DOI chapter:
Grenzgänger, traders and the last hunter-gatherers of the North European Plain
DOI chapter:Kotula, Andreas: Paths of innovation – the site Dąbki, Poland, and the early forager pottery in the Baltic Sea region
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.66745#0233
232
Paths of innovation - the site Dqbki, Poland, and the early forager pottery in the Baltic Sea region
Fig. 5 Schematic drawing of pointed-bottom vessel from Dgbki
(drawing: J. Ozog).
(3) The reliable stratigraphical evidence shows a
marked vertical gap between the lowest found
pointed-bottom pottery/lamps and TRB pot-
tery in the stratigraphy, indicating a clear time
difference between the appearance of both
types.
Summing up evidence, we assume it likely that
around the mid of the 5th millennium calBC local
ceramic production was fully established in Dqbki,
approximately contemporaneous with the introduc-
tion of pottery production in the western Baltic
Ertebolle culture. The 14C-data suggest an earlier
start of pottery production in Dqbki, but this cannot
be reliably confirmed due to an uncertain amount
of reservoir effect in the pointed-bottom pottery
food residues.
The early local pottery from D$bki:
a summary of characteristics
A detailed analysis was undertaken for the point-
ed-bottom pottery and lamps from the excavation
campaigns 1979-2010. The pointed-bottom ware
consists of 146 sherds, from which 64 vessel units
were combined. Unfortunately, small fragment sizes
and very limited decorations made the combination
of full profiles almost impossible, thus vessel units
are separated into 51 rim units, 11 bottom units and
one belly unit (with decoration) plus one reconstruct-
ed small vessel with full profile. This results in the
estimation of a MNI of 52 pointed-bottom vessels.
Despite problematic profile reconstruction, the ves-
sels can be generally characterised as S-shaped with
round inflections and a presumably conical lower
body form (Fig. 5). The pointed-bottom ware was
admixed with mineral components, mostly crushed
granite. If more than one material was observed, the
second admixture was predominantly sand. The local
clay, which was used for the production of pottery
(pers. comm. A. Czekaj-Zastawny), contains in parts
sand, and it can thus not be differentiated between
artificially added or natural sand components. The
wall thickness of the vessels averages at 11 mm, and
the coil joins could be mostly identified as N- and
rarely U-joins. The surface was smoothed or simply
flattened, and the outside surface was prepared more
carefully than the inside. The vessel openings vary
between 10 and 33 cm, averaging at around 19 cm.
The rim section is short (averaging at 19 mm height),
and almost 90 °/o of the rims are bent outwards with
rounded inflection points. Most of the vessels (96 °/o)
exhibit decorations, although almost exclusively in
the rim section. Typically, the rim is decorated with
‘Randkerben’ (rim cuts) and a horizontal row of
round impressions/perforations below the end of
the rim, with perforations predominating (Fig. 6.1-4).
The impressions/perforations were carried out from
the outside as well as from the inside with no appar-
ent predominance. One vessel unit shows a belly
decoration with vertical impressions, and another
vessel was decorated with vertical rows of small im-
pressions from the rim to the shoulder. The bottoms
are massive and drop-shaped or conical (Fig. 6.5-6).
Overall 87 fragments could be assigned to lamps,
of which 44 were combined to 29 vessel units. They
represent a more finely made ware than the pointed-
bottom vessels, but exhibit similar technical traits.
While wall thickness is at average around 9 mm, the
bottoms are more massive with 11 mm. The clay is
better mixed than in the pointed-bottom ware, and
while the same mineralic admixture was added,
particles were more finely grained. The lamps were
formed out of lumps of clay, but in some cases only
the bottom was formed in this way and the walls
were then added with N-joined coils. While rims were
carefully smoothed, much less effort was given to the
majority of bottoms. Typically, rims are very dark grey
coloured, while bottoms are much brighter, which
points to the use of these vessels as containers to burn
substances containing fat (cf. Van Diest 1981). The
overall forms are oval with rounded or pointed ends.
The length varies mostly between 12 and 15 cm, but
Paths of innovation - the site Dqbki, Poland, and the early forager pottery in the Baltic Sea region
Fig. 5 Schematic drawing of pointed-bottom vessel from Dgbki
(drawing: J. Ozog).
(3) The reliable stratigraphical evidence shows a
marked vertical gap between the lowest found
pointed-bottom pottery/lamps and TRB pot-
tery in the stratigraphy, indicating a clear time
difference between the appearance of both
types.
Summing up evidence, we assume it likely that
around the mid of the 5th millennium calBC local
ceramic production was fully established in Dqbki,
approximately contemporaneous with the introduc-
tion of pottery production in the western Baltic
Ertebolle culture. The 14C-data suggest an earlier
start of pottery production in Dqbki, but this cannot
be reliably confirmed due to an uncertain amount
of reservoir effect in the pointed-bottom pottery
food residues.
The early local pottery from D$bki:
a summary of characteristics
A detailed analysis was undertaken for the point-
ed-bottom pottery and lamps from the excavation
campaigns 1979-2010. The pointed-bottom ware
consists of 146 sherds, from which 64 vessel units
were combined. Unfortunately, small fragment sizes
and very limited decorations made the combination
of full profiles almost impossible, thus vessel units
are separated into 51 rim units, 11 bottom units and
one belly unit (with decoration) plus one reconstruct-
ed small vessel with full profile. This results in the
estimation of a MNI of 52 pointed-bottom vessels.
Despite problematic profile reconstruction, the ves-
sels can be generally characterised as S-shaped with
round inflections and a presumably conical lower
body form (Fig. 5). The pointed-bottom ware was
admixed with mineral components, mostly crushed
granite. If more than one material was observed, the
second admixture was predominantly sand. The local
clay, which was used for the production of pottery
(pers. comm. A. Czekaj-Zastawny), contains in parts
sand, and it can thus not be differentiated between
artificially added or natural sand components. The
wall thickness of the vessels averages at 11 mm, and
the coil joins could be mostly identified as N- and
rarely U-joins. The surface was smoothed or simply
flattened, and the outside surface was prepared more
carefully than the inside. The vessel openings vary
between 10 and 33 cm, averaging at around 19 cm.
The rim section is short (averaging at 19 mm height),
and almost 90 °/o of the rims are bent outwards with
rounded inflection points. Most of the vessels (96 °/o)
exhibit decorations, although almost exclusively in
the rim section. Typically, the rim is decorated with
‘Randkerben’ (rim cuts) and a horizontal row of
round impressions/perforations below the end of
the rim, with perforations predominating (Fig. 6.1-4).
The impressions/perforations were carried out from
the outside as well as from the inside with no appar-
ent predominance. One vessel unit shows a belly
decoration with vertical impressions, and another
vessel was decorated with vertical rows of small im-
pressions from the rim to the shoulder. The bottoms
are massive and drop-shaped or conical (Fig. 6.5-6).
Overall 87 fragments could be assigned to lamps,
of which 44 were combined to 29 vessel units. They
represent a more finely made ware than the pointed-
bottom vessels, but exhibit similar technical traits.
While wall thickness is at average around 9 mm, the
bottoms are more massive with 11 mm. The clay is
better mixed than in the pointed-bottom ware, and
while the same mineralic admixture was added,
particles were more finely grained. The lamps were
formed out of lumps of clay, but in some cases only
the bottom was formed in this way and the walls
were then added with N-joined coils. While rims were
carefully smoothed, much less effort was given to the
majority of bottoms. Typically, rims are very dark grey
coloured, while bottoms are much brighter, which
points to the use of these vessels as containers to burn
substances containing fat (cf. Van Diest 1981). The
overall forms are oval with rounded or pointed ends.
The length varies mostly between 12 and 15 cm, but