Results from Multi Technique Investigation of Pottery from Different Early Neolithic Sites in Albania

Abstract

The archaeological excavations of the Neolithic sites in Albania show that this area has been the center of the confluence of different cultures with various levels of development and social organization. This is reflected in the pottery manufacturing, which during early Neolithic is classified in three major groups. The pottery from the Early Neolithic site at Kolsh, situated in north east, shows similarities with all the other cultures of central Balkans, the shards from the site Blaz in the north-west region show an Adriatic-Mediterraean character, while the south culture represented by Vashtemi and Podgorie sites appears to show cultural report with early Neolithic in the area of Thessaloniki. During the last years, the Institute of Applied Nuclear Physics of the University of Tirana and the Institute of Archaeology of the Center of Albanian Studies have initiated a cooperative study of the ceramic finds which aims at a better characterization and classification of the ceramic finds. In this context Optical Microscopy (OM), EDXRF, micro-XRF and XRD were used for the elemental and structural characterization of ceramic samples. Some data on the fabric texture, inclusions, decoration materials and elemental composition of the shards from pottery samples belonging to the mentioned Early Neolithic sites in Albania will be presented.