Mining gold and shaping clay: The production and consumption of bronze age pottery at ada tepe goldmine, Bulgaria

This paper examines the production of Late Bronze Age pottery (1480–1150 calBC) from two settlement areas of Ada Tepe, SE Bulgaria, Europe’s oldest goldmine. We present the results of an integrated approach that combines, typology, macroscopic fabric examination, thin section petrography, and small-scale analysis by scanning electron microscopy. The data from these analyses are used to investigate the possible sources of potting raw materials, elements of technological practice, and the repertoire of shapes being produced. Our study suggests the presence of potters who used broadly local raw materials to make a wide range of vessel types catering to a variety of needs that the mining community had, from storage to tableware. The pottery is predominantly characterized by silicate-rich metamorphic fabrics across all periods sampled, indicating long-established paste recipes shared between the two settlement areas. Additionally, we have identified paste recipes that seem to be more chronologically distinct, potentially reflecting the transition towards Iron Age potting practices.