Comparative mineralogical-petrographic study of pottery from the Early Medieval necropolis with cremations near the village of Razdelna, Beloslav municipality and the Early Medieval settlement near the village of Topola (Kovanlaka locality), Kavarna ...

Abstract

The current study presents the results of mineralogical-petrographic analysis performed on pottery sherds from two Early Medieval sites – the necropolis with cremations near the village of Razdelna and the medieval settlement near the village of Topola. The analyzed pottery sherds represent the two most common technological groups of pottery in the considered period – vessels of well-refined fabric with burnished surface and ornament and vessels of sandy fabric with incised ornament. The study focuses mainly on the mineral composition of the fabric from which the vessels were formed. The analyzed sherds from the necropolis of Razdelna are divided in two main groups – the first one being rich in natural inclusions – mainly quartz, feldspars and mica, while the second group being scarce or even lacks inclusions. The pottery sherds from the Early Medieval settlement near the village of Topola show similar mineral composition, with the additional presence of grinded mussel shells. In addition to the mineral composition, other interesting observations were made about the presence of slip-like coating of the vessels of sandy fabric from Razdelna, and observations about the outer layer of the burnished pottery from both sites, including thе registered traces of organics on the surface of the vessels, which presumably helps with the typical coloration of the burnished pottery. The difference between the pottery from the two sites is the better quality of the vessels from Topola, which suggests more specialized pottery production.

Keywords

• Early Middle Ages
• pottery
• mineralogical-petrographic study