Urkesh Ceramic Analysis

Categorization / Lexicon / Wares / 3rd-2nd mill.

Kura-Araxes (ETC)

Marilyn Kelly-Buccellati – September 2011, August 2023
Laerke Recht – May 2016

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General Description

Kura-Araxes refers to the region where this ware originated. The term is to be preferred to Early Transcaucasian, which is an older term and reflects an outsider’s point of view. The code ETC is maintained for simplicity sake.

Kura-Araxes pottery is very rare at Mozan. Examples are gray-brown with occasionaly red-orange sherds. In sites from the Kura-Araxes area there are pbvisouly many different wares; in our system this category subsumes different ware types, because of the paucity of material.

Kura-Araxes Ware is part of the Imitation and Imported Wares Group.

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Characteristics

Basis for Definition

AK, A14a21, F1, A16.

Identifying Attributes

In the typical bowls the interior and much of the exterior is gray-brown with very few red-orange sherds. Jars exhibit less firing control and have variously red, gray, and gray-brown areas.

Temper

Much organic and small mineral temper.

Firing

Medium.

Firing Cloud Sometimes uneven color on the surface.
Carbon Core

Usual.

Surface Treatment

Very highly polished.

Wall Thickness

ca 5mm.

Manufacturing Techniques

Contrast between coarse pottery and very highly polished surface.

Shapes
  • Small and medium bowls (size range: rim d ca 18-20 cm).

  • Medium bowl (size range: rim d ca 18-23 cm).

  • Deep bowl (size range: rim d ca 20-30 cm).

  • Small carinated bowls.

  • Burnishe

    Space burnished on the poorer examples.

    Polished

    Highly polished on many examples.

    Decoration

    No.

    Distribution

    Few sherds of this ware at Mozan.

    Comments

    The Mozan examples are mainly black and grey, few reddish-tan examples, we have no orange, red or bichrome examples. Probably imported from the Elazig area where there are a large number of varieties in this type not found at Mozan. .

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    Sherd Illustrations

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    Exteriors

    A16q314-p5

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    Interiors

    A16q314-p5

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    Sections

    A16q314-p5

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