Preliminary archaeometric study of the Neolithic pottery from the “Le Grottelline” site (Spinazzola, Italy)

The archaeological site of “Le Grottelline”, in the territory of Spinazzola, province of Bari (southern Italy), which dates back to the Early Neolithic Age, is located in the Bradanic Trough. Abundant ceramic material was recovered, which mainly belongs to the Culture of “Archaic-Impressed Pottery” and appears similar to that found in other Neolithic sites of the Murge area. The archaeologists recognized four ceramic classes: coarse, semi-depurated, depurated, and figulina. Fine ceramics can be red paint decorated. Aim of this work was a preliminary archaeometric characterization of the ceramic material from “Le Grottelline” in order to have information about the use of local raw materials and to address subsequent studies aimed to verify the relationships among the Neolithic cultures of the Murge area. The present study evidenced two typologies of ceramic body, characterized by calcium-rich and calcium-poor pastes, respectively, and two single samples. For the two groups of ceramics, a manufacture with local raw materials is assumed by using two types of clay: carbonate clays from “Subapennine Clays” formation and residual carbonate-free clays such as the well-known “red earths”. These two ceramic typologies are very similar to those reported for the near Neolithic site of Ciccotto, and it also located in the Bradanic Trough. For the two single samples, on the contrary, a manufacturing with “Alluvial Clays” and a provenance from the site of Pulo di Molfetta are supposed. The red painted decorations are aluminum- and iron-rich, while the content of calcium can be very different.