A reconstructive study of pottery fabric and paint pigments distributed along the Northern Mesopotamian valleys in the urbanization periods

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K01092
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 03050:Archaeology-related
• Research Institution: Waseda University
• Principal Investigator: Koizumi Tatsundo 早稲田大学, 文学学術院, その他(招聘研究員) (80257237)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: メソポタミア / 理化学的分析 / 焼成温度 / 彩文顔料成分 / 実験考古学

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study presents chemical analyses of pottery fabrics and paint pigments of sherds from Salat Tepe in the upper Tigris, southeastern Turkey, and Tell Mashnaqa in the Khabur, northern Syria, of the Ubaid to Uruk periods in the 5th to 4th millennium BC. The results of the analyses show that the pottery of both sites might have been fired at the same temperature ranging between 900 and 950 ℃, and that several kinds of minerals like Magnetite and/or Jacobsite have been used as paint pigments. Furthermore, experimental firings of pottery and test pieces made of replicated clay by a double-chamber updraught kiln in Japanese Institute of Anatolian Archaeology (Kaman, Turkey) indicate that the mineral composition of the test pieces is nearly similar to that of sherds excavated at those sites, successfully verifying results of chemical analyses which have been previously carried out by our project.

Free Research Field

西アジア考古学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究の成果は、いかにして世界最古級のメソポタミアの都市が誕生したのかについて、都市形成期の土器を対象として多様な手法で分析・考察した点にある。とくに土器彩文顔料の原料として利用された鉱物を推定できた成果は大きく、都市誕生に向けた地域間交易の解明の手掛かりになると予想される。またアナトリア考古学研究所（トルコ）で実施した復元実験により、国内外の学界においてメソポタミアの都市形成プロセスの再構築に寄与することができた。本研究により、土や火という身近な視点から古代の人びとの暮らしを解明するだけでなく、古代への好奇心をよりかき立て、より良い暮らしへの何らかの提言にもつながると期待される。