Classic Samarra Painted Pottery from Yarim Tepe I, the Neolithic of Northern Iraq

Abstract

This study focuses on the Classic Samarra painted ware from the Standard Hassuna layer at Yarim Tepe I, in Northern Iraq. Two groups of imports are described. The first consists of Classic Samarra, apparently related to Central Mesopotamia; the second, of Samarra Ware imported from the west. It is hypothesized that the Samarra pottery was imported not only from the center to various parts of the periphery, but also from one part of the periphery to another. As a result of comparison of the ceramics, a hypothesis is proposed that Classic Samarra was formed based on a symbiosis of two earlier cultural groups: the Proto-Hassuna period in Northern Mesopotamia, and Neolithic traditions originating from Central Zagros.