Pottery production, early urbanization and the Uruk phenomenon at Tell Brak in Upper Mesopotamia

Dados Bibliográficos

ID5221740
AutoresPamela Fragnoli (0000-0003-4594-9677, Austrian Academy of Sciences, autor correspondente), Rosa Crocco (Sapienza University of Rome), J H Sterba (0000-0002-7883-8861, TU Wien), Francesca Balossi Restelli (0000-0001-8593-2621, Sapienza University of Rome)
Ano2025
Volume17
Fascículo9
Data de publicação2025-09-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoArchaeological and Anthropological Sciences (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 1866-9557 • E-ISSN: 1866-9565
EditoraSpringer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1007/s12520-025-02290-8
OpenAlexW4412948348
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas4
Referências citadas62

Tell Brak is one of the largest sites in Upper Mesopotamia, where urbanism and social complexity already emerged in the late 5th and early 4th millennia BCE. This paper combines ceramic petrography and trace element analyses to examine how these changes impacted pottery production and regional trade. The results indicate that paste preparation modes, unlike shaping procedures, remained unaffected by urbanization, with paste recipes showing no link to variations in vessel function or technology. To meet the growing demands of an urbanizing society, production likely involved multiple units producing diverse vessels, whereby certain tasks such as the raw material procurement were coordinated collectively. The only notable change in paste recipes occurred during the final phase of the Late Chalcolithic (LC5, 3350-3100 BCE), possibly reflecting the full establishment of craftspeople from southern Mesopotamia. This period also saw the import of a few jars from the Upper and Lower Euphrates and Tigris regions, likely used to transport specific goods

Ancient history · Archaeology · Biology · Geography · Mesopotamia · Phenomenon · Pottery · Urbanization · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies · Geological and Geochemical Analysis · History · Ecology