Pottery for the dead: exploring raw materials exploitation in the pottery of Can Gambús-1 (Sabadell, Catalonia)

Abstract

The number of prehistoric ceramic studies in Catalonia has increased since the beginning of this century. Most of these studies regard pottery as the result of a technological process and focus on raw material procurement, modifications of clay and technological aspects of manufacture. The application of these approaches allows us to distinguish different technological choices used in the manufacturing process and to propose new interpretations about the productive organization. This paper presents the methodology and first results of the analysis of the pottery ensemble from Can Gambús-1 (Sabadell, Catalonia). This is a complex archaeological site with evidence of different chronologies, among which the necropolis attributed to the Middle Neolithic should be highlighted because of its relevance and the quality of the archaeological materials recovered. Radiocarbon dates indicate a chronology centred on the late 5th and early 4th millennia cal. BC. This necropolis consists of different funerary structures, in which the construction and composition of the grave goods may indicate some social differentiation between the individuals. The grave goods include different kinds of vessels of different morphologies. This paper presents the petrographic study of thin sections of a selection of pottery samples, which has enabled a systematic description of textural and mineralogical aspects of the different manufactures. The analysis allowed the proposal of different raw material procurement areas based on geological coherence with the geological environment and the determination of different methods of manufacture, suggesting different technological choices in the preparation of clays.