The functional purpose of tools manufactured from pottery fragments at sites associated with the Eastern Variant of the Itkul Culture in the Lower Tobol region

Abstrak / Ringkasan

This paper presents the findings of an experimental traceological study of pottery fragments exhibiting evidence of secondary use, recovered from settlements attributed to the Eastern Variant of the Itkul Culture: Karagai Aul 1 (n = 58) and Vak-Kur 2 (n = 43). These sites are located in the Lower Tobol region (Western Siberia) and date to the second half of the 7th — 6th centur? BC. Wear traces were documented on the studied artifacts. To attribute these wear patterns, experimental work was conducted, simulating the use of ceramic fragments for the processing of bone, wood, and ce-ramic vessels on both wet and slightly dried surfaces. Distinctive features were identified on the working edges of the resulting scraper-like ceramic tools. A comparative analysis of the experimental dataset and archaeological series indicates that most of the tools fashioned from ceramic fragments at these sites were employed in pottery production, specifically for smoothing, compacting surfaces, and repairing cracks in clay vessels. Moreover, the working edges of these tools were predominantly smoothed, exhibiting evidence of abrasive processing. The character of this treatment, as well as wear traces, depended on the degree of moisture level of the clay surface. Thus, the assemblages from the Karagai Aul 1 and Vak-Kur 2 sites — despite differences in their chronological positioning — attest to a consistent tradition involving the use of scraper-like ceramic tools for the finishing of pottery surfaces.

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