės iš liepos ar gluosnio karnos (Bayley et al. 2020, 54). Pietryčių Lietuvoje, Karaviškiškių 6 ir Katros ištakų gyvenvietėse rasti moliniai dvigubo kūgio verpstukai (Piličiauskas 2018, 88) rodytų, kad vėlyvajame neolite šiame regione jau galėjo būti verpiama avių vilna, tačiau vilnonės virvutės yra per minkštos, kad paliktų ryškų įspaudą keramikoje (Grömer, Kern 2010), todėl nėra tinkamos ornamentavimui. ...
... Pietryčių Lietuvos neolitinėje keramikoje dažniausiai pastebimi maždaug 1,7-2 mm pločio vidutiniškai tvirtai (apie 40-45º kampu) suvytų virvučių įspaudai, kai į 2 cm ilgio virvutę telpa 7-8 vijos (aprašymas pagal Grömer, Kern 2010). Eksperimentinė archeologija rodo, kad įspaudams įprastai naudotos apie 2 mm pločio vytos su sukimu virvutės (Gleba, Harris 2019) iš dilgėlių ar kitos žolės, arba iš karnos. ...
... Pastebėtina, kad absoliučią daugumą virvelinės ornamentikos sudaro Z formos vijų įspaudai, kuriuos palieka S pynimo virvutės. Tokią pynimo į dešinę pusę kryptį dažniausiai naudoja dešiniarankiai, o Z pynimo kryptįkairiarankiai (Grömer, Kern 2010). Kairiarankių pynimo virvučių paliekami S formos įspaudai Pietryčių Lietuvoje aptikti tik ant kelių šukių iš Margių 1, Katros 1, Katros 4, Dubičių 1 (Salaitės) gyvenviečių. ...
The appearance of clay vessels in the communities of Southeast Lithuania at the end of the 6th millennium BC reflects the beginning of a long-lasting, multiple socio-economic transformations associated with Neolithisation. The poor preservation of archaeological material and the presence of only residential sites with intermingled finds from different periods make the natural environment of the settlements and the pottery found there the most important sources of information about the communities. Neolithic pottery is often used to define archaeological cultures and to classify communities, but it primarily reflects the artistic expression of individual potters, adapting to cultural traditions but bringing in their own elements, as well as pottery producers' and users' social status, diet, lifestyle and relationship with other communities. The detailed study of ceramics provides information on the living environment, flora, fauna, the touch of the potter's fingers, his artistic perception and his technological choices. Many of the myths about pottery in the archaeological literature are based on a poor understanding of its microstructure and production processes, therefore the dissertation provides detailed information starting from the minerals of the ceramic paste, the possible organic matters and their properties, to the moulding, firing and use of vessels. The technological solutions and use of Neolithic pottery in Southeast Lithuania reflect the different attitudes of communities towards environmental resources, dynamic processes of development and transmission of traditions in response to the changing natural, cultural and social environment.
... 1-20). The study was carried out on the basis of commonly accepted and used methods of analysis of archaeological textiles and textile impressions (Doumani and Frachetti 2012, 368-382;Drooker 2000, 59-68;Gleba 2017Gleba , 1206Gleba , 1207Grömer and Kern 2010;3136, 3137). They include detailed measurements and visual examination by digital microscope and photographic documentation. ...
... The presence of fine, sharp and not always regular impressions of individual fibres might suggest that plant-derived raw material could have been chosen by the manufacturers from Szczepidło (cf. Grömer and Kern 2010;3140-3144;Grömer et al. 2018, 275-284;Sikorski 2016, 503-519). During the Bronze Age in Central Europe, different plant fibres were used for textile production. ...
The practice of using textiles during the process of pottery manufacturing provides a unique insight into the technological aspect of prehistoric craft, the actual products of which are very rarely preserved to our times. In this study, microscopic analysis of ceramics fragments with textile or textile-like imprints was carried out in order to determine the type and structural features of textile products that were used by the inhabitants of the Bronze Age settlement in Szczepidło, Central Poland. In addition, issues related to the function of textile patterns on ceramics were discussed. Measurements made during the research were used to prepare a dataset of technical parameters of identified impressions, which, apart from being itself a valuable source of information, could be implemented in future comparative studies.
... On the basis of commonly accepted and used research methods of textile impressions, as well as the previously mentioned limitations regarding this particular category of archaeological data, an analytical approach has been developed (Bender Jørgensen 1992, 13;Drooker 2000, 59-68;Gleba 2017Gleba , 1205Gleba -1207Gleba and Mannering 2012, 1-24;Grömer and Kern 2010;3136-3137;Podkańska 2012, 207-213;Sikorski 2010, 49-56;2017, 365-380). The description of results obtained during the analysis is divided into four main categories. ...
... However, it must be emphasized that such interpretations should be supplemented with comparative and experimental studies in the future (cf. Grömer and Kern 2010;3140-3144;Rast-Eicher 2016). Textile finds from Neolithic wetland settlements indicate that the most important fibres at that time were tree bast and, to a lesser degree, flax. ...
Due to the limited number of materials associated with textile production from the Neolithic and Eneolithic, especially in regard to Eastern Europe, its indirect remains present an important and valuable source of information. One of the materials that testifies to textile production is pottery with textile impressions. The aim of this article is to present and discuss the results of microscopic analyses of textile impressions, identified on selected sherds of ceramic vessels from the Trypillia culture sites in Bilcze Złote, Ukraine. During the research, three basic categories of textile-related products were identified: pottery with intentional cord imprints, impressions of various types of non-woven textiles, as well as woven fabrics of varying thickness and density. This article also highlights the issue of using textiles in the technological process of pottery manufacturing. Microscopic analysis of textile impressions opens up new research possibilities in the recognition and reconstruction of the weaves and twists of particular types of fibres, and provides a solid foundation for comparative studies.
... According to čović, the decoration on Schnurkeramik (in Croatian, vrpčasta keramika) would have been created by cord impression, while the decoration on Litzenkeramik would have been produced by pressing a more complex woven or knitted textile against the wet and soft vessel surface (čović 1980: 35, 41, footnote 1). Experiments have shown, however, that both of these decorations can be produced easily by impressing a twisted double cord (Grömer, kern 2010;Leghissa 2015: 284-285). in the first case, such a cord is used individually, while in the second case, one or two cords are impressed repeatedly in such a manner that their impressions create a band. ...
... Prema čoviću, ukras na Schnur-keramici (ili vrpčastoj keramici) izvodio bi se utiskivanjem uzice, a na Litzen-keramici utiskivanjem nekoga složenijeg tkanog ili pletenog tekstilnog proizvoda u vlažnu i meku površinu posude (čović 1980: 35, 41, bilješka 1). Eksperimentiranje je, međutim, pokazalo da se oba spomenuta ukrasa lako mogu izvesti utiskivanjem uzice napravljene uvijanjem dvije predene niti (Grömer, kern 2010;Leghissa 2015: 284-285). U prvom slučaju se takva uzica utiskuje sama za sebe, a u drugom se jedna ili dvije uzice utiskuju više puta usporedo, tako da njihovi otisci čine traku. ...
Ovaj rad nudi nov sintetički pregled lončarskih stilova trećega tisućljeća prije Krista na prostoru istočnoga Jadrana, temeljen na 146 nalazišta s objavljenom karakterističnom lončarijom. Odmičući se od tradicionalnih koncepata arheoloških kultura i razdoblja, najprije se nastoji jasno definirati ljubljansko-jadranski i cetinski lončarski stil. Potom se kritički preispituje građa koja je dosad bila korištena za datiranje tih stilova: stratigrafski podaci iz višeslojnih nalazišta i asocijacije karakteristične lončarije s metalnim nalazima. Slijedi prvi pokušaj približnoga datiranja spomenutih stilova putem raspoloživih radiokarbonskih datuma. U zaključku rada, ljubljansko-jadranski i cetinski stil smještaju se na temelju svega iznesenog u svoj širi prostorni i vremenski kontekst.
... During the Neolithic period, several ceramic traditions existed which used cords, baskets and textiles for pot ery decoration and entire cultures have been named after this custom, for example the Corded Ware Culture. Recently, results of some archaeological experiments were published, demonstrating the importance of such impressions for our understanding of the past fi bre technologies (Grömer and Kern 2010). To our knowledge, textile impressions on metallurgical crucibles have never been investigated before. ...
... To our knowledge, this method has not been used before for the study of textile impressions on ceramics. However, unlike other types of textile impressions which in some cases preserve the microstructure of the fi bres (Good 2001, 215;Grömer and Kern 2010), the crucible surface vitrifi ed ( Fig. 1) when they were heated to temperatures reaching 1400-1500 ºC (Rehren and Papakhristu 2002, 70), thereby obliterating any more detailed information left by the fi bres. ...
... In Scotland and across Europe, the early Bronze Age is characterised by a fascination with plant fi bre yarns to make textiles, used to decorate fi ne ceramic vessels (fi g. 2) (corded ware, see Grömer and Kern 2010) and to make a fabric called twining. The earliest twined fabric in Britian is found in stone cist burials in Scotland, an advanced centre of innovation at the time. ...
The earliest textiles in Scotland belong to a period called the Bronze Age dated 2400 BCE to 700 BCE. Since its conception in the early 19th century, the story of the Bronze Age has been dominated by the societal effects of early metals. However, the Bronze Age is also a time of innovation in textiles and the societal impacts they engendered. In August 2024, a one-year Personal Research Fellowship Uncovering Scotland’s Earliest Textiles started for Susanna Harris at the University of Glasgow. It is funded by The Royal Society of Edinburgh. The project will use scientific and archaeological approaches to reveal new evidence for the start of Scotland’s iconic textile industry.
... Although it is likely that wool yarns were already being used at that time, they were unsuitable for decorating pots because they were too soft to leave a visible cord impression. Impressions of roughly 2 mm wide cords twisted at a 40-45º angle with 7-8 twists per 2 cm are usually discovered on SE Lithuanian pots (description method after Grömer, Kern 2010). Experimental archaeology shows that the cords used for the impressions were usually about 2 mm wide and braided from grass or bast fibre. ...
South-Eastern Lithuanian Stone Age pottery reflects the way of life, nutrition, social status, artistic expression, and intercommunity relationships of its creators and users. Natural conditions unfavourable for the survival of organic material and the intermingling of artefacts from different periods in sandy settlements limit the ability to precisely date and reconstruct the long, distinctive process of Neolithisation that began in the late 6th millennium bc. Analysing the traces of ceramic vessel use, the structure of the pottery, the coiling and decoration technologies, their changes and reasons, it is possible to understand better the traditions of the Forest Neolithic communities and the encounters of different influences in SE Lithuania. Keywords: Neolithic societies, SE Lithuania, potters, pottery, coiling, decoration, interaction between communities.
... We would also like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their valuable suggestions on this paper. 2 Notable exceptions to this tendency are papers such as Hardy's (2008) and Grömer and Kern's (2010), which focus on the study of strings and cordage. The latter, in particular, presents experimental work on the analysis of string imprints. ...
Fibre crafts are among the oldest technological practices of mankind. Although commonly associated with textile manufacture, twisted fibres in the form of threads have always had a wider range of use in everyday life. Strings and ropes constitute a humble but essential category of fibre products deriving from the same technology and organic matter as threads. Due to their organic nature, however, they are rarely preserved in the archaeological record, unless special environmental conditions occur. This paper explores the research potential of the imprints of threads and strings in a study focusing on the alternative uses of fibre-spun artefacts. The focus is on the Bronze Age Aegean imprints of threads and strings preserved on objects made of clay and on wall paintings recovered at Akrotiri on Thera. The technical properties of the original threads and strings are evaluated through observation of their imprints, and the fibre technology used for their production is assessed. The methodologies of spindle whorl metrology and experimental spinning are also integrated in the discussion. Ultimately, the use of threads and strings for a variety of purposes, including but not limited to textile production, is discussed.
... 16 For textile imprints on pottery, see e.g. Crowfoot 1954;Adovasio 1975Adovasio -1977Grömer and Kern 2010; for textile imprints on clay sealings, see e.g. Müller and Pini 1997;Müller 2004;Laurito 2007;Frangipane et al. 2009;Andersson Strand et al. 2017; Laurito this volume; for textile imprints in funeral contexts, see e.g. ...
From Introduction: <<This book is one of the results of the collaborative research project ‘First Textiles. The Beginnings of Textile Manufacture in Europe and the Mediterranean’, implemented in 2013– 2017 at the University of Copenhagen. The project was designed to elucidate the beginnings of textile manufacture, tools and techniques in the Epipalaeolithic, Neolithic and Early Bronze Age in Europe and the Mediterranean. Its aim was to bring together scholars who work on actual remains of prehistoric fabrics, undertake scientific analyses, deal with textile technologies and implements, study archaeobotanical and zooarchaeological material, and focus on ethnographic evidence and experimental approach to textile studies. We sought to discuss latest advances in the methodologies, technologies, material and scientific studies, as well as recent archaeological finds associated with the earliest textiles. The main activities of the project consisted of the organisation of two international scientific meetings and the subsequent publication of their proceedings, incorporated in the present volume.>>
... There is a pos-sibility that this reflects the appearance of specialised fibre flax and its intensified use in the plying tradition of the late 4 th and the following 3 rd millennium BC. Impressed plied cord decoration (Grömer, Kern 2010;Leghissa 2015) representative of the Early Bronze Age Corded Wear complex (widespread in the Pannonian Plain) could attest to the growing importance of plied cordage in the course of the following centuries. ...
This study of prehistoric textile production on the Pannonian Plain is based on indirect
evidence dated to the period between the 5th and 2nd millennium BC; the study of technological trends
and changes that occurred in manufacturing traditions concentrates on fibre processing and pro-
duction. The functionality analysis of spindle-whorls served as a basis for comparing textile produc-
tion trends with the results of the climate change model. Climatic changes in the area were simulat-
ed by means of a moderate-resolution Global Circulation Model (GCM). The simulation covered the
mid-to-late Holocene, from 7000 years BP to the pre-industrial period.
The knowledge about textile production in the Neolithic period is relatively poor for all of Europe. Due to the lack of sources, the textile imprints preserved on pottery or other fired clay artefacts that appear on the finished product for example because of pugging clay are valuable materials. This chapter presents and discusses the results of the technical analyses of textile impressions identified on Neolithic ceramics. The materials are from three archaeological sites from the Polish Lowland-Mrowino, site 3, Kotowo, site 1 and Dobrzejowice, site 2. All fragments are dated back to the Funnel Beaker culture (4100/3900-2600/2500 BC). Two basketry techniques were identified from the analyzed textile imprints: twined work and coiled work. The impressions were mainly identified on the external bases on plates. Therefore, they are probably the negatives of technical textiles. Most of the impressions were observed earlier, but analysis was only done for one sample. The presented ceramic material is another collection of Neolithic basketry impressions from the territory of Poland that has been already recognised. This broadens our knowledge about this prehistoric branch of human production.
Knowledge about textile production in the Neolithic period is relatively poor throughout Europe. Due to the rarity of organic remains, textile imprints preserved on pottery or other fired clay artefacts are valuable sources. This paper presents the results of technical analyses and experimental research into textile impressions identified on funerary ceramics. The materials are 19 pots from archaeological sites from the Polish lowlands. Fragments are dated to the Late Neolithic period. The set of vessels analysed feature impressions of decorative textiles. These included impressions possibly made with textile constructions, but also the so-called “free-hand” cord impressions. Ornaments made using the latter method are in the majority.
Textiles are particularly complex and labor-intensive structures, thus their constructive elements, such as fibers and yarns, as well as the final textile products (e.g., threads, cords, fabrics, and applied decoration) reveal a range of important technical, technological, and sociocultural information. In this paper, we discuss the analysis of excavated textiles at two levels: 1) Technical analysis that offers basic information about the qualities of examined textile samples. 2) Technological analysis that provides insights into technology, social relations of production, and the level of craft specialization or production modes. Both analyses offer new evidence for environmental resources, sustainability, trade, and exchange, as well as transfer of technical knowledge, innovations, and expertise. Yet, excavated textiles, being formed of organic materials, survive poorly in archaeological contexts and thus represent environmentally limited remnants of the original pattern of textile consumption. Additionally, excavated textiles are often recovered in minute fragments, altered due to post-depositional processes and, therefore, their analysis is usually challenging. The scope of this paper is to provide an account of the current state of the technological analysis of excavated textiles looking back at its origins, and to offer a concise and clarified synopsis of the main methods and terms used to study and document the technological characteristics of excavated textiles.
This paper aims to draw attention to how the process of virtual restoration of encrusted pottery can play a crucial role in understanding complex ornaments if the correct method of illustration is employed. To emphasise the importance of appropriate representation, the author has re-drawn some already published Bell Beaker vessels and presents a few more reconstructed examples from the Vučedol, Somogyvár–Vinkovci, and Ljubljana ceramic traditions. The study also addresses the theoretical limitations of reconstructing encrusted motifs, with a reflection on the latest arguments published on the topic. Furthermore, the paper presents case studies based on the newly made illustrations of the reconstructed encrusted patterns, revealing new insights into the interpretation of the motifs.
The article presents an analysis of a collection of ceramic fragments with textile imprints from the Cucuteni-Trypillia settlements of Bilyi Kamin and Krynychky-Ferma, which are situated in modern Ukraine. The analysis involved macroscopic and microscopic examinations as well as use-wear studies, aimed at characterizing traces that provide insights into the production and utilization of ceramic vessels and textile products. A comparison of results with published data from the Trypillia settlements located mainly to the east of the Dnister River was carried out. A preliminary characterization of the shared and distinct characteristics in the development of the economic activities during the Trypillia CI and CII stages (i.e., during 4th millennium BC), was completed.
The book series ‘Scales of Transformation in Prehistoric and Archaic Societies’ (STPAS) is an international scientific series that covers major results deriving from or being associated with the research conducted in the Collaborative Research Centre ‘Scales of Transformation: Human-Environmental Interaction in Prehistoric and Archaic Societies’ (CRC 1266). Primarily located at Kiel University, Germany, the CRC 1266 is a large interdisciplinary project investigating multiple aspects of socio-environmental transformations in ancient societies between 15,000 and 1 BCE across Europe.
For the last decades interest to the Corded Ware cultures has increased. This is connected with the opening of new settlements and with new data, obtained by the latest scientific methods (C-14, aDNA). Territory of the Lovat-Dzvina interfluve is a border zone along the Western Dzvina (Daugava) river. Here we could trace the interaction between different cultural traditions of the ancient population. One of the settlements, where this is possible, is layer of the settlement Serteya II. This is a multilayer settlement and archaeological material here included vessels from the different periods - from Early Neolithic to the Iron Age. 28 vessels are associated with Corded Ware cultures. They are distinguished by the ornamentation method - cord impressions use on pottery. Their characteristic feature is also an admixture of grass in the dough and patches use during vessels making. Specific to the Corded Ware cultures pottery forms (amphora and beakers) were also found. Analogies of these types can be found in Poland, the Baltic States and in the materials of Fatyanovo culture. Their discovery among studied settlement may be regarded as an import and indicates a possible infiltration of the Corded Ware cultures inhabitants on the Lovat-Dzvina interfluve in Late Neolithic.
Pottery with cord decoration was spread throughout the Balkan Peninsula in the 4th and the 3rd millennia cal. BC. Researchers have considered that this reflects the spread over Europe of herders who supposedly belonged to the Proto-Indo-European group. Previous studies have focused on the Kurgans (mound tumuli) to tackle the issue of how the people spread. However, this paper looks at the issue by exploring whether and how the cord decoration was diffused from the northern Pontic area into the upper Thracian plain. In order to test the diffusion model mentioned by N. Merpert and G. Georgiev, I analyzed the pottery with cord decoration in the eastern Balkans, ranging from Southern Bulgaria (Upper Thrace) to Eastern Romania (the Moldova plain), focusing on decorating technique, vessel form and stylistic pattern. In particular I looked at the small bowls with a straight open rim, decorated with a fine geometric motif using a thin (less than 2 mm in width) Z-plied cord, which first appeared in Upper Thrace at around 3,000 cal. BC. The absence of this small bowl in the Balkans except in Upper Thrace suggests that the bowl was not imported from the north. My comparative analysis also showed that besides these bowls in Upper Thrace, thin Z-plied cord was used to decorate pottery only in the western Moldova plain during the 4th and the earlier 3rd millennia cal. BC. Therefore, the similarity in cord impression technique between the two regions demonstrates that this technique was presumably brought into Upper Thrace from the north when the northern groups moved southwards and had contacts with indigenous groups in Upper Thrace. It is highly probable that this technique was not diffused directly from the western Moldova plain to Upper Thrace. It must derive from the north Pontic area. It is clear that more research is needed on this subject.
A group of four rectangular pits in front of a large building (possibly a sanctuary) supported by two rows of nine massive wooden posts excavated near the town Brodek u Prostějova (Prostějov County, Moravia, Czech Republic) delivered a number of vessels, wristguards and stone arrow heads dated to the Bell Beaker Culture (c. 2500–2200 BC). The goods appear to have been intentionally deposited, possibly as a ritual offering, as indicated by the lack of human remains in the pits and signs of intentional breakage of some objects. One of the vessels, an amphora, differed from the others (mainly Bell Beakers) in its coarser material and lack of ornament. Textile fragments adhering to the outside of the amphora indicate that it was wrapped in cloth at time of deposition. This wrapping could possibly have served as decorative element, enhancing the appearance of the – compared to the others – rather crude vessel. An alternative explanation could be wrapping as part of ritual activities – such as inferred for the common practice of wrapping of grave goods in Bronze and Iron Age burials.
The textile remains themselves, albeit fragmentary, are astonishingly well preserved. SEM analysis of the fibres identified the material as crudely processed flax, which exhibits incompletely separated fibres. The technique used for fibre processing was splicing, which is well known from contemporary sites in the Eastern Mediterranean and Ancient Egypt. Compared with other (rare) finds of Neolithic and Early Bronze Age textiles it is relatively fine.
The aim of this study is to examine the processes through which Bell Beakers circulated between Brittany and Galicia, by means of the analysis of decoration techniques and in particular the use of shell impressions. While most Bell Beaker contexts in Galicia are domestic, and this is the major difference with Brittany, the funerary contexts display strong similarities at a structural level, enabling us to suggest a direct relationship between the two regions. Once it has been established that the ceramics were locally produced, this relationship can only be explained by the transmission from Brittany to Galicia of certain decoration techniques, in this case impressions with Donax and cockles.
The aim of this study is to examine the processes through which Bell Beakers circulated between Brittany and Galicia, by means of the analysis of decoration techniques and in particular the use of shell impressions. While most Bell Beaker contexts in Galicia are domestic, and this is the major difference with Brittany, the funerary contexts display strong similarities at a structural level, enabling us to suggest a direct relationship between the two regions. Once it has been established that the ceramics were locally produced, this relationship can only be explained by the transmission from Brittany to Galicia of certain decoration techniques, in this case impressions with Donax and cockles.
From the Middle Copper Age in the mid-4th millennium cal BC , and throughout the whole Late Copper Age, we observe the emergence of supra-regional, expansionistic ‘cultures’. Originating in south-east Europe, they expanded into central and northern Europe, eventually reaching the west and the margins. Typical of these are the Černavoda III/Boleráz cultures; then, later, the Baden sequence, along with the Globular Amphora Culture adjacent to the northern arc of the Carpathian mountains. The Corded Ware/Single Grave Cultures, and finally the Bell Beaker Culture, follow in a third stage from the first quarter of the 3rd millennium cal BC . The latter expand – emerging from the Iberian Peninsula according to current research – towards the east in a fourth stage, reaching Britain and Ireland, Central Europe, and the central Mediterranean by 2500 cal BC . It is now common knowledge that this Bell Beaker phenomenon does not represent a homogeneous unit, but splits into at least four supra-regional groupings. Of these, the Central European, or Bell Beaker East Group, is the focus of this study.
The many published and well-dated assemblages along the Danube between southern Germany and western Hungary, and also in the Czech Republic, allow us to pose questions concerning the social organisation of these Beaker societies. Extended families, without visible hierarchies between them, are mirrored in cemeteries as the basic social unit. The settlement pattern seems to consist of single farmsteads, often closely spaced and each inhabited by one of these extended families. As self-sufficient, but flexibly organised and already partly specialised economic units, they demonstrate an equal exchange of information, goods, genes, and social values. Existing fundamental hierarchies within these families are demonstrated, however, by unequal burial customs, in particular the inclusion of prestige objects in some graves, and by some lavishly equipped child burials of both sexes, as well as in the portrayal of some individuals in death as hunters or warriors, buried with archery equipment.
Bell Beaker society displays an intermediate position between ranked and stratified societies, with signs that it was evolving towards simple chiefdoms. However, this stage of social organisation is only fully reached in Central Europe during the second half of the Early Bronze Age, from 2000 cal BC onwards.
A sample of 260 basketry-impressed Palmettan Ostionoid sherds were analyzed from the Pigeon Creek Site, a 15th-century Lucayan-Taíno site located on San Salvador, Commonwealth of the Bahamas. The study is part of a larger project examining the geographic distribution of basketry technology and design from sites of varying time periods and islands throughout the Bahama archipelago and northern Greater Antilles. Three subclasses of basket weaves were recognized from the impressions recorded in molds and casts. Several complex designs were identified. A four-row sequence we term the “A” pattern was used to create varying patterns. The roles of baskets as trade, tribute, or gift exchange in 15th-century Lucayan- Taíno society and the potential for using variability in basket weaves to infer social boundaries are discussed. Basketry may also have played a role in the expression and authority of shamans.
Impressions of a lost technology: a study of Lucayan-Taino basketry The Primary Structures of Fabrics
- K Grömer
- D Kern
- M J Berman
- C D Hutcheson
K. Grömer, D. Kern / Journal of Archaeological Science 37 (2010) 3136e3145 References Berman, M.J., Hutcheson, C.D., 2000. Impressions of a lost technology: a study of Lucayan-Taino basketry. Journal of Field Archaeology 27 (4), 417e435. Coles, J., 1973. Archaeology by Experiment, London. Drenth, E., Prummel, W., 2006. De Versieringswijze Van Twee TRB-potten Uit Hunebed G2, 17. Glimmer Es, gemeente Haren, PA. 63e68. Emery, I., 1966. The Primary Structures of Fabrics, New York.
Prehistoric Pottery for the Archaeologist, Leicester-London-New York. Fig. 8. Microstructure of cord impressions made with flax, hair, grass and bast cords (SEM photos
- A Gibson
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Gibson, A., Woods, A., 1990. Prehistoric Pottery for the Archaeologist, Leicester-London-New York. Fig. 8. Microstructure of cord impressions made with flax, hair, grass and bast cords (SEM photos, M. Kucera, VIAS e Vienna Institute for Archaeological Science).
Rettungsgrabungen im Unteren Traisental in den Jahren 1998 und 1999, Fundberichte aus Österreich, 38 483e575 Die Textilien
- J.-W Neugebauer
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grave 768: irregularly and with less care placed horizontal rows of cord impressions with 0.7e1 cm distance between one another on the neck of the vessel. Cord impressions Fig. 2. Traisen Valley
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Franzhausen II, grave 768: irregularly and with less care placed horizontal rows of cord impressions with 0.7e1 cm distance between one another on the neck of the vessel. Cord impressions Fig. 2. Traisen Valley: Corded Ware beakers (drawing: M. Imam).
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pattern: 4 horizontal bands of 3 rows of cord impressions next to each other on the neck of the vessel. Cord impressions of coarse cords (Z-twist), executed carefully and evenly
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Franzhausen II, grave 761: pattern: 4 horizontal bands of 3 rows of cord impressions next to each other on the neck of the vessel. Cord impressions of coarse cords (Z-twist), executed carefully and evenly.
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