Revisiting Kilns Typologies to Reconstruct Firing Traditions Transformations

A Comparative Analysis of Halaf and Ubaid Kilns in Context

Bibliographic Data

ID6016476
AuthorsClaire Padovani (0000-0001-5983-9191, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume50
Publication date2024-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePaléorient (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0153-9345 • E-ISSN: 1957-701X
PublisherOpenEdition (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.4000/12ugw
OpenAlexW4405044159
LanguageEN
References cited48

Pyrotechnology remains underexplored in prehistoric societies, with limited documentation on kilns and firing techniques. Traditional typologies often emphasized efficiency as the main driver of kiln transformation, overlooking the social dynamics involved. This paper challenges this perspective by proposing a new methodology that distinguishes between the technical design and the morphology of firing structures and deconstructs each firing structure into its component parts, offering a deeper understanding of their operation. Focusing on the superposed-chamber kilns of Early Chalcolithic Southwest Asia, this paper examines two key examples: Kiln 345 from Yarim Tepe II (Halaf cultural horizon) and Kiln 14 from Tell el’Uwaili (Ubaid 1 cultural horizon). By analysing these kilns in context, we aim to uncover differences in morphology and firing process. Furthermore, by tracing the spread of morpho-structural Halaf and Ubaid kilns’ elements during the Middle Chalcolithic period, the study reveals that kiln morphology did not standardise, but rather diversified through selective borrowings of specific morphological traits between different communities of potters. However, the study also demonstrates that regional Early Chalcolithic firing traditions were persistent, highlighting the complex interplay between innovation and tradition in the development of firing practices

Archaeology · Bronze Age · Chalcolithic · Context (archaeology · Economy · Experimental archaeology · Geography · Horizon · Kiln · Prehistory · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · History · Image Processing and 3D Reconstruction · Mathematics · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology

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