Twenty-two Late-Copper-Age decorated cross-footed bowls from the Trieste Karst (north-eastern Italy) and the Deschmann's pile dwellings (Ljubljansko barje, Slovenia), recently investigated using X-ray computed microtomography (microCT),... more
Twenty-two Late-Copper-Age decorated cross-footed bowls from the Trieste Karst (north-eastern Italy) and the Deschmann's pile dwellings (Ljubljansko barje, Slovenia), recently investigated using X-ray computed microtomography (microCT), have been studied and chemically analysed using non-destructive prompt gamma activation analysis (PGAA). The main aim of our research was to determine whether the cross-footed bowls found in the Trieste Karst were locally produced or if they might have been imported from central Slovenia or even from more distant regions. The PGAA results, combined with the microCT ones, have shown that only 1 bowl from the Karst might have been imported from Ljubljansko barje, while other 4 Karst vessels were most probably imported but not from central Slovenia. In more detail, K2O contents, higher than values reported from local Karst and Slovenian soils, have been recorded in two of these Italian bowls. The Karst bowls represent, according to their morphology and rich ornamentation manly consisting of cord impressions, a special variant of cross-footed bowls with relevant typological comparisons in the Carpathian basin (Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic). A possible central European origin of some Karst bowls would be in agreement with high K2O soil contents in some areas of the Czech Republic. Cross-footed bowls from the Trieste Karst might be considered as evidence of long distance connections, movements of ideas, artefacts and/or even movements of people, triggered by large-scale migrations from the north Pontic steppe region to central Europe, revealed by recent genetic studies.
Asymmetrical bronze ‘coils’ with spiral ending are well-known artefact types of Bronze Age Europe. Within the Carpathian Basin, the first specimens appeared in the Middle Bronze Age, between 1900-1600 BC. Due to some fortunate discoveries... more
Asymmetrical bronze ‘coils’ with spiral ending are well-known artefact types of Bronze Age Europe. Within the Carpathian Basin, the first specimens appeared in the Middle Bronze Age, between 1900-1600 BC. Due to some fortunate discoveries latterly, similar, but oversized bronze coils has have come to the forefront of the archeological research (Fig. 1.). The exact chronological position, production technology and possible function of these ‘megaspirals’ is still highly debated.
In the present paper we discuss the reconstructed production technology of small, middle and outsize bronze spirals, as revealed by the results of non-destructive analyses (portable XRF, PGAA, neutron tomography and radiography). Seven artefacts were included in the survey from the collection of the Hungarian National Museum (Fig. 2.). The result of the former TOF-ND texture analysis of the Abaújdevecser spiral was also included (Kiss et al. 2015, pp. 691).
After a preliminary macro- and microscopic examination of the objects at least three different technological groups could be defined. During the XRF and PGAA testing, we focused on tracing possible differences in elemental composition in relation to the shaping of the artefacts.
The final aim was to establish the main stages of the chaîne opératoire within each technological group. Therefore, we supplemented our previous observations with results from neutron radiography and tomography.
frame of a Croatian-Hungarian project. The main objective of our work was to perform a provenance study of these obsidian artefacts. The chemical compositions of the systematically collected samples have been determined non-destructively... more
frame of a Croatian-Hungarian project. The main objective of our work was to perform a provenance study of these obsidian artefacts. The chemical compositions of the systematically collected samples have been determined non-destructively with Prompt Gamma Activation Analysis. Obsidian is among the important raw materials of prehistoric tool production in the Carpathian Basin, and a popular subject of archaeometric studies. According to previous studies, three main groups could be separated. The main categories are the transparent-translucent Carpathian 1 (C1 – Slovakian) type, the non-transparent Carpathian 2 (C2 – Hungarian) and the Carpathian 3 (C3) type from Ukraine. In order to determine the origin of obsidian raw materials, we have analysed Carpathian (C1 and C2) and Mediterranean (Melos, Lipari, Sardinia) geological samples as well as archaeological pieces from Hungary and Romania. Our PGAA database on obsidian is continuously expanding with the new analytical results. In our earlier studies, we concluded that PGAA is suitable for differentiating between various Carpathian and the Mediterranean obsidians. Adding Croatian and Bosnian archaeological obsidian data to our library, we found that some of them can be best identified as C1 (Slovakian) and some are chemically similar to the Lipari obsidians.
