M. Járó - L. Költő szerk.: Archaeometrical research in Hungary (Budapest, 1988)

Analysis - BALLA Márta, BÉRCZI János, KEÖMLEY Gábor, ROSNER Gyula, GABLER Dénes: Provenance studies of ceramics by neutron actiwtion analysis

sample 36 grave 17 sample 37 grave 275 sample 38 grave 182 sample 39 grave 3 workshop I workshop I workshop I workshop I 28 S T 25 23 29 27 28 24 21 19 17 15 13 30 20 18 16 22 14 12 11 Fig. 5 Dendrogram of samples of the two Avar potting-workshops It can be seen that the majority of sherds were produced by workshop I (as a matter of fact chance event cannot be excluded, either). Archaeological studies of the workshops infer that workshop I started production earlier. Five furnaces belonging to the workshop significantly extending the duration of its use and productivity. In four cases the examination supposed the existence of a third workshop, too. Obviously pots could come to the village from other territories; trade routes also cannot be excluded, and perhaps ceramics could get there even through marriages. Even so, the existence of a third workshop cannot be excluded. The excavation in 1985 found the southern side of a pit-system belonging to a third workshop with the remains of two furnaces. So investigations of the following years provide verification. Our knowledge can be deepened by the method of neutron activation analysis. Analysis of further samples could reveal the trading activity of the Avar pottery baking centre. Samples were taken from some ceramics of the cemeteries of the Szekszárd area in order to see whether the products of these workshops can be found in them. With the help of the samples taken from the spots of distant provenances of the country we attempt to determine the extent of the area to which the goods spread. We plan to analyse ceramics of cemeteries in the Dunaújváros and Szeged area. Our aim is to prove the existence of pottery centres rendered probable by archaeological methods.