Archaeometric Analysis of Pottery Technology in the Funnel Beaker Culture. A Case Study: Tannenhausen, East Frisia (Germany)

Abstract

The analysis of pottery fragments reveals detailed information about the technology used in the different regions of the Funnel Beaker Culture. This will make an important contribution to the reconstruction of communication networks. In the project presented here, various analytical methods were used to investigate technological aspects such as the raw material and temper. These investigations showed that crushed granite was the predominant tempering agent. The analysis of thin sections of sherds from the megalithic tomb at Tannenhausen, in the District of Aurich (East Frisia, Germany), indicated that the vessels found in the tomb were all locally produced in the same pottery tradition.