Forming part of a broader programme of macroscopic, petrographic, SEM, and NAA analysis of ceramics from Mainland Greece, this paper focuses on the Late Neolithic to Early Bronze II sequence at the site of Midea in the Argolid....
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Forming part of a broader programme of macroscopic,
petrographic, SEM, and NAA analysis of ceramics from Mainland
Greece, this paper focuses on the Late Neolithic to Early Bronze II
sequence at the site of Midea in the Argolid.
Through investigating the technological variability present at
Midea, our results suggest significant differences, and continuity,
in technological choices over time. Most notable is the decline of
grog temper between the Final Neolithic and Early Bronze Age
periods. This is accompanied by the increased dominance of a
sandstone-low grade metamorphic fabric believed to originate in
the area around Asine but which appears to have been widely
distributed throughout the NE Peloponnese.
These results indicate a fundamental shift in the way potters
approached their craft between the end of the Neolithic and the
early stages of the Bronze Age. Significant changes not only in
specific technological choices but also in the scale of production
and exchange, suggest the emergence of particular production
areas and increased interaction between communities over time.
