Study of pottery production patterns through archaeometric methods: the case of El Bierzo (Spain)

Abstract

Production patterns of pottery in El Bierzo region of NW Spain have been studied through an archaeometric perspective, with the aim to approach pottery changes in local communities as a consequence of their contact with Romans. Such contact deeply transformed settlement patterns and social relationships in this region. A representative set of domestic pottery, building materials and modern raw clay samples from three chronological and functionally distinct settlement sites were selected to be characterised by the following analytical techniques: X-ray fluorescence (XRF), thin-section petrography, X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermo-gravimetric and differential thermal analyses (TG-DTA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Multivariate statistical techniques were also employed to evaluate chemical compositional data obtained by XRF. Compositional results classified the samples into four different groups, characterised by a homogeneous mineralogy compatible with the regional geology, which indicate a local provenance for the majority of the pottery analysed. Resulting data also suggest that pre-Roman potters exploited a wide range of clay resources which were, in some cases, later used in Roman times. They have overall enabled a first diachronic approach to pottery production patterns in a region with very limited access to the principal trade routes of the Roman Empire.