Early Iron Age Pottery from Saharna Mare–Dealul Mănăstirii: Interdisciplinary Approach
Early Iron Age Pottery from Saharna Mare–Dealul Mănăstirii: Interdisciplinary Approach

Summary/Abstract: Thanks to a project funded by the Volkswagen Foundation, interdisciplinary research of pottery from several Early Iron Age sites in the Northern Black Sea region, including the Middle Dniester region, was carried out. Among these sites, due to the number of samples and the variety of forms of the vessels subject to analysis, the settlement of Saharna Mare–Dealul Mănăstirii (Rezina District, Republic of Moldova), attributed to the Cozia-Saharna culture, is of special interest. Fifty-two pottery samples were collected there, which were subjected to petrographic and chemical analyses. Also, in order to establish the provenance of the raw material used for pottery manufacture, samples were taken from the clay outcrops located at a distance of about 1.0 km southwest of the settlement. The results of these analyses, supplemented by the archaeological remains of a pottery workshop, as well as by the tools used for production and ornamenting of vessels, suggest a local manufacture.

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