Pottery traditions of Early Medieval shell-tempered ware in northwestern Central Europe

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Between the 8th and 10th centuries, the pottery inventories of the southern North Sea coastal area are characterized to a considerable extent by the appearance of shell-tempered pottery. However, shell- tempered pottery occurs also outside of its main distribution area; the ware is found especially at the Early Medieval trading sites in the North Sea and Baltic Sea regions. In general, this is associated with the presence of Frisian traders. Due to its supra-regional distribution, the shell-tempered pottery is of outstanding importance for the reconstruction of Early Medieval trading networks along the North Sea and Baltic Sea coasts. Within the framework of the research project a broad database of technological aspects of the shell-tempered pottery and its raw material is to be collected using various archaeometric analysis methods. In the proposed first phase of the project, the focus should be on pottery in the main distribution area of the ware group and its peripheral zones. This area extends from the Dutch marshlands over East Frisia and the Elbe-Weser triangle to the west coast of Schleswig-Holstein. The aim of these investigations is to characterize the raw materials used for the production as well as the technological features of their processing in order to differentiate regional craft traditions and possibly to identify individual workshops within the core area. In addition, the analyses should help to localize the production area of the shell-tempered pottery more precisely. In the second phase of the project, the collected data will serve as an important reference for the analysis of shell-tempered pottery found outside the core area. For this purpose, shell-tempered pottery, which occurs as foreign good in various sites such as Dorestad, Ribe, Kaupang and Hedeby, is to be included in the study. One question needing clarification is to what extent similarities between this foreign pottery material and the local ware can be identified based on matching clay compositions and technological features, which would point to a local production. It will also be interesting to see, which possible differences or matches of shell-tempered pottery from distant sites and regions might occur. Finally, investigating whether it is possible to relate shell-tempered pots found at the trade-places with the find ensembles and workshops in the main distribution areas. The result is expected to contribute significantly to the determination of the provenance of the supra-regionally distributed shell-tempered pottery. In addition, the comparative studies will give important evidence of different flows of goods and trade routes of traders originating from the North Sea region. The analysis of shell-tempered pottery will gain new insights into the supra-regional trade, which was strongly influencing the Early Middle Ages of north-western Central Europe.