Ceramics as indicators of Late Bronze Age environments at Zürich-Alpenquai (Switzerland).

Abstract

Lake-dwellings in the northern Alpine region are renowned for their extraordinary organic preservation. In addition to organic remains, thousands of ceramic sherds are also recovered. This paper addresses ceramic sherds from the Late Bronze Age site Zürich-Alpenquai, and assesses over 2000 sherds for indications of erosion and abrasion in addition to quantifying sherd size and plotting the spatial distribution of these factors. Recording such wear patterns can provide indications of deposition practices in addition to environmental conditions pre- and post-deposition. In this manner the study of ceramic remains from wetland sites for abrasion can complement environmental studies addressing conditions at the time of artefact deposition, and contribute to discussions of influences for lake-settlement abandonment.