The development of pottery production, specialisation and standardisation in the Late Neolithic and Transitional Chalcolithic periods in the Central Plateau of Iran

Abstract

The prehistoric pottery recovered from Sialk, Ebrahimabad and Pardis sites, the Central Plateau of Iran was studied using the XRF, XRD and SEM/EDX analyses, as well as typological classification. These studies showed the occurrence of a gradual evolution in pottery making in each site from the Sialk I type fragile buff pottery of Late Neolithic period to the dense, strong and more impermeable Sialk II type red pottery in the final phase of Transitional Chalcolithic period. The relative similarity of compositions, and the presence of high- temperature minerals demonstrated a high degree of specialisation in the selection of raw materials and control of the firing temperature and atmosphere in the potters of the three sites in the final phase of Transitional Chalcolithic period.On the other hand, the pottery forms of different sites and historical periods show a great variety of types with astonishing similarities, very little changes are detected in pottery forms from the earliest Sialk I Neolithic pottery of Sialk site to the latest Transitional Chalcolithic pottery of Pardis site for nearly 600 years. However, despite the similarity of most of the vessel types the potters by producing new vessels differing in size or quantity tried to fulfil the changing needs of their communities, ascertaining the existence of specialisation in the three sites.Based on the evidence concerning similarities in the overall evolution pattern of pottery production technology as well as some of the characteristics of pottery such as form the existence of cultural/technical interactions and exchanges between the prehistoric communities living in this region in the specified time period seems to be extremely likely.