dc.description.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. | sr |