Archaeology, Ethnology & Anthropology of Eurasia 39 (1) 2011

Annotation:  Three Scenarios of the Middle to Upper Paleolithic Transition. Scenario 2: The Middle to Upper Paleo Chronology and Periodization of the Neolithic in the Upper and Middle Kama Region Paleolithic Art of the Carpathian-Dniester Region Raw Materials and Paste from Wheel-Thrown Ceramics from the Gnezdovo Burial Ground The Origins of Lead Archaeological Artifacts Using Mass Spectrometry Analysis Kelteminar Arrowheads from the Altai Dagger from the Late Bronze Age Settlement on the Lyuskus River The Archekas Celt and the Issue of the Seima-Turbino Period in the Kuznetsk Basin and in the Achins Bone Anthropomorphic Sculpture from the Ust-Polui Sanctuary Images in Bronze from the Sarovka Ritual Complex: Reconstructing Semantics Information-Theoretical Database Management System in the Context of Monuments Dating to the Pre-Sc Ritual Complexes of the Bolshoye Storozhevoye Fortifi ed Settlement in the Middle Don Area Erlik Khan in the Traditional Worldview of the Khakas Copper Casting in the Daily Life and Ritual Practices of Komi Old Believers Dogs in the Traditional Worldview of the Chuvash People A Proximal Pedal Phalanx of a Paleolithic Hominin from Denisova Cave, Altai Secular Dental Changes in the Populations of the Armenian Highland: Evolutionary and Ecological Asp A Nonmetric Cranial Study of the Andronovo Series from the Altai   

Raw Materials and Paste from Wheel-Thrown Ceramics from the Gnezdovo Burial Ground

O.L. Sharganova.

This article presents the results of the technological study of wheel-thrown ceramics from the Gnezdovo burial ground. Analyses of the raw materials, methods of preparation and compositions of paste have shown that ancient potters obtained clay from several sources, but the major tradition was to use wet, plastic, ferrous clay with a low or moderate sand content. The most typical paste included clay + grit + organic solution. Other recipes were less common: clay + grit; clay + grit + organic substance of undetermined origin; clay + sand + organic solution. A blend of ceramic traditions is observed at the level of clay paste selection, as seen in two vessels made of a mixture of two types of clay. These fi ndings suggest that the Gnezdovo population was ethnically heterogeneous, and that one of the ceramic traditions was predominant.

Keywords: Ceramic tradition, technology, raw material, clay paste.