Abstract:

This paper focuses on Neolithic and Chalcolithic stone tools found at the Măgura ‘Buduiasca’ and Vităneşti ‘Măgurice’ sites in southern Romania, which might been involved in the chaîne opératoire of ceramic pottery production. To better understand how ceramic objects were made during this period, it is important to know what tools were available. Representative artefacts were selected from the sites and have here been grouped based on their possible involvement in various stages of pottery production: a) quarrying of the raw claystone (picks); b) processing the raw materials (mortars and pestles); and c) surface finishing (smoothers, burnishers, polishers). The surface of the tools was examined by non-destructive methods (handheld loupe, stereomicroscope) with the aim of further determining their function and whether they were likely used in the ceramics industry.

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