engleski

One Form - Two Functions: Rethinking Bronze Age Pottery Production in Regard to the Usage in Common Daily Life and Funeral Rites

This paper presents the results of an analysis of the pottery from the Bronze Age site of Mačkovac (14 th - 12 th century BC), situated in Sava River zone in Northern Croatia. Both the settlement and cemetery in Mačkovac have been well defined, and partially excavated in past years. The analysis presented here is based on the comparison of the pottery found in burial context with those found in the settlement. Pottery used for furnishings of the graves showed to be of much lower quality than pottery used in com - mon, domestic daily activity connected with the settlement. Archaeometrical analysis confirmed that the pottery, both from the cemetery and settlement, was made from the clay collected on the same position, so the reason for such obvious variation in quality can not be found in different chemical composition. Also, external influences can be discarded, because the analysis showed same acidity of the soil in the both locations, while the both parts of the site are protected with equal layer of soil above them. Lower quality of the ceramic grave goods has to be the consequence of a different way of production. Experimental firing showed that pottery found in burial context was fired at lower temperatures, than those for used in the settlement. In the start of the analysis there were two hypotheses set. First one was that the pottery found in graves was product of lesser quality, a waster from regular production. As such, it did not suffice the quality standards of domestic everyday use, so it was used for furnishing the graves. Second hypothesis pro - posed that this Bronze Age culture used special funeral pottery , which was made in a way different to the process through which domestic, everyday pottery was made. This pottery was not intended to be used in common daily activities in the households and was manufactured in a separated ceramic production process. The present paper discusses the results of the analysis through which the conclusion was reached and the later hypothesis confirmed to be most acceptable.

archaeometry; macroscopic analysis; fabrics; burial rite; specialized production

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