Paper detail

Ochre decor and Cinnabar Residues in Neolithic Pottery from Vinuca, Serbia

The prehistoric site of Vinuca, on the right bank of the River Danube, the territory of the City of Belgrade, first excavated by Dr Miloje Vasić; (1931-1934) provides Neolithic pottery dating back to 5200 - 4200 B.C. Shards excavated in 1998 (Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts) have a yellow coating on the external (convex) and red deposit on the internal (concave) side. Raman, IR and X-ray identification prove that yellow-to-red decor deposited on the external faces of pottery is made of ochre, a mixture of hematite, quartz and phyllosilicates. Red deposit, found on some internal surfaces of a pottery, consists of cinnabar (HgS) with some quartz and phyllosilicates. This indicates that cinnabar was not used for decor but for some other purposes, preparations made in ceramic utensils. A comparison is made with the mercury ore from a Suplja Stena mine located ~ 20 km from the Vinuca village.