CERAMIC PETROLOGY AND SOIL MICROMORPHOLOGY OF THE DANILO BITINJ AND POKROVNIK SITES, DALMATIA, CROATIA

Ongoing analysis of materials from the Danilo Bitinj and Pokrovnik sites is part of the Early Farming in Dalmatia Project, an interdisciplinary effort toward understanding the origins of European agriculture. These Neolithic sites host ceramic, faunal, and lithic artifacts. Danilo Bitinj is the type-site for the Danilo Phase of the Middle Neolithic. As such it has long been recognized for its archaeological significance and appreciated for its rich ceramic record. Earlier work on ceramic samples and thin sections yielded a typology based on paste and temper attributes. Spectroscopic and petrologic analyses focused on fabric type, mineral inclusion type and diversity, and inclusion size. Preliminary petrologic and x-ray diffraction analyses indicated ceramic raw materials may have been sourced on-site.

Our current work expands this investigation to include a high-resolution soil XRD dataset and further soil micromorphology. We are also re-examining ceramic thin sections and using appearance in thin section and bulk mineralogy to compare natural and cultural materials. Petrologic analysis confirms mineralogical uniformity amongst soil and ceramic samples, the chief constituents being quartz and calcite. Comparative analysis allows better understanding of the relationship between Dalmatian Neolithic soil materials and ceramic artifacts. Confirmation of the ceramic typology also enables archaeological analysis of the pottery assemblages from these sites and provides a framework for analysis of Early and Middle Neolithic ceramic assemblages in the region.