A Multi-Method Study of a Chalcolithic Kiln in the Bora Plain (Iraqi Kurdistan): The Evidence from Excavation, Micromorphological and Pyrotechnological Analyses

Andrea Squitieri, Silvia Amicone, Ada Dinckal, Mark Altaweel, Shira Gur-Arieh, Jens Rohde, Jean Jacques Herr, Sophie Pietsch, Christopher Miller

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Pyrotechnology has always been a core topic in the archaeological debate concerning phases of deep cultural transformations, such as the Chalcolithic period in the Near East (c. 6000-3500 BC). However, previous studies on pyrotechnological installations, such as pottery kilns, pertaining to this period, have often been mainly descriptive, with a limited use of archaeometric investigations. This work presents a multi-method investigation of a Chalcolithic kiln recently discovered in the Bora Plain (part of the larger Peshdar Plain, in Iraqi Kurdistan), which combines stratigraphic analysis, pyrotechnological, micromorphological, and micro-remains analyses. Since this kiln represents the first Chalcolithic architectural feature excavated in the Bora Plain, this work offers precious insights into the pyrotechnology of the period, which is still relatively poorly understood, through the reconstruction of the kiln's use and abandonment processes. The analytical outputs can be used to compare with other Near East kilns from the Chalcolithic and later periods.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)853-872
Number of pages20
JournalOpen Archaeology
Volume8
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jan 2022
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
Funding information: This work was funded by the Alexander von Humboldt Professorship award granted to Prof. Karen Radner (LMU) in 2015. Additional funding for the excavation of the kiln was provided by the Rust Family Foundation, with a grant awarded in 2019 to Dr Andrea Squitieri and Dr Mark Altaweel (grant no. RFF-2019-95). For the publication fee, we acknowledge financial support by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft within the funding programme “Open Access Publikationskosten”, as well as by Heidelberg University.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Andrea Squitieri et al., published by De Gruyter.

Keywords

  • Chalcolithic kiln
  • Iraqi Kurdistan
  • micromorphological analysis
  • pyrotechnology
  • XRPD

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Conservation
  • Archaeology
  • Education

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