Lietuvos istorijos institutas

This article presents an investigation of the classi'cation, chronology, production, and usage of the technical ceramics from the ‘Didysis’ Narkūnai Hillfort (Utena District, Leliūnai Eldership). An attempt to resolve the problem of classifying vessels as miniature cups or crucibles was made using XRF, microchemical qualitative, SEM/EDX, and x-radiography analyses. Based on the results, a significant quantity of the miniature cups previously interpreted as crucibles are now considered to be unrelated to metallurgical activities. The revision of these technical ceramics is prompting a reassessment of the itinerant metalworker hypothesis as the collection is sparse, indicating a specialized metalworking level and an episodic chronological character.