Late Neolithic and Early Chalcolithic lids from Damyanitsa, southwestern Bulgaria

Vandeva, Galya (author)

This paper examines 190 ceramic lids from the Late Neolithic (second half of the 6$^{th}$ to beginning of the 5$^{th}$ mill. BC) and Early Chalcolithic (first half of the 5th mill. BC) layers of the settlement of Damyanitsa in Southwest Bulgaria. Damyanitsa offers a range of lid types, allowing for a detailed typology and tracing their development from the Late Neolithic to the Early Chalcolithic periods. A detailed typological division is offered in order to facilitate comparisons with lids from contemporaneous sites in Bulgaria and within the broader context of southeastern Europe. The majority of the lids have small sizes with a base diameter of up to 15.0cm (89%). No significant differences in the shape and technology of lids are observed between the two periods. A particular type of lid, distinguished by its grooves, suggests that some of these lids may have been utilized for the purpose of sealing vessels for long-distance transport or storage of liquids or foodstuffs. The function of these grooves is to hold the lid to a specific vessel type, representing an evolutionary development in the functionality of the lids.

• Language: English
• Keywords: Late Neolithic, Early Chalcolithic, Damyanitsa settlement, Southwest Bulgaria, lids, storage of liquids and food
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FF - Faculty of Arts
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: Str. 392-428
• Numbering: Vol. 52
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-180583
• ISSN on article: 1854-2492
• DOI: 10.4312/dp.52.10
• COBISS.SI-ID: 272622851

Copyright

Podatek o licenci CC BY-SA 4.0 je naveden na pristajalni strani članka (glej zgoraj izvorni URL). (Datum opombe: 11. 3. 2026)

• Publication date in RUL: 11.03.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Documenta Praehistorica
• Shortened title: Doc. Praehistor.
• Publisher: Založba Univerze v Ljubljani
• ISSN: 1854-2492
• COBISS.SI-ID: 220673792

Licences

• License: CC BY-SA 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
• Description: This Creative Commons license is very similar to the regular Attribution license, but requires the release of all derivative works under this same license.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Pozno neolitski in zgodnje halkolitski pokrovi iz Damjanice v jugozahodni Bolgariji

Abstract

V članku preučujemo 190 keramičnih pokrovov iz pozno neolitskih (druga polovica 6. do začetka 5. tisočletja pr. n. št.) in zgodnje halkolitskih (prva polovica 5. tisočletja pr. n. št.) naselbinskih plasti v Damjanici v jugozahodni Bolgariji. Različne vrste pokrovov omogočajo podrobno tipološko analizo in sledenje njihovemu razvoju od poznega neolitika do zgodnjega halkolitika. Predstavljamo podrobno tipološko razdelitev, ki omogoča primerjavo s sočasnimi pokrovi v drugih delih Bolgarije in širše v jugovzhodni Evropi. Večina pokrovov je majhnih, s premerom do 15,0 cm (89 %). Med obema obdobjema ni opaznih večjih razlik v obliki in tehnologiji izdelave pokrovov. Posebni so pokrovi z utori, ki nakazujejo, da so morda služili za zapiranje posod za transport ali shranjevanje tekočin. Narejeni so za zapiranje določenih vrst posod in predstavljajo napredek v uporabi pokrovov.

• Keywords: pozni neolitik, zgodnji halkolitik, naselbina Damyanitsa, jugovzhodna Bolgarija, pokrovi, shanjevanje tekočin in hrane