Dalma ceramics at Surezha in the Erbil Plain: Stylistic, compositional, and petrographic evidence for trans-Zagros interaction during the Terminal Ubaid/Late Chalcolithic 1

Abstract

Excavations at Surezha, on the Erbil plain in Iraqi Kurdistan, yielded 89 sherds of Dalma style pottery from 5th millennium BC contexts. Dalma ceramics are widespread in northwestern Iran but occur only rarely west of the Zagros in northeastern Iraq. To understand the significance of Dalma ceramics at Surezha, we document their forms, production technology, and decorative style. We use Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis and petrography to determine geochemical composition and location of manufacture. We then use the same techniques to examine similar wares from the type site of Dalma Tepe in Iran. These complementary analyses show that the Dalma style wares from Surezha and Dalma Tepe are stylistically alike but compositionally distinct. Clay compositions of Dalma wares from Surezha match those of local Erbil Plain ceramics, and we conclude that the Dalma wares at Surezha were made locally. Stylistic and petrographic data lead us to suggest these Surezha vessels were produced by small groups of individuals, either transhumant pastoralists or persons displaced via exogamy, from the Iranian highlands. Finally, the composition of a single black-on-buff Ubaid/LC-1 style sherd from Dalma Tepe indicates that it was probably manufactured in the Tigris River basin of Mesopotamia. Our findings suggest periodic contact between Iranian highland populations and northeastern Mesopotamian communities during the early 5th millennium BC, and may indicate an early manifestation of seasonal transhumant pastoralism.