Analysis of pottery from Žďár nad Sázavou – taré město with a focus on the technology of the assemblage

Abstract

The study focuses on ceramic production from Žďár nad Sázavou – Staré město, an agglomeration that formed in the third quarter of 13th century and was abandoned after the founding of the ‘new’ town in the early 14th century. The large pottery collection is well dated and captures changes in pottery production during the medieval transformation, tightly connected with the colonisation of the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands. The pottery assemblage from the 2004 excavation season was processed in this study. Material from the pottery kiln discovered in 2006 and found during the review of the research documentation was supplemented afterwards. The main part of study evaluates ceramic production technology, which was rapidly changing during this period. Pottery fragments were divided into ceramic classes according to the properties of the ceramic mass and firing. The descriptive system of technological marks is a part of the study, but it could be used for other medieval pottery collections. Detailed attention was paid to pottery-forming technique marks: coiling, wheel forming and wheel throwing. The analysis of pottery technology is based on the chaîne opératoire of medieval ceramic production. The macroscopic analysis of pottery-making technology is connected with the conclusions of natural science analyses. Their aim was to validate and specify the macroscopic description of ceramic classes and also detailed information about pottery provenance and technology. The analysis of the pottery provides information for the future productiondistribution model of pottery production in the area.