Pottery from the beginning of the Early Bronze Age from the site at Bada Bunar, near Karnobat

Rescue excavations necessitated by the construction of Trakia motorway have been carried out in Karnobat region over the past few years that have brought about the enrichment of the knowledge of the Bronze Age in southeastern Bulgaria. The subject of this report is the Early Bronze Age pottery found on the route of the motorway, Lot 5, kilometers 6+400 - 6+800. The site at Bada Bunar is situated 5 km south of the town of Karnobat. The ceramic material has been recovered from a house, and separate sherds come from the backfill of Iron Age pits, which have disturbed the earlier cultural layers. Based on the temper and its concentration in the paste, one finds four main wares: very coarse, coarse, medium-coarse and medium-fine, among which the very coarse and coarse wares dominate. As regards the temper, the crushed grit of various size prevail as well as quartz, sand, and, more rarely, chamotte and organic matter. Wall sections contain one, two, or three stripes. Three ceramic categories can be distinguished with regard to their function: tableware, kitchenware, and storage pottery, which are divided into four main vessel classes: deep vessels (for food and liquid storage), pots, (for preparation and storage of food and liquids), bowls (for serving and eating), and dishes (mostly for eating). The considerable wall thickness, rough surface, and large mouth diameter are typical of the deep vessels, suggesting their usage as storage containers. They are divided into four types. Pots feature smaller mouth diameters; four types of them have been defined. Dishes are characterized by the largest mouth diameter. They are open vessels classified into only two types. Compared to the latter, the bowls' mouth is narrower. They are divided into four types. Tunnel- and quasi-tunnel lugs are common, as well as arching handles. The most common decorations are the various prick-marks: oval, triangular, slanting, rhomboid, occasionally on plastic bands. With regard to its position, one can distinguish decoration under or on the mouth rim. The prevailing decoration consists of two to four lines of dimples below the mouth rim. Dimples occur on the plastic band as well. The dishes and bowls feature characteristic prick-marks on the rib. Other commonly used types of ornamentation are the channeling on the interior surface and the fishbone. The discussed ceramic assemblage marks one more spot of the Cernavoda III spread area south of the Balkan range. Similarly to some other sites in Bulgaria, all the contexts at Bada Bunar have been disturbed. This is why a more precise characterization of this initial stage of the Early Bronze Age will be subject to future research.