A field study of ceramics bearing pan-Black Sea decorative motifs from Sinop, Turkey, using pXRF

Abstract

Though established in the 7th century BCE as an Ionian colony, Sinop (classical Sinope) served as a hub of maritime activity since at least the Early Bronze Age (3rd-2nd millennium BCE). Located in a protected natural harbor on the southern Black Sea coast, Sinop has throughout its history been better integrated into spheres of interaction with the larger Black Sea world rather than the Anatolian interior. Recent excavations at the Sinop Kale site uncovered a stylistically diverse assemblage of handmade ceramics which raises questions about interregional interaction around the Black Sea during the pre-Greek colonial period that may be addressed through ceramic sourcing methods. This paper presents a compositional analysis of handmade ceramics from Sinop bearing a rope-like pan-Black Sea decorative technique using portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) that answers specific questions of production and interaction at the site. In particular, it seeks to distinguish between non-local production and non-local technological styles produced locally, employing pXRF as a field technique. Results demonstrated that despite the visible diversity of the assemblage, handmade ceramics were primarily produced locally, as communities with distinct ceramic traditions moved through the Sinop Kale site.