Clay recipes, pottery typologies and the Neolithisation of southeast Europe: A case study from Džuljunica-Smărdeš, Bulgaria

This chapter focuses on the relationship between typological similarities and similarities in clay preparation methods between the first pottery assemblages in southeastern Europe and western Anatolia by focusing on the Early Neolithic ceramic assemblages of Džuljunica-Smărdeš in NE Bulgaria (c. 6200-5900 BCE). In order to recognise multiple trajectories along which ideas relating to ceramic production and style were introduced to NE Bulgaria (i.e. through migration or the adoption of new techniques/styles through imitation). Ceramic petrography and multivariate statistics are combined to compare patterns in the similarities of typological elements of pottery assemblages and patterns between clay preparation methods and clay recipes. The dynamic between visible (e.g. typological attributes) and hidden (e.g. clay preparation methods) aspects of ceramic assemblages can provide new insights into processes of horizontal transmission (or copying) that can challenge ideas about the origin of the first farming groups in the Balkans. The results point out that typological elements of the ceramic assemblages of Džuljunica-Smărdeš are similar to those found in Anatolia and the Aegean region, while tempering methods are typical for the Starčevo-Criş cultural complex. These results therefore suggest that Džuljunica’s ceramic assemblage was not directly introduced from Anatolia but may instead represent an amalgamation of techniques and ceramic styles.