White pottery production in the Middle Meuse valley: sustainability of clay resources during the early Middle Ages

This study of white pottery from the Merovingian and Carolingian periods traces the use of white clay resources in the Middle Meuse valley at the beginning of the Middle Ages. The petrographic study of 56 sherds, the chemical analysis of 40 samples, and XRD study of 12 of them coming from 4 sites reach the changes of the process between the two time periods, characterize the production of three Carolingian workshops, and consider the material supply in the mechanism of potters’ settlement. It appears that, between the Antiquity and the Modern period, the white kaolinitic material has always been exploited. The main technical changes between the Merovingian and the Carolingian periods are related to the specific selection of these clays that allow to produce white pottery and cooking wares with few inclusions. The Carolingian workshops used the material available in their environment that can be differentiated by chemistry and mineralogy. Finally, it appears that the selection of this particular type of clay also oriented the choice of the place where the potters settled or at least the longevity of some of the workshops.