The aim of the work is to identify sources of raw materials for the manufacture of ceramics and to determine the technological characteristics of ceramic production, depending on the composition of the raw material clay. Clay samples were taken from outcrops near the Early Iron Age settlements of the Saharna, the Soldanesti and the Glinjeni sites. The chemical analysis of clays and ceramics by the XRF method showed good correlation in the major and minor elements.In particular, it concerns to SiO2, CaO contents and the rare elements like Ba, Sr, Zr. Rare minerals detected by the scanning electron microscope (SEMEDX) can beused as indicators for the determination of the exploitation of local raw materials also. Both in the pottery and in the clay from the Soldanesti site, cupriferous minerals such as the Chalcocite and the Cuprite, are clearly registered. The ceramics and clay samplesfrom the Glinjeni siteare conformedamong others regarding the Chromite. X-ray diffraction on ceramic samples shows a similar mineral composition: quartz; microcline, albite, muscovite, calcite, dolomite, amphibole,anatase, magnetite, goethite.In the pottery of the Glinjeni siteaorganogenic limestoneoccurs in the form of rounded grains. The some ceramic samples from the Glinjeni site content such kind inclusions in the clay but they have a crushed biogenic limestone addedas a temper also. There are samples in which a Quartz sand was added to the natural clay (20 wt.%) and pottery was experimentally made andfired at different temperatures. But the DTA-analysis shows that the firing temperature did not exceed the melting temperature of calcite at 870°C (Trindade et al., 2009). This is consistent with X-ray powder diffraction studies. For the most of the samples, a product of illite change - muscovite is identified, the destruction of which occurs at 850-900 °C (Stevenson, Gurnick, 2016). Аn integrated approach to the study shows that pottery was produced from local clay of the Dniester rive basin. The firing temperature did not exceed at 870°C.* This article is supported by RFBR project № 18-08-40063 and the Volkswagen Foundation, project № 90 216