Broken pots, unbroken habits? Traces of a special use activity related to pedestalled vessels in Starčevo and post-Starčevo communities

Abstract

The use of ceramic vessels in the western Carpathian Basin was introduced by the first farming communities of the Starčevo culture at the beginning of the 6th millennium BC. The Starčevo pottery is characterized by a consistent technological tradition and design implemented in a fairly uniform manner over a large geographic area. After the turn of the 56th–55th centuries BC, various pottery styles (early Vinča, Raziste, early LBK) were created and homogeneity was replaced by stylistic diversity. Most previous research focusing on ceramics of the Starčevo and post-Starčevo cultural phenomena have predominantly examined the technology and style of the pottery, uncovering many intertwinings between these communities. Use-alteration analysis targeting pottery function and post-production activities, have received less attention so far. The study investigates a specific type of attrition exclusively relating to pedestalled vessels. Similar attritions were identified on pedestal fragments at various Starčevo sites and, more recently, in some post-Starčevo assemblages in southern Hungary and northern Croatia. A systematic analysis from three sites (Alsónyék-Bátaszék, Tolna-Mözs, Szederkény-Kukorica-dűlő) examines the qualitative and quantitative properties of pedestalled vessels. The study highlights the systematic fragmentation of these vessels and, using several examples, investigates whether the attrition occurred during use of the intact vessels or from recycling pedestal fragments. Photogrammetry and optical microscopy was used to document the dimensions and shapes of the attritions, searching for indicators to understand their formation. Both macroscopic and microscopic observations suggest a prolonged, repetitive activity performed with a rotating rod-like tool. Our observations suggest that the same specialized activity was involved with the investigated Starčevo and post-Starčevo pedestalled vessels. This raises intriguing questions not only about the activities leading to the attrition but also regarding the observed differences in its distribution among various post-Starčevo communities.