Abstract
About 20 Late Copper Age bowls with cross-shaped foots from Deschmann’s pile dwellings (Ljubljansko barje, central Slovenia) and Trieste Karst (North-Eastern Italy) have been investigated using X-ray computed microtomography (microCT) in order to study the vessel-forming technique, to characterise their pastes and to test the hypothesis that some Karst bowls could have been imported from nowadays central Slovenia or even more distant regions. In three selected virtual slices per sample, clay, lithic inclusions and pores have been segmented and quantified. In addition, the area, maximum length and width of each lithic inclusion have been calculated. Then, the microCT-derived results have been statistically analysed by principal component analysis (PCA). The orientation of pores and disjunctions in microCT volumes show that the basins of the bowls were built using mainly the coiling technique, while the base was shaped starting from a central piece, to which a layer of clay was added and then reshaped in order to produce the foots. The Slovenian bowls include both medium/coarse-grained and very fine- or fine-grained vessels mainly tempered with carbonate inclusions. The pastes of the Karst bowls are considerably heterogeneous. One bowl was most likely imported to the Karst but not from central Slovenia as it shows peculiar components, shape and decoration. The other two imported vessels show a very fine-grained paste comparable to the one of several samples from Deschmann’s pile dwellings. Such technological similarity is confirmed by PCA of microCT data and petrographic observations. Our study confirms the existence of strong cultural connections between central Slovenia and the northernmost Adriatic coast during the Late Copper Age.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bernardini F (2018) Polished stone axes in Caput Adriae from the Neolithic to the Copper Age. J World Prehist 31(4):485–514
Bernardini F, Tuniz C, Coppa A, Mancini L, Dreossi D, Eichert D, Turco G, Biasotto M, Terrasi F, De Cesare N, Hua Q, Levchenko V (2012) Beeswax as dental filling on a neolithic human tooth. PLoS One 7(9):e44904
Bernardini F, Sgambati A, Montagnari Kokelj M, Zaccaria C, Micheli R, Fragiacomo A, Tiussi C, Dreossi D, Tuniz C, De Min A (2013) Airborne LiDAR application to karst areas: the example of Trieste Province (North-Eastern Italy) from prehistoric sites to Roman forts. J Archaeol Sci 40:2152–2160
Bernardini F, De Min A, Lenaz D, Kasztovszky Z, Turk P, Velušček A, Szilágyi V, Tuniz C, Montagnari Kokelj E (2014a) Mineralogical and chemical constraints about the provenance of Copper Age polished stone axes of “Ljubljana type” from Caput Adriae. Archaeometry 56(2):175–202
Bernardini F, De Min A, Lenaz D, Kasztovszky Z, Turk P, Velušček A, Tuniz C, Montagnari Kokelj E (2014b) Petrographic and geochemical comparison between the Copper Age “Ljubljana type” axes and similar lithotypes from Eisenkappler Diabaszug complex (southern Austria). J Archaeol Sci 41:511–522
Bernardini F, Vinci G, Horvat J, De Min A, Forte E, Furlani S, Lenaz D, Pipan M, Zhao W, Sgambati A, Potleca M, Micheli R, Fragiacomo A, Tuniz C (2015) Early Roman military fortifications and the origin of Trieste (Italy). Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 112:1520–1529
Bernardini F, Vecchiet A, De Min A, Lenaz D, Mendoza Cuevas A, Gianoncelli A, Dreossi D, Tuniz C (2016) Neolithic pottery from the Trieste Karst (Northeastern Italy): a multi-analytical study. Microchem J 124:600–607
Bernardini F, Sibilia E, Kasztovszky Z, Boscutti F, De Min A, Lenaz D, Turco G, Micheli R, Tuniz C, Montagnari Kokelj M (2017) Evidence of open-air late prehistoric occupation in the Trieste area (North-Eastern Italy): dating, 3D clay plaster characterization and obsidian provenancing. Archaeol Anthropol Sci 10:1933–1943. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-017-0504-7
Bóna I (1965) The peoples of southern origin of the Early Bronze Age in Hungary I-II. Alba Regia 4–5:17–63
Buchvaldek M (1967) Die Schnurkeramik in Böhmen. Acta Universitatis Carolinae XIX, Philosophica et Historica Monographia XIX, Prague
Dimitrijević S (1956) Prilog daljem upoznavanju vučedolske kulture / Ein Beitrag zur weiteren Kenntnis der Vučedoler kultur. Opusc Archaeol 1:79–85
Dimitrijević S (1966) Rezultati arheoloških iskopavanja na področju Vinkovačkog muzeja od 1957–1965 godine. Acta Musei Cibalensis 1, Vinkovci
Dimitrijević S (1979) Vučedolska kultura i vučedolski kulturni kompleks. In: Benac A (ed) Praistorija jugoslovanskih zemalja III. Eneolit, Sarajevo, pp 267–341
Duches R, Nannini N, Fontana A, Boschin F, Crezzini J, Bernardini F, Tuniz C, Dalmeri G (2018) Archeological bone injuries by lithic backed projectiles: new evidence on bear hunting from the Late Epigravettian site of Cornafessa rock shelter (Italy). Archaeol Anthropol Sci. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-018-0674-y
Ecsedy I (1977) Adatok a Somogyvár-Vinkovci kultúra kérdéséhez (Angaben zur Frage der Somogyvár-Vinkovci Kultur). Janus Pannonius Múzeum 22:185–194
Furholt M (2003) Die absolutchronologische Datierung der schnurkeramik in Mitteleuropa und Südskaninavien. Universitätsforschungen zur Prähistorischen Archäologie, Bonn, p 101
Gilli E, Montagnari Kokelj E (1993) La grotta dei Ciclami nel Carso Triestino (Materiali degli scavi 1959-1961). Atti Soc Preist Friuli-Venezia Giulia 7:65–162
Gilli E, Montagnari Kokelj E (1994) La Grotta delle Gallerie nel Carso Triestino. Atti Soc Preist Friuli-Venezia Giulia 8:121–194
Gilli E, Montagnari Kokelj E (1996) La Grotta degli Zingari nel Carso Triestino (Materiali degli scavi 1961-1965). Atti Soc Preist Friuli-Venezia Giulia 9:63–126
Govedarica B (1989) Rano bronzano doba na področju istočnog Jadrana (L'age du bronze ancien dans la region de l'Adriatique de l'est). Djela ANUBiH 67/7, Sarajevo
Jolliffe IT (2002) Principal component analysis, 2nd edn. Springer, New York
Kahl W-A, Ramminger B (2012) Non-destructive fabric analysis of prehistoric pottery using high-resolution X-ray microtomography: a pilot study on the late Mesolithic to Neolithic site Hamburg-Boberg. J Archaeol Sci 39:2206–2219
Kaiser E (2013) Import, imitation and interaction: a critical review of the chronology and significance of cross footed bowls of the third millennium BC in Southeastern and Eastern Europe. In: Heyd V, Kulcsár G, Szeverényi V (eds) Transitions to the Bronze Age interregional interaction and socio-cultural change in the third millennium BC Carpathian Basin and neighbouring regions. Archaeolingua 49, Budapest, pp 139–152
Kassambara A (2017) Practical guide to principal component methods in R, 1st edn. STHDA
Korošec P (1958–1959) Kulturna opredelitev materialne kulture na koliščih pri Igu. Arh vest 9–10:94–107
Korošec P, Korošec J (1969) Najdbe s koliščarskih naselbin pri Igu na Ljubljanskem barju / Fundgut der Pfahlbausiedlungen bei Ig am Laibacher Moor. Arheološki katalogi Slovenije 3, Ljubljana
Kulcsár G (2009) The Beginnings of the Bronze Age in the Carpathian Basin. The Makó–Kosihy–Čaka and the Somogyvár–Vinkovci cultures in Hungary. Varia archaeologica Hungarica 23, Budapest
Leghissa E (2015) Način okraševanja keramike ljubljanske kulture in pramenaste keramike – eksperimentalna arheologija (Decorating the pottery of the Ljubljana culture and the Litzen pottery—an experimental archaeology case study). Arh vest 66: 275–292
Leghissa E (2017) Dežmanova kolišča pri Igu in njihovo mesto v pozni bakreni in zgodnji bronasti dobi (The Dežman (Deschmann) pile dwellings near Ig in the Late Copper and Early Bronze ages). Unpublished doctoral thesis, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Arts, Department of archaeology, Ljubljana
Leghissa E (2018) Od prve fotografije do prve radiokarbonski datacije. Vučedolska koliščarska naselbina na Ljubljanskem barju (From the first photo to the first radiocarbon date. A Vučedol pile dwelling site in the Ljubljansko barje). In: Črešnar M, Vinazza M (eds) Srečanja in vplivi v raziskovanju bronaste in železne dobe na Slovenskem: Zbornik prispevkov v čast Bibi Teržan. Znanstvena založba Filozofske fakultete Univerze v Ljubljani, Ljubljana, pp 39–52
Lindahl A, Pikirayi I (2010) Ceramics and change: an overview of pottery production techniques in northern South Africa and eastern Zimbabwe during the first and second millennium AD. Archaeol Anthropol Sci 2:133–149
Machado AS, Oliveira DF, Gama Filho HS, Latini R, Bellido AVB, Assis JT, Anjosb MJ, Lopes RT (2017) Archeological ceramic artifacts characterization through computed microtomography and X-ray fluorescence. X-Ray Spectrom 46:427–434. https://doi.org/10.1002/xrs.2786
Maran J (1998) Kulturwandel auf dem griechischen Festland und den Kykladen im späten 3. Jahrtausend v. Chr. Universitätsforschungen zur Prähistorischen Archäologie 53, Bonn
Marzolini G (1970) La Grotta dell'Edera. Annali del gruppo Grotte dell'Associazione XXX Ottobre 4:19–35
Marzolini G (1983) La Grotta del Pettine di Gabrovizza (Carso Triestino). Atti Soc Preist Friuli-Venezia Giulia 4:33–43
Medunová-Benešová A (1977) “Palliardiho hradisko” Eine äneolitische Höhensiedlung bei Vysočany, Bez. Znojmo, Katalog der Funde. Fontes Archaeologiae Moravicae IX, Brno
Montagnari Kokelj E (1981) Appunti per una storia degli studi sulla “cultura di Lubiana”. Atti dei Civici musei di storia ed arte di Trieste 12(1):13–36
Montagnari Kokelj E, Crismani A (1997) La Grotta del Mitreo nel Carso triestino. Atti Soc Preist Friuli-Venezia Giulia 10:7–98
Montagnari Kokelj E, Greif T, Presello E (2002) La Grotta Cotariova nel Carso triestino (Italia nord-orinetale). Materiali ceramici degli scavi 1950-70 (The Grotta Cotoriova in the Trieste Karst (North-Eastern Italy). The pottery of the 1950-70 excavations). Aquileia Nostra 73:37–190
Parzinger H (1984) Die Stellung der Uferrandsiedlungen bei Ljubljana im äneolitischen und frühbronzezeitlichen Kultursystem der mittleren Donauländer (Mesto kolišč Ljubljanskega barja v eneolitiku in zgodnji bronasti dobi srednjega Podonavja). Arh vest 35:13–75
Sanger MC (2016) Investigating pottery vessel manufacturing techniques using radiographic imaging and computed tomography: studies from the Late Archaic American southeast. J Archaeol Sci Rep 9:586–598
Spataro M (1999) La caverna dell’Edera di Aurisina (TS): archeometria delle ceramiche. Atti Soc Preist Friuli-Venezia Giulia 11:63–90
Tuniz C, Bernardini F, Turk I, Dimkaroski L, Mancini L, Dreossi D (2012) Did neanderthals play music? X-ray computed micro-tomography of the Divje babe ‘flute’? Archaeometry 54:581–590
Tuniz C, Bernardini F, Cicuttin A, Crespo ML, Dreossi D, Gianoncelli A, Mancini L, Mendoza Cuevas A, Sodini N, Tromba G, Zanini F, Zanolli C (2013) The ICTP-Elettra X-ray laboratory for cultural heritage and archaeology. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment 711:106–110
Žibrat Gašparič A (2013) A new look at old material: ceramic petrography and neo/eneolithic pottery traditions in the eastern Ljubljansko barje, Slovenia. DocPraeh 40:147–164
Acknowledgments
We are grateful to Margherita Di Giovannantonio for the language review of the paper.
Funding
David Prokop has been financially supported by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic under the project CEITEC 2020 (LQ1601) and by the project CEITEC Nano Research Infrastructure (MEYS CR, 2016–2019). Sandro Donato is partially supported by Consorzio per la Fisica Trieste. This research has been supported by Fondo Ricerca Ateneo 2018 of Trieste University in the framework of the project SCAN (Studio mineralogico, petrografico e strutturale di Ceramiche ANtiche tramite metodologie convenzionali e innovative).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher’s note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Electronic supplementary material
Supplementary Table 1
Areas (μm2) of clay, lithic inclusions and pores in three slices per sample. (XLSX 17 kb)
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bernardini, F., Leghissa, E., Prokop, D. et al. X-ray computed microtomography of Late Copper Age decorated bowls with cross-shaped foots from central Slovenia and the Trieste Karst (North-Eastern Italy): technology and paste characterisation. Archaeol Anthropol Sci 11, 4711–4728 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-019-00811-w
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-019-00811-w