Petrographic and Geochemical Investigations on the Pottery Production from Arslantepe–Malatya (Eastern Anatolia) from the Fourth to the Second Millennium BCE: Technological Continuity, Innovation and Cultural Change

A groundbreaking analysis of pottery from Arslantepe Mound and the Malatya Plain reveals distinct shifts in raw material procurement and paste preparation, mirroring significant social, economic, and political transformations between 3800 BCE and 2000 BCE. These changes, identified through petrographic and geochemical methods, highlight a transition from centralized production to decentralized, mobile group dynamics during the Early Bronze Age I (EBAI). The study underscores technological continuity alongside innovation, offering new insights into cultural evolution in Eastern Anatolia.

Fragnoli, P., & Palmieri, A. M. (2017). Petrographic and Geochemical Investigations on the Pottery Production from Arslantepe–Malatya (Eastern Anatolia) from the Fourth to the Second Millennium BCE: Technological Continuity, Innovation and Cultural Change. Archaeometry, 59(4), 612–641. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1111/arcm.12266