Скачать или смотреть Reconstructing the Incrustation Technique

Experimental Insights into Post-Firing Decoration of Prehistoric Pottery

by Andreja Kudelić, Natali Neral (1) and Ina Miloglav (2)
1 Center for experimental archaeology, Travanjska 18, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia;
Institute of Archaeology, Jurjevska Street 15, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia, [email protected], [email protected];
2 Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb, Croatia, [email protected]

The incrustation technique used to decorate ceramic vessels was widespread in prehistoric pottery across Europe, particularly during the Copper and Bronze Ages in the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. While several studies have analyzed the composition of the white inlay, the exact application procedure—especially regarding the binder and the method of applying the inlay—has remained unexplored.

This research introduces, for the first time, a proposed recipe, technique, and manufacturing sequence for the white inlay used to decorate prehistoric pottery. The findings are supported by integrated analytical methods and an archaeological experiment. Compositional analysis of inlays preserved on Copper and Bronze Age ceramics from Croatia reveals recipes consistent with those documented in the Pannonian Basin, identifying three key components: hydroxyapatite (from bone material), aragonite (from mollusk shells), and calcite, which were tested in the experiments
According to the proposed hypothesis, burning (endothermic reaction) of these raw materials at temperatures above 700 °C and slaking (exothermic reaction) should result in plastic, but durable and solid material i.e. lime-based plaster. Experimental results confirmed this hypothesis, demonstrating that the plaster from mollusc shells and the bone material represents the basic technological procedure by which the incrustation was made and applied to the ceramic vessels as a post-firing decoration technique.