Physicochemical characterisation of pottery from the Vinča culture, Serbia, regarding the firing temperature and decoration techniques

Abstract

A study of decorated Neolithic pottery samples from the excavation site Plonik, Serbia, was performed using X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy. The investigated samples belong to the era of the Vina culture that existed in the central Balkan region from the mid VI until the first half of the V millennium BCE. The mineralogical composition of the pottery samples and comparison of the investigated pottery with thermally treated local clay indicated firing temperatures in the range from 600 to 800°C. Two different types of white pigments were identified in white incrusted decorations: calcium carbonate and bone white (composed of crushed bones). This is the first evidence of the use of bones for decorations in pottery of the Vina culture from the excavation site Plonik. In addition to this, it was revealed that the potters used the iron reduction technique for obtaining black decorations.