| Abstract [eng] |
The appearance of clay vessels in the communities of Southeast Lithuania at the end of the 6th millennium BC reflects the beginning of a long-lasting, multiple socio-economic transformations associated with Neolithisation. The poor preservation of archaeological material and the presence of only residential sites with intermingled finds from different periods make the natural environment of the settlements and the pottery found there the most important sources of information about the communities. Neolithic pottery is often used to define archaeological cultures and to classify communities, but it primarily reflects the artistic expression of individual potters, adapting to cultural traditions but bringing in their own elements, as well as pottery producers' and users' social status, diet, lifestyle and relationship with other communities. The detailed study of ceramics provides information on the living environment, flora, fauna, the touch of the potter's fingers, his artistic perception and his technological choices. Many of the myths about pottery in the archaeological literature are based on a poor understanding of its microstructure and production processes, therefore the dissertation provides detailed information starting from the minerals of the ceramic paste, the possible organic matters and their properties, to the moulding, firing and use of vessels. The technological solutions and use of Neolithic pottery in Southeast Lithuania reflect the different attitudes of communities towards environmental resources, dynamic processes of development and transmission of traditions in response to the changing natural, cultural and social environment. |
