Archaeometric investigations of pottery production and provenance at the Neolithic and Chalcolithic Uğurlu Höyük-Gökçeada

Date

2025-3-6

Author

Biler, Ceren Nur

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This study aims to identify changes in raw material usage and production technologies through petrographic, mineralogical, and chemical analyses of 74 ceramic fragments from Uğurlu Höyük-Gökçeada, one of the earliest agricultural settlements in North Aegean, dating to the Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods (circa 6600-4900 BC). The analysis reveals that the clay used in ceramic production across all archaeological phases is consistent with the island's geology, primarily originating from andesitic-rhyolitic and dioritic rocks. Within the main clay matrix, smaller amounts of schist, basalt, and sedimentary rocks from various regions of the island are also present. The andesitic-rhyolitic and dioritic rocks, which constitute the main raw material group, can be sourced from within a 1 km radius of the Uğurlu Höyük settlement. Schist has the potential to naturally mix with local materials from streams in the island's central or Marmaros region. Basaltic material, specific to the Eşelek area, is observed in two samples from the phase IV. Statistical analysis of the chemical results indicates that, across all phases, two locations near the settlement were predominantly utilized, alongside various other sources from the area. It is noted that the use of different locations was more common in the earlier phases and became more restricted in later phases. A characteristic feature of this period is the consistent use of the coiling technique in ceramic production, with raw materials sourced from very close to the settlement, suggesting a local production process that persisted without significant alteration throughout the Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods.

Subject Keywords

Petrography, Geochemistry, Pottery characterization, Gökçeada-Uğurlu, Neolithic-Chalcolithic

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/114522

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Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Thesis