Of Clay, Pots, and People: Investigating the Organization of Pottery Production in the 2nd Millennium BC Trans-Tigridian Region (southwestern Erbil Plain – Kurdistan Region of Iraq)

The project Of Clay, Pots, and People: Investigating the Organization of Pottery Production in the 2nd Millennium BC Trans-Tigridian Region (southwestern Erbil Plain – Kurdistan Region of Iraq), under the scientific coordination of Valentina Oselini, has received funding from the Gerda Henkel Foundation (grant no. AZ 13/F/23). 

Developed in collaboration with the Italian Archaeological Expedition in the Erbil Plain, directed by Luca Peyronel (University of Milan), and the Kurd Qaburstan Archaeological Project, directed by Tiffany Earley-Spadoni (University of Central Florida), this study focuses on the comparative and diachronic analysis of Middle Bronze Age (2000–1600 BC) and Late Bronze Age (1600–1200 BC) ceramics from three archaeological sites in the southwestern Erbil Plain in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq: Kurd Qaburstan, Aliawa, and Helawa. The aim is to investigate how socioeconomic and political variables influenced artisanal production at a micro-regional level. 

The study area, the three sites (red areas), and modern pottery workshops (green dots). Map created using QGIS. 

The analysis of ceramic assemblages, tightly linked to the cultural and environmental dynamics of their production contexts, enables the identification of manufacturing techniques and specializations, shedding light on the economic organization of pottery production. During the Middle and Late Bronze Ages, the pottery repertoire from the three sites displays similar morphological and stylistic types, indicating continuity of traditions over time, as well as the sharing of models, technologies, and expertise at the local level. The proximity of the three sites allows for the evaluation of their varying degrees of centrality and subordination to the primary hub, identified as present-day Kurd Qaburstan. Within this network, Aliawa and, later, Helawa stand out as secondary but strategically significant sites for managing territorial resources. 

The research adopts a multidisciplinary approach, combining traditional analyses of forms and styles with laboratory techniques to investigate material properties, origins, and technologies. Distribution analysis of the various find contexts further clarifies the primary and secondary functions of pottery, providing clues on their intended uses. 

Examples of manufacturing techniques and surface treatments documented using a Dino-Lite digital microscope on Late Bronze Age ceramics from Helawa ©MAIPE

Identification of production techniques through autoptic and comparative analysis of Late Bronze Age materials from Helawa @MAIPE

Aliawa (MBA). Aliawa (MBA). The GIS project and the distribution of ceramic in Area D (Lower Town) ©MAIPE

The project also includes experimental and ethnographic studies in the study area, where some workshops still produce vessels using traditional methods. Indeed, the Erbil Plain remains a privileged location for clay extraction and the production of bricks and ceramics, as evidenced by the presence of various factories and workshops near Aliawa. However, this tradition is gradually disappearing in the Kurdistan Region and across Iraq due to reduced demand and foreign competition. Documenting these practices provides a valuable opportunity to preserve and study local customs that might otherwise be lost.

A potter’s workshop in Mastawa near Aliawa, Kurdistan Region of Iraq

Finally, a crucial aspect of the project examines the cultural connections between the Erbil Plain and the adjacent regions of Mesopotamia. Comparing ceramic repertoires helps in tracing contacts, influences, and exchanges, reconstructing the dynamics of material, idea, and tradition circulation in the 2nd millennium BC—a historical phase marked by the coexistence of multiple state entities alternating between periods of peace and conflict.