Technological innovation and social change. Early vs. late Neolithic pottery production of the Central Balkans

Abstract

The earliest pottery of the Central Balkans (Starčevo culture), characterized by organic inclusions, round, spherical shapes, and oxidized firing conditions, usually lacking traces of use, is usually seen as pottery typical for partly mobile communities. On the other hand, late Neolithic (Vinča) pottery features (mineral inclusions, and reduced firing atmosphere, among others) indicate major changes in manufacturing sequence, conditioned by more elaborate technical knowledge, suggesting the different needs of the consumers, which also affected changes in pottery demand. In this paper, innovation in Neolithic pottery production is considered through several distinct aspects of technology: the standardisation analyses which may reveal social innovation (almost random in the early vs. partly specialized production in the late Neolithic), the shift from organic to mineral inclusions in ceramic paste, as a consequence of changed needs for particular performance of pottery, and the change in the chaîne opératoire in the manufacture of vessels with roughened surfaces, an innovation that led to the adoption of less time-consuming manufacturing procedure. The processes that led to transformation of pottery technology and craft organisation from the early to the late Neolithic are still unknown. They may be traced during the early to late Neolithic transitional period, and may be explained by contact between two different technological traditions, changes in knowledge transmission mechanisms, and lack of social pressure in the practicing of the craft, leading to the emergence of specialized artisans.