The First Pottery Traditions in the Vinalopo River. Provenance and Technology of the Neolithic Ceramics from Colon Street, Number 3, of Novelda (Alicante)

For most of Southern Europe, the process of Neolithic expansion was associated with the dissemination of a range of knowledge, both socio-economic and technological. Among the latter, pottery allows us to observe different traditions not only from the raw materials used, but also by providing information on different ways of doing. This work approaches both variables through the petrographic and microstructural observation of part of the ceramic record recovered from an open-air settlement documented in Colon Street of Novelda, Alicante, in the Vinalop6 basin. The results obtained show differences in the way in which the raw materials were processed -i.e., tempering- and variable firing temperatures. Based on the composition of the ceramic pastes, most of the vessels are probably of local origin, while a smaller number of pieces do not match the geological environment of the site, which we interpret as imports. These results provide us with information on the strategies developed in the management of the surrounding space and the relationship with neighbouring regions and human communities.