Introduction of the potter’s wheel as a reflection of social and economic changes during the La Tène period in Central Europe

Abstract

Abstract The use of the potter’s wheel or, more generally, rotational motion in pottery-forming was one of the fundamental innovations in pottery technology. This study focuses on the introduction of pottery-forming methods employing rotational movement in relation to social and economic conditions and their transformations during the La Tène period in Central Europe. It builds on our previous work and explores the diversity of technological practices on a broader geographical scale in several regions of the Czech Republic with various demographic, social and environmental conditions during the period. The analysis relies on a recently developed quantitative analytical technique based on calculating the orientation of components of the ceramic body. This approach enhances the structural analysis by delineating intervals of orientation variability for individual forming techniques. This methodology is applied to estimate the contribution of rotational movement in pottery-forming and identify the initial forming techniques. The quantitative analysis of thin sections is supplemented by qualitative classification of diagnostic features observed on X-ray images and CT reconstructions. By implementing this analysis, we have discovered specific developments of pottery-forming practices in the selected regions. The specifics demonstrate the expected links of the studied innovation to local socio-economic conditions, as well as surprising findings indicating that neither the use of the technology nor the resulting products are subject to unilateral selection based on the criterion of economic efficiency.

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