Imitation Metallic Ware (IM)

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General Description

Imitation Metallic ware is intended to mimic the color and style of Metallic ware. This ware, however, is not as fine or highly fired. The surface is painted to appear the same gray and orange colors as are found on Metallic ware sherds. These sherds do not make the characteristic ‘clinking’ noise that defines the more highly fired Metallic ware.

Imitation Metallic Ware is part of the Imitation and Imported Wares Group.

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Features

Basis for Definition	Surface, temple BA, storage room in F1, AK storage wing; there are few examples of this ceramic variety in the mid third millennium Mozan corpus but more in the later third millennium strata.
Identifying Attributes	coarser exterior surface than Metallic ware, paste not as fine as Metallic ware, painted lines on the neck and body in dark brown to red-brown color painted on so that it appears to be same color as Metallic ware, shapes similar to Metallic ware, more temper than Metallic wares; not as highly fired.
Paste Color	Red-buff; the exterior is often dark gray-brown because of the paint. .
Temper	Some organic and small to medium mineral temper.
Firing	Medium.
Firing Cloud	None.
Carbon Core	None.
Surface Treatment	Painted to look like Metallic ware, surface wet smoothed and rougher than Metallic ware.
Wall Thickness	Can be as thick as 2cm in the larger jars.
Manufacturing Techniques	Medium fire (as opposed to the highly fired Metallic ware).
Shapes	Same as Metallic ware but bowls and necked jars predominate. Bottles (size range: rim d ca 4-6 cm); [A1q928, F1.114, this example has three tiny feet, spouted]. Small jars. Some thicker body sherds may come from medium to large jars.
Decoration	No (paint on exterior not meant as a decoration but to make vessel appear like Metallic ware).
Comments	In the mid-third millennium ceramic corpus from all areas of the site there are more sherds of Imitation Metallic ware than Metallic ware. One exception to this is found on the southern perimeter of the Outer City in Area OD50 where there were a large number of Metallic ware sherds scattered on the surface (see catalog of OD50 shapes and wares). In some cases there may also be imitation BC ware sherds that can be mixed with the imitation Metallic as they can appear similar with the gray and orange on the surface.