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Document Details :

Title: Jazirah Burnished Ware from Tell Arbid and its Northern Affiliations
Author(s): SMOGORZEWSKA, Anna
Journal: Anatolica
Volume: 38    Date: 2012   
Pages: 129-147
DOI: 10.2143/ANA.38.0.2186351

Abstract :
In the article a group of ceramic vessels, called the Jazirah Burnished Ware, from Tell Arbid (NE Syria) is discussed, based on archaeological examination and laboratory studies. They differ from local pottery of north-Mesopotamian tradition both in shape and technological aspects. Pottery of this type occasionally appears at sites in the Upper Khabur region alongside Ninevite 5 pottery with late excised decoration (EJ II). The Jazirah Burnished Ware from Tell Arbid takes the form of bowls (grey burnished carinated bowls, orange hemispherical bowls with ridged profile and rounded bowls with beaded rims), pot stands (some arrow-fenestrated and white-inlaid) and jars. Apart from their burnished surfaces, the vessels’ distinguishing features are their fabric, clay sources and firing conditions. Some characteristics of the Jazirah Burnished Ware, such as their shiny surface and specific color, could have made them transmitters of cultural information on their users and/or manufacturers. In search of the origins and affiliations of the Jazirah Burnished Ware, its relations with Anatolian and Transcaucasian pottery traditions are pointed out, based on the common traits of burnishing and white inlays. The presence of Jazirah Burnished Ware at sites in the Upper Khabur region can be regarded as a product of interregional relations between the Jazirah and the Upper Euphrates and Tigris founded on exchange of Eastern Anatolian resources (obsidian and metal) and on seasonal nomadic wanderings.

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