Technology and functionality of the quadrilobed Wietenberg vessel
Technology and functionality of the quadrilobed Wietenberg vessel

Summary/Abstract: The late phases of the Middle Bronze Age Wietenberg culture are characterized by the predominance of good quality and carefully decorated pottery. One of the most remarkable pottery products of this period is the so-called quadrilobed vessel, a lavishly decorated high quality product. The vessel has an odd, lobed shape, not immediately readable in terms of functionality. In addition to its esthetic and technical features, it is also a rare find: it constitutes a small proportion of the pottery discovered in settlements, being even rarely associated to funerary contexts. Although the quadrilobed vessel has received a certain academic attention, it was invariably analyzed as individual find. This paper discusses several recently discovered quadrilobed vessels at the Pianu de Jos – Lunca Pârâului settlement. By using statistical tools, micro- and macroscopic analysis, it will consider the functionality of such vessels, with a focus on the technological and morphological characteristics of the pottery found at Pianu de Jos – Lunca Pârâului site, on the Mureș valley.

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