Continuity amid transformation: An analysis of pottery production from the late La Tène to early Roman periods in Eastern Bohemia

• Fabric groups were associated with pottery chronology. • La Tène pottery exhibited greater variability in material composition. • Non-local tempers were used in La Tène pottery. • Certain production techniques were abandoned in the early Roman period. • The pottery-making tradition persisted but underwent significant changes. At the end of the La Tène period and the beginning of the Roman period in the first century BC, society in Central Europe underwent a significant transformation, which included notable changes in pottery production. This transformation is often attributed to the collapse of the social structures of the La Tène period and the arrival of a new population. Pottery production, in particular, is generally considered to have undergone a complete transformation. However, previous studies on this transition have primarily focused on the stylistic analysis of shapes and decorations, as illustrated by the pottery assemblage from Slepotice (Eastern Bohemia). In order to obtain additional data on the transitional period, this study of pottery from Slepotice incorporates analyses of the materials used and the manufacturing process through macroscopic observation, X-ray fluorescence analysis, and thin-section analysis. These analyses provide new insights into the differences in pottery production and distribution during the first century BC. Our research indicates that while the transformation included the collapse of the La Tène socioeconomic network, it did not result in a complete break in the pottery production process.