Understanding a first attempt at pottery: early fired containers at Çemka Höyük
Abstract
This study examines clay fragments found at Çemka Höyük, a Pre-Pottery Neolithic site in Mardin, Türkiye (tenth millennium BC). Analysis of mineral inclusions in the clay matrix indicates that these fragments may have been deliberately fired, representing an early example of ceramic technology in South-west Asia. The diversity of forms identified and their likely uses suggest, the authors argue, a formative phase in ceramic innovation during which the properties and potential applications of clay were explored by the local community and adopted and adapted within existing social and economic traditions in advance of widespread application in the seventh millennium BC.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Archaeology and ancient environmental studies
Cultural Heritage Materials Analysis
Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Antiquity
- Publisher
- Antiquity Publications
- Volume
- 100
- Issue
- 412
- Pages
- 904–922
- Publication date
- 15 June 2026
- Language
- EN