Regional ceramic trade in Early Bronze Age Greece : evidence from neutron activation analysis of early Helladic pottery from Argolis and Korinthia

Ceramic production and exchange in Early Bronze Age Greece have been studied through provenance determination by neutron activation analysis. The concentrations of Na, K, Rb, Cs, Ca, Al, Sc, La, Ce, Eu, Yb, Th, Ti, Hf, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, and Co were determined, with respect to Perlman-Asaro standard pottery, in 255 objects of the Early Helladic (or EH) II and III periods found at Keramidhaki, Korakou, Phlious, Zygouries, Tiryns, and Asine in Korinthia and Argolis. Multivariate treatment of these data, merged with 162 analyses from the author's earlier work with samples from Lerna (Argolis) and Lake Vouliagmeni (Korinthia), yielded 11 compositional reference groups. Many of these could be attributed to centres of production on distributional or other grounds, thereby allowing the sources of more than half the sampled objects to be determined.The following conclusions were reached: All 8 sites (except possibly Phlious) were sources of common EH II ware (sauceboats and small bowls), which had limited distributions. Many unusual EH II fine wares had other sources and broader distributions. The attribution of coarse wares was complicated by the presence of tempering material. The changes in pottery acquisition patterns which accompanied the beginning of EH III were probably more drastic at Tiryns than at Lerna or Korakou