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Late Chalcolithic Ceramics
Late Chalcolithic ceramics were discovered for the first time in 2005 inside both the glacis and the escarpment. This season we excavated them in a deep sounding in J4 and on top of the glacis in J3. The shapes and wares are typical for Late Chalcolithic 3 ceramics in the Khabur and eastern Anatolia regions.
Essentially the ceramics divide into two basic groups: coarse wares and fine wares. The coarse wares all have the characteristics of low firing with a carbon core usually quite thick, a large amount of mineral inclusions with the pebbles ranging from small to very large. A gray colored type can be as large as 3.5mm while the white type (probably calcites) are smaller with an average size in the range of 2mm. Shell temper is sometimes present. There is also a great amount of straw temper in the wares with some having a large amount of straw on the surface. The coarse wares can be divided into three different categories depending on the texture of the ceramics from the very coarse low fired wares with pebble and chaff temper to the finer wares with very small sand particles as temper.
The shapes made in the coarse wares are for the most part open bowls with the so-called hammer head rims (Fig. 33). The rim diameters usually range between 17 and 36 cms. We have a large number of these vessels. Two of these bowl sherds have cord im-pressions around the exterior just below the rim. One rim has two lines of cord wrapped around the circumference and the other has one. Another typical shape for the period is the so-called casserole with its characteristic carination mid-body (J3q339-p70, Fig. 34). We have few of these and one of them is of a finer ware than usually found in these cooking vessels. Jars which range from small to medium are also relatively rare (Fig. 32). Only one sherd from a large jar has been found; it is extremely heavy and has secondary burning on the rim. It could certainly not have been lifted so must have been used for long term storage but the burning on the rim may indicate another use, not now clear. Many of the coarse ware vessels have traces of burning near the rim and the large sherd of a “casserole” had secondary burning also along the carination but none on the body between the rim and the carination. This appears to indicate that it was placed near a fire but had only limited direct contact with it. Other bowls and jars have use wear along the rim, probably because a lid was continually placed on top of them. Some coarse shapes have simple potter’s marks on the exterior.
We have excavated many fewer fine ware sherds than coarse ware. The shapes of the fine wares are quite small and consist in thin walled vessels more highly fired than the coarse wares (some examples are given on Figs. 34-35). Small jars and cups predominate but we have excavated two sherds of small carinated bowls that are typical for the LC 3 period. Several gray burnished bowls and small jars may be earlier, that is LC 2. Cooking pots are made with a heavy crystal temper that has been proven to retain more heat longer. It is very impressive how long these pots lasted in the overall inventory of the site. Essentially they changed little in their shape and temper over the 2,000 year period of the habi-tation at the site of Mozan.
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Late Chalcolithic Ceramics - from appendices
Late Chalcolithic ceramics were discovered for the first time in 2005 inside both the glacis and the escarpment. This season we excavated them in a deep sounding in J4 and on top of the glacis in J3. The shapes and wares are typical for Late Chalcolithic 3 ceramics in the Khabur and eastern Anatolia regions.
Essentially the ceramics divide into two basic groups: coarse wares and fine wares. The coarse wares all have the characteristics of low firing with a carbon core usually quite thick, a large amount of mineral inclusions with the pebbles ranging from small to very large. A gray colored type can be as large as 3.5mm while the white type (probably calcites) are smaller with an average size in the range of 2mm. Shell temper is sometimes present. There is also a great amount of straw temper in the wares with some having a large amount of straw on the surface. The coarse wares can be divided into three different categories depending on the texture of the ceramics from the very coarse low fired wares with pebble and chaff temper to the finer wares with very small sand particles as temper.
The shapes made in the coarse wares are for the most part open bowls with the so-called hammer head rims (Fig. 33). The rim diameters usually range between 17 and 36cm. We have a large number of these vessels. Two of these bowl sherds have cord impressions around the exterior just below the rim. One rim has two lines of cord wrapped around the circumference and the other has one. Another typical shape for the period is the so-called casserole with its characteristic carination mid-body (J3q339-p70, Fig. 34). We have few of these and one of them is of a finer ware than usually found in these cooking vessels. Jars which range from small to medium are also relatively rare (Fig. 32). Only one sherd from a large jar has been found; it is extremely heavy and has secondary burning on the rim. It could certainly not have been lifted so must have been used for long term storage but the burning on the rim may indicate another use, not now clear. Many of the coarse ware vessels have traces of burning near the rim and the large sherd of a “casserole” had secondary burning also along the carination but none on the body between the rim and the carination. This appears to indicate that it was placed near a fire but had only limited direct contact with it. Other bowls and jars have use wear along the rim, probably because a lid was continually placed on top of them. Some coarse shapes have simple potter’s marks on the exterior.
We have excavated many fewer fine ware sherds than coarse ware. The shapes of the fine wares are quite small and consist in thin walled vessels more highly fired than the coarse wares (some examples are given on Figs. 34-35). Small jars and cups predominate but we have excavated two sherds of small carinated bowls that are typical for the LC 3 period. Several gray burnished bowls and small jars may be earlier, that is LC 2. Cooking pots are made with a heavy crystal temper that has been proven to retain more heat longer. It is very impressive how long these pots lasted in the overall inventory of the site. Essentially they changed little in their shape and temper over the 2,000 year period of the habitation at the site of Mozan.
Back to top: Ceramics