Technical aspects of Bell Beaker pottery decoration in North-Eastern Poland

Pottery decoration, though not essential for a vessel’s function, offers key insights into past societies. Beyond aesthetics, it reflects technological skill, social identity, and cultural interaction. This study examines Bell Beaker pottery from north-eastern Poland, a region notable for its stylistic ties to western Bell Beaker groups and its role in early Bronze Age developments. Through detailed macro- and microscopic overview, as well as experimental research, it provides critical insights into the technical abilities of potters and the functioning of stylistic traditions, revealing both continuity and local adaptation. Decoration emerges here as a deliberate, structured practice embedded in shared cognitive frameworks: mental templates guided by a specific ‘visibility regime’. The outcomes further suggest the emergence of a local Bell Beaker community of practice, which adhered to broader stylistic conventions, while simultaneously developing its own unique approach. These findings demonstrate that pottery decoration can be a powerful tool for tracing cultural interactions, knowledge exchange, and identity formation in prehistoric Europe. By shedding light on these dynamics, this research contributes to global discussions on how material culture encodes social and technological information, making it relevant to both European prehistory specialists and anyone interested in the long-term transmission of ideas and craft traditions.