Technology and function: Performance characteristics and usage aspects of the neolithic pottery of the central balkans

Abstract

Technology is usually defined as the processes and practices associated with production and consumption, from design to discard; hence, pottery use is a part of complex social interactions that constitute technological systems. The functional analysis comprises several different lines of investigation. This chapter is focused on the intended function of the Early (Starcevo) and Late Neolithic (Vinca) pottery. By examining formal properties (fabric, surface finishing, and decoration), performance characteristics of Neolithic pots (resistivity to mechanical and thermal stresses during use) were analysed. Morphological analyses were also conducted, namely analyses of vessel shapes and their suitability for specific use, and quantitative analyses focused on the examination of metric parameters (diameters of rim, shoulder and bottom, volume, and height), and indexes based on their ratios.