Mustafa Kibaroglu

Universität Tübingen, Institut für Geowissenschaften

The ceramic inverstigated in this study comprises North Mesopotamian Metallic ware, Dark-Rimmed Orange Bowls-ware, Gray Ware from northern Syria, Kura-Araks ware from Eastern Georgia, Armenia, Eastern Anatolia and northern Syria. Additionally some middle, late Bronze Age, Early Iron Age ceramic types from Didi Gora and Udabno I., located in eastern Georgia are studied. The main subject is the provenance of the mentioned ceramic, a question which one could not be answered by archaeological methods.

The Dark- Rimmed Orange Bowls-ware is characterized by orange color and a black slip on the rim. The wares appear only in two shapes. Their production place is unknown and has not been investigated so far. The samples analyzed in this work in terms of petrography and geochemistry are derived from the excavations in Tell Mozan, Tell Brak, Tell Arbid, in northeastern Syria, and Kavusan and Susamtepe in south eastern Anatolia. The chemical analysis shows that the DROB-ware has a different element composition compared to the local produced ceramics of northern Syria. The comparison of major and trace element concentrations of the DROB-ware with those of the clay samples, collected in various locations from clay beds in the Tigris River between Diyarbakir and Hasankeyf, shows a similarity of element pattern. This leads to the conclusion that Diyarbakir and its vicinity was a production place for the DROB-ware.

The Gray Ware, entitled due to its gray color, was found in north east Syria. The ceramic appears in various shapes. It can be macroscopically subdivided into a fine tempered and acoarse tempered variant, some of them show similarity to Kura-Araxes in color. The provenance of the Gray Ware could not be determined in terms of the archaeological methods. Both, the fine and the coarse tempered Gray Ware show slightly scattered element pattern. High CaO and Sr, and also Al2O3, Na2O, La and some other trace elements show similarity to the clay samples from north east Syria. This is strong evidence that the Gray Wares were manufactured in north Syria. Some samples which are classified as Gray Ware include mainly gabbroic fragments which are not typical temper material in Gray Ware. The matrix components in these samples are also predominated by plagioclase, olivine and pyroxene which are main component of gabbros. The presence of gabbro fragments in ceramics suggests that these samples were manufactured somewhere in south Anatolia where gabbroic rocks outcrop.

The Kura-Araxes culture is one of the most remarkable cultural appearances in the Trans-caucasus. The so called Kura-Araxes ware is the most noticeable element of this culture. It is also known as Early Transcaucasian ware, Karaz ware, Khirber Kerak ware or Red-Black Burnished ware. The ceramic founds of the Kura-Araxes culture appear in a wide area, that spreads from eastern Georgia, eastern Anatolia, western Iran ,the Amuq valley to the Levant. In north Syria, the Kura-Arakxes ware is also found, e.g. in Tell Brak, Tell Mozan as well as in Arslantepe. The main subject of the archaeometric study of Kura-Araxes ware is to find out whether there is any trade relation between regions where Kura-Araxes ware appear.

Middle, late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age ceramics from Didi Gora and Udabno I in eastern Georgia: The sites Didi Gora and Udabno I., that are excavated by German and Georgian archaeologist, are located in the central area of the Early Iron Age trade route between south Asia and the Black Sea. Archaeological excavation shows a nomadic settlement character of the sites. The main aim of the mineralogical and geochemical analysis of the ceramics was to determine the provenance of the ceramics which is difficult to establish by archaeological methods. Mineralogical and geochemical analysis shows that all ceramics are of local production. The ceramic from Udabno I. differs clearly in major and trace element concentration from Didi Gora ceramic, a factor that suggests a different clay source.