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The Carpathian Basin was a highly influential centre of metalworking in the 2nd mil. BC. Nevertheless, despite the abundance of metal objects from the Late Bronze Age, the scarcity of contextually associated metalworking remains representing distinct phases of the metalworking cycle from this region is striking. Here, we explore Late Bronze Age metalworking through the lens of a uniquely complete metalworking assemblage from the site of Șagu from contexts spanning the sixteenth to early thirteenth century BC. This material provides insights into changes in craft organisation following socio-political change after the collapse of Middle Bronze Age tell-centred communities. Our approach combines analytical and experimental data together with contextual analysis of technical ceramics (crucible, mould, and furnace fragments) to reconstruct the metalworking chaîne opératoire and place Șagu in its broader cultural context. Analyses demonstrate clear technological choices in ceramic paste recipes and strong interlinkages between metallurgy and other crafts practised on site, from domestic pottery production to building structures. Experimental replications reveal important intrinsic and experiential aspects of metallurgical activities at Șagu. Evidence on the spatial organisation of metallurgical workflows (routine sequence of actions and decisions) suggests they incorporated a high degree of visibility, which marks a distinct change in the use of craft space compared to the context of densely occupied Middle Bronze Age tells nearby. Combined, our archaeometric, experimental, and contextual results illustrate how changes in metalworking activities in the Late Bronze Age Carpathian Basin were deeply embedded in an ideological shift in the aftermath of the breakdown of Middle Bronze Age tells and the emergence of new social structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work investigates the technology of pottery production at the Chalcolithic site of Radovanu-La Muscalu (first half of the fifth millennium BCE), in southern Romania. The excavation of this settlement yielded a rich and well-contextualised archaeological assemblage that represents the last phases of development of Boian material culture, a Chalcolithic phenomenon that spread throughout the lower Danube area at the end of the sixth millennium BCE and the first half of fifth millennium BCE. To carry out this investigation, a total of forty-nine ceramic samples, representative of the different pottery types and chronological horizons attested at this site, together with geological samples collected around Radovanu, were selected. These were analysed using a multi-pronged scientific approach including ceramic petrography, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy. This interdisciplinary study elucidates different aspects of the local pottery production and indicates that ceramics at Radovanu were manufactured according to a conservative tradition that consistently made use of grog tempering throughout all phases in which this settlement was inhabited. The results also show that at Radovanu, regional technological traits coexisted with elements that were widely applied in the Balkan region at that time, such as graphite-painted decoration. This investigation together with the identification of potential non-local productions well illustrates the complex interrelationships between the Boian phenomenon and the neighbouring material cultures in the Balkans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Widespread ethnographic evidence exists for the addition of animal dung to clay during the process of ceramic production. However, conclusive evidence of dung tempering in archaeological ceramics is relatively rare. The aim of this study is to ascertain whether, and under which conditions, dung tempering of pottery is identifiable. To answer these questions, we assessed whether a combination of micro-particle analysis in loose sediment and thin-section petrography can reveal the addition of dung to the clay paste by focusing on faecal spherulites, ash pseudomorphs, phytoliths and coprophilous fungal spores. We analysed several series of experimentally produced ceramic briquettes tempered with different types of dung and dung ash, which were fired at a range of increasing temperatures. Our study shows that the identification of dung tempering represents a challenge, and it depends on a number of different factors, among others the original presence of dung markers in the dung used, the manufacturing process, the firing temperatures and the firing atmosphere. Overall, through a multidisciplinary approach, our work clarifies a variety of issues connected to the identification of dung in ancient pottery, highlighting the role of faecal spherulites as the most promising proxy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study analyses through an interdisciplinary approach the wattle‐and‐daub building technique used on the Po Plain of northern Italy, focusing on the archaeological evidence from the Etruscan site of Forcello, near Bagnolo San Vito (Mantua) (540–375 bce). Wattle and daub is widespread across different times and periods, and is particularly common in regions such as the Po Plain, where stone sources for construction are not immediately available. Thanks to a combined archaeometric, geological and anthracological study, the paper provides new insights on a fifth‐century bce building structure from Forcello. The findings reveal information on the life history of this feature, including its construction, maintenance and final destruction. The research also sheds a new light on the wattle‐and‐daub technique and on the interaction between people and the Po Plain Etruscan palaeoenvironment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]