Pottery and clay: analysis of late Neolithic pottery and clay samples from the Ronaț-Triaj site (Timişoara, Timiş County, Romania) using hyphenated techniques

Abstract This study investigates prehistoric ceramic materials from the archeological site of Ronaț-Triaj (Timișoara, Timiș County, Romania), a Late Neolithic site dated to 4750–4500 cal BC and later reoccupied during Late Antiquity. Eight pottery samples attributed to the Petrești A/Foeni horizon (middle of the fifth millennium BC) were analyzed. The analyzed samples cover the main ware categories attributed to the Petrești A/Foeni horizon, including black, orange, red, and painted pottery, as well as fine, semifine, and coarse fabrics. To determine whether the wares were locally produced, clay samples from the site were also studied. A multi-analytical approach (TG/DTG, FT-IR, XRD, SEM–EDX, XRF, and LIBS) was used to characterize the pottery, investigate production technology, and assess the possible sources of raw materials. The results show that the ceramics used a paste composed of illite and montmorillonite, along with albite, analcime, and anorthite, with the intensive use of quartz and mica as raw materials. The results suggest that locally sampled clays may have contributed to the ceramic paste, which is consistent with probable local production. Thermal data suggest firing temperatures most probably within the medium-temperature range (~ 550–750 °C), based on combined TG/DTG behavior and mineralogical constraints, rather than a single diagnostic transformation.