Archaeological composition of pottery assemblages from neolithic settlements

Abstract

The article is intended to address an essence of pottery assemblages from Neolithic settlements. Three aspects have been analysed: relationships between complete vessels and fragments resulted from their breakage; relationship between composition of pottery vessels used at any given moment and composition of deposited ceramics; and relationship between deposited pottery and its excavated fraction. It is argued that pottery assemblages excavated and analysed by archaeologists are result of refuse practices. Consequently, they distinctive traits reflect neither a deposited assemblage nor a composition of pottery vessels used at any given moment at the settlement