Exploring the Alişar IV Pottery in Anatolia

Abstract

This paper discusses some of the major problems concerning Alişar IV pottery. The question of the origin of this peculiar pottery typology is far from solved and it now requires a new approach based on its intrinsic material characteristics. The lack of a unique definition and the absence up until now of clear primary finding contexts make the reconstruction of the production of Alişar IV even more complex. Given this, the study of the different steps of production, the so-called chaîne opératoire, can bring to light new and important information. It might permit the identification of possible workshops and a better understanding of the phenomena of trade and exchange within the local and regional context of Anatolia during the Middle Iron Age. In addition, important new data has come from the site of Uşaklı Höyük (Yozgat) located in central-northern Anatolia. The assemblage of Alişar IV pottery discovered on this site adds some interesting observations regarding the elements of variability involved in this kind of production that could be related to a multiregional and polycentric system of distribution.