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Pottery Manufacturing during the N eolithic in the N orth of S pain: Raw Material Procurement and Modification in the Cave of Los Gitanos ( C astro U rdiales, S pain)
Author(s) -
Cubas M.,
Doherty C.,
GarcíaHeras M.,
De Pedro I.,
Méndez D.,
Ontañón R.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
archaeometry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.716
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1475-4754
pISSN - 0003-813X
DOI - 10.1111/arcm.12022
Subject(s) - pottery , petrography , archaeology , assemblage (archaeology) , cave , geology , calcite , archaeological science , geography , geochemistry
Mineralogical and geochemical results derived from analyses of the pottery ensemble documented in the C ave of L os G itanos ( C astro U rdiales, S pain) are presented in this paper. This site contains an archaeological deposit formed in the mid‐fifth millennium cal bc , which has yielded one of the oldest pottery assemblages in northern S pain. The analysis of the pottery remains has focused on both petrographic (thin‐section and XRD ) and geochemical characterization ( SEM – EDS ) of samples selected after a macroscopic study. The mineralogical analysis has revealed procurement of raw materials from different sources, as well as different manufacturing processes. In addition, the petrographic analysis has shown different methods of manufacture, such as pottery tempered with calcite, limestone, ophite (ophitic dolerite) and grog, and fabrics with non‐modified clays. Variations observed between the oldest assemblage (Sub‐levels A 4 and A 3) and the most recent one (Sub‐level A 2) suggest a modification in pottery‐making practices between the fifth and the third millennia cal bc .