Abstract
One of the most characteristic aspects of the Late Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age periods in the southern Levant is the appearance of large assemblages of basalt vessels. These vessels, frequently meticulously made, appear sometimes a considerable distance from the raw material sources and are found mainly at habitation sites. While these and their prestigious value have been widely discussed in the past, their function is still obscure. In the current paper, we address their functionality through microscopic use-wear analysis. Emphasis was placed on basalt vessels with a distinct wear pattern–circumferential depressions, which appear along the perimeter of their interior bases. The documented traces were compared to results of an experimental study we conducted to characterize the effects of abrasion, grinding, and lubrication on basalt surfaces. The results of the comparative experimental study suggest that the circumferential depression was formed from a repetitive rotational activity using a narrow-ended tool. Further, it seems that two material types acted in combination as the circling device and processed material. One was hard and abrasive, such as stone, and the other was semi-resilient, such as wood or mineral powder. Water was likely used as a lubricant in the rotational process. While the actual function of the bowls bearing the circumferential depressions is not entirely clear, the use-wear analyses suggest that they may have been devices involved in craft industries, used for processing materials unrelated to food (minerals in particular). Whatever the exact function was, it clear that this use continued from the Chalcolithic through the Early Bronze Age, providing evidence for functional continuity between these two periods.
Highlights
A small fraction of the Late Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age basalt vessel assemblages bear a specific feature: a circumferential channel-like depression (Fig 1, marked by arrows) that is located inside the bowls at the joint of the wall and base
This phenomenon is observed on up to only 14.3% of basalt vessel bases in a basalt vessel assemblage according to the selection of fully published sites
We present our observations and the results of the experiments we conducted and discuss several interpretive lanes regarding the mechanisms that may have formed this unique pattern. We address how this contributes to our understanding of the Late Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age basalt vessels’ function
Summary
A small fraction of the Late Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age basalt vessel assemblages bear a specific feature: a circumferential channel-like depression (Fig 1, marked by arrows) that is located inside the bowls at the joint of the wall and base. This phenomenon is observed on up to only 14.3% of basalt vessel bases in a basalt vessel assemblage according to the selection of fully published sites (with the maximum number of four vessels with circumferential depressions identified in the assemblage of Tel Bet Yerah).
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