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The Late Neolithic Ceramics from Shir a First Assessment Olivier Nieuwenhuyse

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The Late Neolithic Ceramics from Shir a First Assessment Olivier Nieuwenhuyse Sonderdruck aus Zeitschrift für 2009 BAND 2 Orient-Archäologie Deutsches Archäologisches Institut • Orient-Abteilung Deutsches Archäologisches Institut Orient-Abteilung Zeitschrift für Orient-Archäologie Band 2 • 2009 Walter de Gruyter • Berlin • New York Herausgeber Ricardo Eichmann • Margarete van Ess Deutsches Archäologisches Institut Orient-Abteilung Podbielskiallee 69–71 D-14195 Berlin www.dainst.org Mitherausgeber Karin Bartl, Außenstelle Damaskus • Iris Gerlach, Außenstelle Sanaa Wissenschaftlicher Beirat Reinhard Bernbeck, Berlin • Nicholas J. Conard, Tübingen • Eckart Frahm, New Haven • Andreas Hauptmann, Bochum • Michaela Konrad, Bamberg • Lorenz Korn, Bamberg • Daniel T. Potts, Sydney • Klaus Rheidt, Cottbus • Christian Robin, Paris • Thomas Schäfer, Tübingen • Aleksander Sedov, Moskau • Dieter Vieweger, Wuppertal ⑧ Gedruckt auf säurefreiem Papier, das die US-ANSI-Norm über Haltbarkeit erfüllt. ISSN 1868-9078 ISBN 978-3-11-020898-6 Bibliografische Information der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek verzeichnet diese Publikation in der Deutschen Nationalbibliografie; detaillierte bibliografische Daten sind im Internet über http://dnb.d-nb.de abrufbar. © Copyright 2009 by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG, 10785 Berlin Dieses Werk einschließlich aller seiner Teile ist urheberrechtlich geschützt. Jede Verwertung außerhalb der engen Grenzen des Urheberrechtes ist ohne Zustimmung des Verlages unzulässig und strafbar. Das gilt insbesondere für Vervielfältigungen, Übersetzungen, Mikroverfilmungen und die Einspeicherung und Verarbeitung in elektronischen Systemen. Printed in Germany Redaktion: Claudia Bührig, Susanne Kuprella (Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Orient-Abteilung) Arabische Übersetzung: Hala Attoura, Tübingen • Laith Hussein, Marburg Standard-Layout und Umschlaggestaltung: Beyer foto.grafik, Berlin Titelvignette: Gadara/Jordanien (Claudia Bührig, Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Orient-Abteilung) Aufmachergestaltung: Beyer foto.grafik, Berlin • Anja Altenburg, Susanne Kuprella (Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Orient- Abteilung) • Markus Gschwind • Stefan R. Hauser, David J. Tucker Satz: Punkt.Satz, Zimmer und Partner, Berlin Druck und buchbinderische Verarbeitung: Druckhaus »Thomas Müntzer« GmbH, Bad Langensalza Fig. 22 in diesem Beitrag. The Late Neolithic Ceramics from Shir A First Assessment Olivier Nieuwenhuyse Abstract/Kurzfassung/ The Late Neolithic remains poorly understood in the Near East. The DAI excavations at Shir (Hama province, western Syria) offer unique data for this period. This report presents a first detailed assessment of the Late Neolithic pottery, ca. 7000–6400 cal. BC, which corresponds to the earliest stages of the Late Neolithic in Upper Mesopotamia. Das späte Neolithikum im Vorderen Orient ist bisher wenig untersucht. Die Ausgrabungen des DAI in Shir (Provinz Hama, Westsyrien) erbrach- ten einzigartige Daten für diese Zeitstufe. Der Bericht legt eine erste detaillierte Untersuchung der spätneolithischen Keramik (ca. 7000–6400 v. Chr.) der nördlichen Levante dar, die dem frühesten Stadium des Spät- neolithikums in Obermesopotamien entspricht. Introduction While over the past two decades the study of Late Neolithic ceramic production and con- sumption has blossomed Syria · Late Neolithic · Pottery · Dark-Faced Burnished Ware · Material Analysis in northern Syria, south- Syrien · Spätneolithikum · Keramik · Dark-Faced Burnished Ware · Materialanalysis eastern Anatolia and northern Mesopotamia, we are still poorly in- formed on developments in the central Levant at this This report presents the results of two and one-half stage. Few Late Neolithic sites have been excavated campaigns of ceramic processing.2 Needless to to begin with, and many of these were investigated 1 a considerable time ago. A considerable number of 1 Bartl – Haidar 2008. key sites are known only from surveys or limited 2 Ceramic fieldwork was carried out each autumn in 2005, exposures. Furthermore, Levantine Late Neolithic 2006, and 2007. This report builds upon, and modifies, an archéologie à sondage earlier preliminary report (Nieuwenhuyse in: Bartl – Haidar archaeology is a veritable , 2008, 66–70). I wish to thank Dr. Karin Bartl for inviting as excavators in the past often put their money into me to participate at Shir and study the ceramics from this digging small, spatially restricted soundings. A seri- fascinating site. I am indebted to Dr. Gerwulf Schneider and Dr. Malgorzata Daszkiewicz for the ceramic-technological ous lack of reliable absolute dates makes inter-site investigations as well as for their hearty Bavarian cooking comparisons highly problematic, to say the least. The in their chemical lab. Dr. Gilian Vogelsang and Tineke Rooi- excavations at Shir are a welcome contribution to this jakkers enabled the identification of textile impressions. I am indebted to Dr. Takahiro Odaka and Dr. Yutaka Miyake, field. They offer the potential to study Late Neolithic experts on Levantine prehistoric ceramics, for their views ceramics contextually, on the basis of broad expo- and valuable observations. Dr. Thomas Urban was in charge sures and securely-dated stratigraphic contexts. The of the complex task of inserting the pottery database within the main Shir database. Dörte Rokitta-Krumnow has proved abundant ceramics comprise a fascinating mixture of her weight in gold by organizing the work in the house. The technologies and styles, pointing to a diverse range of complex drawing of the Shir Männchen was done by And- regional and supra-regional affiliations. rea Gubisch. Erica Dooijes digitalized the huge mass of pot- ZOrA 2, 2009, 310–356 312 Olivier Nieuwenhuyse Trench – campaign Sherds counted Diagnostic sherds Cal. BC K12/N-O20 – spring 2007 3.067 210 >6450? L7 – spring 2006 12.624 978 6500 – 6450 K-L7 – spring 2006 2.193 435 7000 – 6800 Table 1 Broad, successive excavated units distinguished in the occupation sequence at Shir used for diachronic ceramic compari- sons in this report (after Bartl et al., this volume; for the locations of the trenches, see Bartl et al., this volume). say, it is preliminary. Further work is planned to the production sequence (châine opératoire) needed complete the ceramic sequence. Further research will to produce vessels of a particular type.6 Recurrent bring estimates of sherd densities, essential to gain in- associations between production sequences lead to sight into the increasing intensity of ceramic produc- the archaeological recognition of technological tradi- tion through time. A ceramic-technological study has tions.7 Importantly, in addition to raw materials, tools only just begun and merits much more consideration and the physical transformations of raw materials, than is possible here. Crucially, although a fine-tuned systems of technological knowledge and culturally stratigraphy has become available,3 this could not yet embedded conceptions of the desired end products be fully integrated with the ceramic data. In order to also form part of each ceramic tradition.8 Wares, in explore diachronic trends it shall be compared three other words, are not the same as series distinguished broad, successively excavated units that together on the basis of vessel shape or decoration style. Dec- cover the sequence of occupation (table 1 and 2): oration or surface treatments distinguish subgroups trench K-L7 excavated in the spring 2006 campaign within a ware. (ca. 7000–6650 cal. BC), trench L7 excavated in the In identifying wares at Shir, of course, we relied spring of 2006 (ca. 6500–6450 cal. BC) and trench as much as possible on the existing literature on Le- K12/N-O20 in the spring 2007 campaign (probably vantine Neolithic ceramics. In practice, this proved to younger than about 6400 cal. BC). On the basis of the be problematic. Immediately after the first exposures currently available radiocarbon dates, this sequence (2005 campaign, “trench A”), we attempted a first, overlaps with the earliest stages of the Pottery Neo- tentative categorization. We identified two broad lithic in the northern Levant and northern Syria.4 categories, which, following commonly accepted The report starts with the issue of ceramic clas- nomenclature,9 we termed Dark-Faced Burnished sification and categorization of wares. These are dis- Ware (from now on referred to as DFBW) and Coarse tinguished using the chain of operation concept, and Ware (CW).10 We distinguished a range of subcate- function as a basis for quantifying the composition of gories, on the basis of sometimes minute distinctions the ceramic assemblage. Then the main groups today in macroscopically observed raw materials (fabric). distinguished at Shir are discussed: so-called Dark- Dark-Faced Burnished Ware included varieties of Faced Burnished Ware, Coarse Unburnished Ware and exclusively mineral-tempered, small-sized, often Light-Faced Burnished Ware. For each of these shall thin-walled, burnished pottery. A major technologi- be briefly described their ceramic technology, vessel cal distinction was found in the firing: whereas some shape and decorative style. It will be briefly touched upon what is termed Soft Ware and the relationships tery figures. Ans Bulles kindly read the text for grammatical between ceramics and white ware. I shall finish with a errors. tentative relative chronology for the site. 3 Bartl et al., this volume. 4 Akkermans et al. 2006; Arimura et al. 2000; Faura 1996 a; Faura 1996 b; Faura – LeMière 1999; LeMière 1979; Miyake 2005; Miyake in press; Nieuwenhuyse 2000;
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