Centralisation and decentralisation processes and pottery production at Arslantepe (SE Anatolia) during the 4th and early 3rd millennium BCE

Pottery production at Arslantepe Mound underwent significant shifts from the 4th to early 3rd millennium BCE, reflecting broader changes in economic and political organization. The study reveals that while wheel-finished pottery maintained consistent raw materials, labor organization became more centralized under elite control, with increased task division by the Late Chalcolithic period. Conversely, handmade burnished pottery showed stable labor organization but reflected drastic changes in supply strategies linked to non-sedentary subsistence practices. By the Early Bronze Age I, pottery manufacture demonstrated a more autonomous and skilled community of craftspeople, independent of political hierarchies. The research combines compositional, technological, and morpho-typological analyses to elucidate these transitions.

Fragnoli, P., & Frangipane, M. (2021). Centralisation and decentralisation processes and pottery production at Arslantepe (SE Anatolia) during the 4^th and early 3^rd millennium BCE. World Archaeology, 53(5), 834–861. https://doi.org/10.1080/00438243.2021.2015623