Ceramic assemblages as evidence of social interaction in Neolithic Anatolia, the Aegean, and the Balkans
The dispersal of the Neolithic way of life from Anatolia to the Balkans has captured the attention of archaeologists for over a century. Despite the many efforts to produce a coherent narrative of the spread of ideas, domesticated plants and animals, and people, the 'Neolithisation' of the Balkans still remains a topic of much new research. My research approaches the question of how ideas and practices spread from western Anatolia to southeastern Europe in the period 6700-5500 BCE through exploring the similarity between ceramic assemblages. A database with pottery attributes has been constructed, which allows for analysing the similarity between ceramic assemblages in a quantitative way. Ceramic attributes are used to study the appearance of shared concepts, techniques and skills that contain information about the nature of social and demographic processes during the process of Neolithisation. Furthermore, comparative ceramic petrography has been used to understand the technological development of ceramic production at a sample of sites. The results of this approach suggest that ceramic assemblage similarity is not strongly influenced by distance before 6100 BCE, an observation that may relate to the process
De Groot, B. G.
Ceramic assemblages as evidence of social interaction in Neolithic Anatolia, the Aegean, and the Balkans. The dispersal of the Neolithic way of life from Anatolia to the Balkans has captured the attention of archaeologists for over a century. Despite the many efforts to produce a coherent narrative of the spread of ideas, domesticated plants and animals, and people, the 'Neolithisation' of the Balkans still remains a topic of much new research. My research approaches the question of how ideas and practices spread from western Anatolia to southeastern Europe in the period 6700-5500 BCE through exploring the similarity between ceramic assemblages. A database with pottery attributes has been constructed, which allows for analysing the similarity between ceramic assemblages in a quantitative way. Ceramic attributes are used to study the appearance of shared concepts, techniques and skills that contain information about the nature of social and demographic processes during the process of Neolithisation. Furthermore, comparative ceramic petrography has been used to understand the technological development of ceramic production at a sample of sites. The results of this approach suggest that ceramic assemblage similarity is not strongly influenced by distance before 6100 BCE, an observation that may relate to the process
ceramic assemblages evidence social_interaction neolithic anatolia aegean balkans dispersal neolithic way_life anatolia balkans capture attention archaeologist century despite_many effort produce_coherent narrative spread idea domesticate plant_animal people balkans still_remain topic much new research approach_question idea practice spread western_anatolia southeastern europe period_bce explore_similarity ceramic_assemblage database pottery attribute construct allow analyse similarity ceramic_assemblage quantitative way ceramic attribute use study appearance share concept technique skill contain information nature social demographic process process furthermore comparative ceramic petrography use technological_development ceramic_production sample_site suggest ceramic_assemblage similarity strongly_influence distance bce observation may_relate process