AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF THE DECORATIVE TECHNIQUES USED IN COMB-IMPRESSED 'IMPRESSO' WARE GROUP MEZRAA-TELEILAT

Abstract

Excavations at Mezraa Teleilat, a medium sized mound by the Euphrates, have revealed an uninterrupted sequence of the Pottery Neolithic period, providing for the first time data on the emergence and on the development of pottery in south-eastern Turkey. Within the pottery assemblages noted at the site, a certain ware group, easily distinguishable with its comb-impressed decoration stands out as a major component of the Middle Neolithic horizon. As this distinct ware group bears distinct resemblance to the so-called 'impresso' wares of the early Neolithic assemblages of the Mediterranean basin, it evidently connotes questions related to the diffusion of Neolithic way of life. A large scale project has already been initiated as to see whether or not the comb-impressed group of Mezraa-Teleilat has any genetic relations with the "impresso" pottery groups of the Mediterranean region. Defining the technologies employed in impressed decorations of Mezraa Teleilat and of the Mediterranean basin has been taken as an initial step of this project. In this respect, a number of experiments have been conducted to reproduce the motifs; the results have been compared with previous experimental studies conducted on other impress-decorated wares. The paper, by referring to the methodology of the experimental work carried out at the site of El Geili in Sudan, is a presentation of the work conducted at Mezraa Teleilat.