Tell Sabi Abyad, an archaeological site in Northern Syria, near the Turkish border. The ceramics excavated at this site are among the earliest ceramics uncovered in Upper Mesopotamia. These...Show moreTell Sabi Abyad, an archaeological site in Northern Syria, near the Turkish border. The ceramics excavated at this site are among the earliest ceramics uncovered in Upper Mesopotamia. These ceramics cover a period from the end of the PPNB to the Pre-Halaf, ca. 7000-6200 BC. This period has been divided into many subdivisions by location and cultural-historical. Until recent a „new‟ period has been added; the IPN. These earliest ceramics are mostly from this period. The ceramics uncovered have been sampled and systematically examined on: baking colour, temper, grain amount, grain colour, surface finish, and decoration. The goal of this thesis is to give a preliminary report on the earliest ceramics of Tell Sabi Abyad, as a start for further research into this „newly‟ discovered period, and to show that further research is indeed required. The material has been underrated, is has also been found in South East Turkey, but was considered to be a discrepancy in the stratigraphy, until recent.Show less
The main subject of this thesis is the research of traditional pottery workshops in present-day Egypt. Pottery workshops producing pottery in a traditional way are disappearing due to several...Show moreThe main subject of this thesis is the research of traditional pottery workshops in present-day Egypt. Pottery workshops producing pottery in a traditional way are disappearing due to several factors discussed in this thesis. The author decided to study a selection of workshops in Egypt, covering a large part of the Nile Valley: in the Fustat area in Cairo, in the Fayum, at Deir Mawas, and in the Qena-Ballas area. The research is intended to document one of the aspects of the heritage of Egypt on the one hand. On the other hand, the description of the workshops also serves ethnoarchaeological research. By creating a general view of the workshops, the information gathered with the descriptions, can be used to interpret archaeological remains of pottery workshops. As a framework to the description of the workshops a chapter is devoted to the production technologies of pottery, the so-called chaîne d’opératoire, to understand the activities usually occurring in a workshop. After that, the practice of studying pottery is discussed with special focus on ethnoarchaeological research as one of the possible study methods. The description of the workshops covers the largest part of this thesis. Every area is described in a separate chapter and per workshop the production technologies and the spatial distribution of the activities within the workshop are described. The layout and architecture of the workshops are treated as well. After that, one chapter is concerned with the comparison of the workshops in order to create a general view of the workshops and the activities therein. From this general discussion it becomes clear that the activities are conducted in the most convenient location in or outside the workshop. Also, certain features and activities appear to have a fixed location within a workshop, while others are not allocated in a specific area. The use of this general view of workshops in present-day Egypt to interpret archaeological remains is tested in a case study of site O45.1 in el-Amarna. The remains in this area have been identified as pottery workshops and will be compared to the general plan of the workshops created in this thesis. As the archaeological remains appeared to be scarce, it proved to be difficult to interpret the architecture and layout of the workshops and the activities conducted in the workshops as well as their distribution. The general description of the present-day workshops can then be used to fill in the gaps of the remains of the past as will become clear after the evaluation. Therefore, in the opinion of the author, the description of the workshops is necessary to document the heritage of Egypt as well as to aid archaeologists in interpreting the subject of their research.Show less
