Ceramology: Introduction

Part of this campaign's ceramological program consists of further detailed study of the pottery from the proto-urban settlement of Düzen Tepe. The macroscopic and petrographic analysis of the surface material collected in 2005 by H. Vanhaverbeke (see Surveys, July 17-August 25, 2005) was presented in an M.A. dissertation (Dennis Braekmans) and E.M.A. dissertation (Sarah Dedecker) at K.U. Leuven. The main goal of both studies was to characterize the Düzen Tepe fabric types, allowing for a compositional identification in the field based on the information acquired through petrographic analysis.

The archaeometric analysis was carried out at the Center for Archaeological Sciences at K.U. Leuven (www.archscience.be). The combination of a detailed macroscopic description and archaeometric study, using both chemical and petrographic analysis, showed a mainly local origin for both common ware and tableware. The material from Düzen Tepe mostly dated to the Early Iron Age, but a detailed chronology could not be established because of serious weathering of the surface material and the lack of contextual evidence. Petrographic analysis, however, revealed a consistent use of the same clay resources over several centuries. The preliminary results indicated some form of site hierarchy during the Iron Age. Düzen Tepe can be characterized within the later territory of Sagalassos as a regional center where pottery was produced. Other sites within and adjacent to Sagalassos' territory, such as Düver or Seydikoey, also represent regional centers within their respective valley systems, with adjoining agricultural settlements. Each fabric could be associated with one of these valley or settlement systems. Additionally, the Early Iron Age pottery production seems to have formed the artisanal substrate for local pottery manufacturing at Late Hellenistic to Early Byzantine Sagalassos, using clay from the valley of Canakli throughout several centuries.

Later in this campaign, Hannelore Vanhaverbeke's excavation at Tepe Düzen will undoubtedly provide us with new information concerning the functionality, chronology and typology of the ceramological record there.