The pots and potters of Assyria : technology and organization of production, ceramics sequence and vessel function at Late Bronze Age Tell Sabi Abyad, Syria

The pots and potters of Assyria : technology and organization of

production, ceramics sequence and vessel function at Late Bronze Age

Tell Sabi Abyad, Syria

Duistermaat, K.

Citation

Duistermaat, K. (2007, March 21). The pots and potters of Assyria : technology and

organization of production, ceramics sequence and vessel function at Late Bronze Age Tell

Sabi Abyad, Syria. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/1887/11416

Version: Corrected Publisher’s Version

License: Licence agreement concerning inclusion of doctoral thesis in the

Institutional Repository of the University of Leiden

Downloaded from: https://hdl.handle.net/1887/11416

Note: To cite this publication please use the final published version (if applicable).

TABLE OF CONTENTS

L

IST OF

F

IGURES 5

L

IST OF

T

ABLES 15

P

REFACE AND

A

CKNOWLEDGEMENTS

19

C

HAPTER

I: I

NTRODUCTION 23

I.1 The site of Tell Sabi Abyad

23

I.2 The Late Bronze Age settlement

24

Historical background 24

The Middle Assyrian administration of the provinces 27

The dunnu of Tell Sabi Abyad and its role in the Balikh Valley 28

Middle Assyrians and other local groups in the provinces 29

I.3 Previous work on Mitanni and Middle Assyrian ceramics

30 Archeological excavations and surveys in the Balikh Valley 30 Ceramic studies 31

I.4 Research aims

32

Typology, chronology and comparisons 32

Pottery production at Tell Sabi Abyad: techniques and organization 33 Function and use of ceramics 33

I.5 Research questions

33

C

HAPTER

II: F

IELD AND

R

ESEARCH

M

ETHODS 35

II.1 Excavation and sample selection

35

Excavation procedures 35

Selection of the sample 36

II.2 Description of the pottery and typology

37

Collection in the field and subsequent treatment 37 Description and typology 38

Inclusions 39 Macroscopic determination of inclusions Ware 40 Thin-section analyses 41

Texture 41 Manufacturing techniques 42

Shape 42 Surface treatment 43

Colour and Firing 44

Decoration 45 Special features 46

Measurements 47 Level and provenance 48

II.3 Statistics and computer programs

48 Measures of variation and diversity 48

Chi-Square Test 49

C

HAPTER

III: T

HE

A

RCHAEOLOGICAL

C

ONTEXT 51

III.1 Summary description of the stratigraphy

51 Level 7 51

Level 6 52

Level 5 53

Level 4 53

Level 3 54

III.2 Summary description of the architecture

54

Level 7 54

Level 6 55

Level 5 55

Level 4 56

Level 3 57

C

HAPTER

IV: T

HE

C

ERAMIC

S

EQUENCE 59

IV.1 The sample

59

IV.2 Research methods

60

IV.3 The Mitanni ceramics

61

Level 7 61

IV.4 The Middle Assyrian ceramics

70

Level 6 70

Level 5 80

Level 4 96

Level 3 107

IV.5 Ceramic chronology at Tell Sabi Abyad

116 Developments through occupation levels 116

Continuity and discontinuity: “Mitanni” and Middle Assyrian 120

IV.6 Relative chronology: comparisons with other sites

120 Level 7 121

Levels 6 to 3 121

IV.7 Absolute dating of the Late Bronze Age sequence at Tell Sabi Abyad

124 Dates from cuneiform tablets 124 Radiocarbon dates 124

C

HAPTER

V: T

HE

T

ECHNIQUES AND

O

RGANIZATION OF

P

OTTERY

P

RODUCTION

.

127

V.1 Introduction

127

The organization of pottery production in the Middle Assyrian period: previous work 127

V.2 Studying the organization of pottery production

128

V.3 The natural environment of pottery production

134

Geology, and sources and properties of raw materials 134 Climate and vegetation 136

V.4 The potters at Tell Sabi Abyad and the social environment

of pottery production

138

Access to resources 138

The identity and sex of the potters 138

The number of potters 139 The social and economic position of the potters 140

V.5 The location of pottery production and the potters’ workshops

141

Pottery workshops in ethnography and archaeology: what can we expect? 141 The locations of pottery production at Tell Sabi Abyad 143 The level 6 pottery workshops 143 The location of pottery production at the site in level 6 143 Level 6 workshop architecture 144 Kilns 144 Workshop architecture and associated finds 145

Excursion: basalt “potters’ wheel” bearings, reconstruction of the potters’ wheel and implications for vessel shaping techniques 147 Conclusion: the level 6 workshops 154

The level 5 pottery workshop and other production locations 155 The location of pottery production at the site in level 5 155 The level 5 East workshop 156

Kilns 156

Workshop architecture and associated finds 157 Conclusion: the level 5 East workshops 162 The level 5 West location 163

Kilns 163

Other finds associated with pottery production 165 Conclusion: pottery production in the level 5 West location 166 The level 5 North location 166

Kilns 166

Other finds associated with pottery production 168 Conclusion: The location of pottery production in level 5 168 Evidence for pottery production in level 4 169

V.6 Technical aspects of pottery production at Tell Sabi Abyad.

170 Identifying the local output of pottery production 170 Clay and inclusions, preparation of the clay body 174 Shaping techniques 175

Wheel-throwing techniques 176

Handmade shapes 178

Techniques not applied at Tell Sabi Abyad 178

Surface treatment 179

Decoration 180

Unfired pottery fragments 181

Fragments of vessels 181

Waste from shaping vessels 184

Firing procedures 185

Firing atmosphere 185

Temperature and duration of firing 188

Wasters and other production damages 189

Firing losses 189

Minor damages from firing, drying and shaping 190

Deformation 193

Repair and use of damaged vessels 193 Summary: techniques and the organization of production 194 Signs and “potters’ marks” 196

Potters’ marks applied before firing 197

Signs applied after firing 200

V.7 The products of the Tell Sabi Abyad workshops

202 The kind and quality of the vessels 202 Scale of production, output and demand 202 Variability and standardization of the pottery 205 Factors influencing variability and standardization 206

Used raw materials and their preparation 209

Shaping, decoration and firing technology 209

Diversity in vessel shapes and rim types 210

Vessel sizes and size groups 212

Capacity 220

Variability and standardization: conclusions 220

V.8 The distribution of the products

221

V.9 Conclusions: the organization of pottery production at Tell Sabi Abyad

223

C

HAPTER

VI: F

UNCTION AND

U

SE OF THE

M

IDDLE

A

SSYRIAN

C

ERAMICS 225

VI.1 Introduction

225

VI.2 Ceramics in their archaeological context

227 Remarkable find contexts 227

Remains of contents 227

Ceramics in burials 228 Secondary use and discard 229

VI.3 Performance characteristics and traces of use

229 Fabric and inclusions 230

Vessel design 232

Shaping methods 233

Relating vessel shape to function 233

Surface treatment 235

Special features 235

Capacity 235

Traces of use 237

Conclusions of paragraph VI.3 239

VI.4 Ceramics in their cultural context

241 Ceramics in contemporary texts 241 Alphabetical list of Middle Assyrian pottery names 243 Ceramics in a culinary context 250

Serving and eating customs 250

Cooking methods 251

Beer brewing 252

Other preparations of food 253

Storage and transport 254

Other needs for ceramics 255

Vessels in iconography 255

VI.5 Conclusions

257

C

HAPTER

VII: C

ONCLUSIONS

259

VII.1 The ceramic sequence

259

VII.2 The techniques and organization of pottery production

261

VII.3 The functions and uses of the Middle Assyrian ceramics

261

VII.4 Middle Assyrian pottery production and technological style

262

A

PPENDIX

A: L

IST OF

P

ROCESSED

L

OTS 265

A

PPENDIX

B: S

HAPE

T

YPOLOGY 285

A

PPENDIX

C: D

ETAILED

D

ESCRIPTIONS OF

P

OTTERY

K

ILNS

299

A

PPENDIX

D: T

ECHNOLOGICAL

, P

ETROGRAPHICAL AND

C

HEMICAL

A

NALYSES OF

L

ATE

B

RONZE

A

GE

P

OTTERY

C

LAYS AT

T

ELL

S

ABI

A

BYAD

309

A

PPENDIX

E: P

OTTERS

’ M

ARKS AND

S

IGNS

369

A

PPENDIX

F: C

UNEIFORM

T

EXTS FROM

T

ELL

S

ABI

A

BYAD

R

ELATED TO

P

OTTERY

(

BY

F.A.M. W

IGGERMANN

).

377

A

PPENDIX

G: F

UNCTIONAL

P

ROPERTIES OF

S

ELECTED

S

HAPE

G

ROUPS 383

B

IBLIOGRAPHY 415

A

BBREVIATIONS 436

S

AMENVATTING IN HET

N

EDERLANDS

437

C

URRICULUM

V

ITAE

440

I

LLUSTRATIONS 441