Scythian-Sarmatian ceramic assemblages from the upper don hillfort near the village of Verkhneye Kazachye (experience of micromorphological comparison)

He production technology of clay hand-made vessels distributed across the Don foreststeppe belt at settlements dating to the 6th century BC - 3rd century AD has not been explored, though it is important for understanding regional ethnocultural processes. The paper analyzes micromorphology of 100 examples from five ceramic assemblages of the early Scythian period (‘textile’ and coarse ware), the Scythian period (smoothed ware and ware with ‘mat impressions’ of the Scythoid and Gorodets cultures) and the Sarmatian period originating in one of the fortified settlements nearby the town of Zadonsk (Lipetsk region). The mineral and chemical compositions of the paste, paste formulations and firing temperature of clay vessels were compared. The study also revealed distinctive features of ceramic production technology in each stage of the fortified settlement’s life. It substantiated suggestions on the absence of ethnocultural linkages between the population groups that used sets of vessels made in various periods of time.