TECHNOLOGICAL FEATURES OF THE CHALCOLITHIC POTTERY FROM TARPESTI

The technological parameters of representative pottery samples attributed to Precucuteni (5050-4600 cal BC) and Cucuteni (4600-3500 cal BC) cultures identified at Tarpesti (Neamt County, Eastern Romania) were determined using a complex archaeometric approach. The site is located in the north-eastern part of the present-day Romania occupying a small plateau situated in a hilly region. In order to evaluate the raw materials and the firing process we have used optical microscopy (OM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) and magnetic measurements. Further on, the XRPD data were statistically treated using hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) taking into account position and peak intensity, the Euclidian distance as metric and the average linkage method as a linkage basis for gaining a more refined estimation of the mineralogical transformations induced by the firing process and for defining homogenous group of samples. Based on the multivariate statistical analysis we could determine the most representative sample from each group, which was disccussed separately in order to identify the specific mineral phases responsible for the separate grouping. In addition, the mineralogical transformations were investigated by measuring the magnetic properties, especially the major hysteresis loop (MHL) of the pottery samples. All the Precucuteni pottery falls within the same group with some of the Cucuteni pottery samples due to the similar firing temperature range, while the other group containes only Cucuteni A pottery which were exposed to a higher temperature. Besides the similarities in the firing regime, our results revealed afinities in the raw material selection and processing between the Precucuteni pottery and some of the Cucuteni samples.