Painting Pots – Painting People

Archaeologists have recently made tremendous advances in understanding the early ceramic traditions of the prehistoric Near East. Over the past decade there has been a huge increase in research focusing on various aspects of ceramic production, its origins and evolution, distribution and consumption in the Late Neolithic (ca. 7000–5000 cal. BC). Fieldwork brings new and exciting finds every year while laboratory studies change our perspectives regarding ceramic technology. Near Eastern ceramic specialists actively engage with, and contribute to, current trends in theoretical archaeology. For the first time, the 19 papers presented here bring together specialists discussing Neolithic ceramics from the Near East in the broadest sense. There is a general focus on decorated pottery traditions. What raw materials and ceramic technologies did Late Neolithic peoples employ? How did they paint their designs? How may we analyze decorated ceramics to explore social networks and identities? What did these decorated pottery traditions mean socially? Essential reading to Near Eastern prehistorians, these collected papers provide new insights for anyone interested in the development of early pottery traditions and the social significance of ceramics in Neolithic societies.

the authors and editors have thoroughly and enthusiastically created a valuable set of very detailed papers… It is a rich source of information that will be drawn upon for decades, and it will undoubtedly contribute to the process of reclaiming and celebrating Mesopotamian archaeological heritage.

Inna Mateiciucová is a Czech archaeologist and Assistant Professor in Archaeology at the Masaryk University in Brno where she is the founder and, since 2009, the head of the Centre of Prehistoric Archaeology of the Near East PANE of the Department of Archaeology and Museology. She has long-standing research interests in the topic of Neolithization, the study of lithics, the Near Eastern Neolithic as well as contact and communication processes in prehistory. Olivier Nieuwenhuyse is a Dutch archaeologist affiliated with Leiden University, which has a long tradition of archaeological prehistoric research in the ancient Near East. He has conducted fieldwork in Lebanon, Turkey and Syria, and is currently active in northern Iraq (Iraqi Kurdistan). He has published extensively, including several monographs. The prehistoric ceramic traditions of the Middle East have his special attention. He is is also active in international efforts to safeguard endangered archaeological heritage in Syria and Iraq.