Probable Measure Estimating Tool Employed by the Aeneolithic Potters

Abstract

The article proposes that an item, ornamented with a geometric pattern with inscribed diagonal cross and attributed to the Afanasievo culture (Aeneolithic, South Siberia), represents a primitive tool reflecting practical knowledge of basic geometry by the ancient potters. The article suggests an experimental reconstruction method for crafting the proposed instrument, and techniques of its application in estimating and reproducing the 'egg-shaped' ceramics. It is proposed that the tool under review is not unique to the Afanasievo culture and might have been adopted from cultures dated to earlier chronological horizon.

Keywords

• ceramics
• neolithic
• chalcolithic
• bronze age
• russia