Pottery production in the Po valley during the Bronze age: an archaeometrical approach to the terramare society

During the Bronze Age the Po valley was occupied by fortified villages (1650-1170 BC) which were linked by a common culture (Terramare). Their society had a complex structure and was among the most advanced in Europe. The pottery analysis project is oriented to investigate the specialization of the manufacturing process in the frame of the social organization in the Terramare. 180 pots from several sites near Modena (Pontenuovo, Gorzano, Cà dei Monesi, Montebarello and Montale), dated between Middle and Recent Bronze Age, have been analysed. 30 clays and other sediments have been sampled from different local geological units (Cardarelli et al. 2007). Ceramic and sediment samples have been investigated by: granulometry, petrography with digital image process, chemical analysis of major, minor and trace elements (WDS-XRF), X-ray powder diffraction. Some XRPD experiments were performed on raw and physico-chemical treated sediment samples (air dried, glycolated, heated at 375 and 550 °C oriented mounts) to obtain the clay minerals composition. The ceramic paste is coarse, with abundant temper (mainly calcite and grog). The common mineral composition is: quartz, albite, k-feldspar, illite (muscovite). Amphiboles, pyroxene, calcite, rutile, forsterite, hematite are present only in some samples. Chemical compositions of the pottery are quite homogenous. For the sediments the concentration of CaO is an important marker to distinguish the raw materials used for the pottery. The pots are mainly locally made, using different locals raw materials, with some differences in each site and in the selection of temper according to the functions of the pots. In the frame of this research an experimental archaeological activity has been performed in the archaeological park of Montale. Bronze Age pottery was reproduced with compatible raw materials and ancient manufacturing techniques (coils and moulds). Time and difficulty for the reproduction of each pot has been recorded and 6 different groups of pots, corresponding to increasing degrees of specialization, have been identified (Brodà et al. in press).