Cultural interaction at Hassek Höyük, Turkey. New evidence from pottery analysis

Abstract

Pottery analysis at Hassek Höyük revealed inconsistencies in the material record, where it is possible to identify a group of hybrid pottery combining stylistic and technological features of both the Uruk and the Syro-Anatolian Late Chalcolithic cultures. This hybrid pottery at Hassek Höyük is interpreted as the work of local craftsmen who, during a period of intensive contact with the Uruk culture, integrated some features of the Uruk pottery into their own production mode. The continuous use of chaff tempered clay shows a strong conservative tendency and argues for a local continuity of craftsmanship. Thus, the pottery production at Hassek is deeply rooted within the local cultural tradition of the Syro-Anatolian Late Chalcolithic. This is a strong argument against the interpretation of the site as being a wellplanned colony erected on virgin soil by a group of foreign Uruk traders.