Two trajectories of the development of pottery forming methods in central Europe in the Iron Age: The contribution of analysis of the orientation of components of a ceramic body

Abstract

In this article, the development of pottery-forming techniques employing rotational movement during the La Tène period in two different regions of central Europe is compared. One region represents a small, rather peripheral, region in Eastern Bohemia (Czech Republic). Results of the technological analysis in this region have already been published. The other region is a newly-analysed region situated in South Moravia (Czech Republic) with evidence of intensive use of the local landscape throughout the La Tène period. The comparison is based on a quantitative analytic technique measuring the orientation of a ceramic body’s components. Results of the analysis indicate different conditions for the transmission of the technology. In one case, there is evidence for disruptive changes in the technology, while in the other case, continuous development with an increasing proportion of wheel-thrown pottery is observed.