Strumenti e gesti di saperi remoti: la trasformazione dei cibi nel Neolitico medio della Sardegna

Starting from the results and the questions raised by the previous studies about the function of Middle Neolithic pottery in Sardinia, in this paper the investigation of the vessels used as tools for thermal processing of food is extended to a broader number of pottery collections from open-air settlements in central-western Sardinia. The new data confirm a recurrent and shared behaviour in the use of pottery for cooking, centred on the selection of a vessel morphotype, defined by precise morphological and dimensional attributes. The relatively low frequency of these cooking vessels in all investigated sites points to their use in specific occasions or periods, perhaps related to the timing of the transformation activities of ruminant husbandry products.