This thesis deals with basketry impressions on fragments of bitumen, gypsum and pottery found during excavations at the (Late) Neolithic (7000 - 5300 BC) site of Tell Sabi Abyad in Syria. It would...Show moreThis thesis deals with basketry impressions on fragments of bitumen, gypsum and pottery found during excavations at the (Late) Neolithic (7000 - 5300 BC) site of Tell Sabi Abyad in Syria. It would seem that basketry was produced on-site: botanical evidence shows that the required vegetable materials were readily available in the then fertile grounds surrounding the mounds, whereas hundreds of bone awls and needles suggest a range of on-site production activities concerning perishable artefacts, including textiles and basketry. After production, basketry artefacts were either used instantly as containers (and presumably as architectural elements, such as floor coverings and roof constructions) or used in the production sequence of other artefacts, such as bitumen-coated waterproof containers, White Ware and pottery. The untreated containers were used for communal storage facilities of dry goods, whilst the treated basketry was used to store liquids or to shape gypsum and clay into rigid vessels. Finally, diachronic analysis shows that different basketry techniques were introduced and used at different times at the site. The appearance of coiled basketry seems to have instigated a usage decline of bitumen-coated plaited baskets, as the former was used to shape larger waterproof vessels of gypsum and pottery.Show less