Frequency and distribution oF ceramic Functional categories

at tell ahmar (syria) during the middle bronze age ii (c. 1800-1600 bc)

silvia Perini1

AbstrAct

This paper offers a provisional analysis of the Middle Bronze Age ceramic material recently discovered at Tell Ahmar. The analysis conducted is based on a methodology which considers ceramic shapes and dimensions to be determinants of vessel use and function. Four main ceramic functional categories are considered namely vessels used for storage, for cooking, for transport and for drinking and eating activities. The goal of this paper is to discuss the frequency and the distributional trends of ceramic functional categories within the site of Tell Ahmar suggesting the potentialities which can derive extending this method in a further and broader interpretation of site settlement activities and functions.

IntroductIon

tell ahmar lies on the east bank of the syrian euphrates river, about 20 km south of the ancient city of carchemish and some 100 km north-east of the ancient capital city of yamkhad (aleppo) (Fig. 1).

From 2000 onwards excavations at tell ahmar have been conducted by a belgian team from the University of Liège under the fieldwork direction of Dr Guy Bunnens.2 here, middle bronze age levels are located in two different areas of the acropolis: in area m (western part of the acropolis) and area s14 (to the east) (Fig. 2).

the structure in area m measures ca 48 m. in length and ca 430 sq. m. in total area, and it is formed by a series of rooms set in line (Fig. 3). twenty rooms have been identified. These are grouped in five units which, from west to east, comprise: building m8; three blocks (block 1, block 2 and block 3) which together form the large central construction, and building m9. based on both archaeological and

1 edinburgh university, uK.2 i wish to thank dr guy bunnens for giving me the privilege to work on the middle bronze age ceramic

material of tell ahmar from 2005 onwards and for supplying me with information such as site maps and photographs essential to my research.

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architectural evidence, the Belgian team identified these units as buildings used for public functions.

on the eastern part of the acropolis a private house has been discovered in area S14 (Fig. 4). The house consists of four, perhaps five rooms. It has a rectangular shape and its complete dimensions are 9m. by 8m. its total area is c. 85 sq. m. as is the case with many of the rooms of the structure in Area M, traces of intense fire damage have also been found in all of the rooms of the house in s14. bunnens argues that this house was in use at the same time as the building of area m (2010:112-113, 117). he bases this on both the evidence of fire damage and similarities in the archaeological material. Both structures were destroyed by fire at the end of MBII (between c. 1750 and c. 1600 bc) which seems to be strongly connected with the sudden abandonment of the inhabited areas.

according to the study of the archaeological material3 and from c14 analysis undertaken at the belgian royal institute for cultural heritage (bunnens 2010: 112-113, 117), we can affirm that both the public building in Area M and the private house in area s14 were in use during the last part of the middle bronze age.

A cerAmIc FunctIonAl AnAlysIs ApproAch4

there are essentially four types of analyses that archaeologists may perform on ceramic artefacts in order to obtain data about the past: form and function analysis, stylistic analysis, technological analysis, and experimental studies. Which is deemed most appropriate depends upon the questions addressed by the researcher (sinopoli 1991).

the aim of the broader research of which this paper forms a part, is to estimate ceramic vessel production, use and distribution in the economy of north mesopotamia and syria during the middle bronze age.5 the starting point of such analysis, based on inferences between tell ahmar vessels form and function, is discussed here. the assumption underlying this study is that a vessel’s morpho-technological properties (wall thickness and surface treatment) are closely related to that vessel’s suitability for particular uses (rice 1987: 207-208). of course, many factors that would negate this assumption can come into play, including the type of archaeological context of vessel recovery. For example, fire and subsequent site abandonment are two decisive elements for the archaeologist who is dealing with the artefact context of recovery and provenance. In the process of site abandonment, artefacts on the floor are sealed by

3 the mba pottery material from tell ahmar is part of the author’s current Phd research.4 For ceramic functional analysis studies see: braun 1983 in Keene, moore (eds): pp. 107-134; ellison

1984: 63-68; henrickson, mcdonald 1983: 630-643; millett 1979 in millett (ed.): pp. 35-48; rice 1996: 133-163; schaub 1996 in seger, pp. 231-244.

5 Perini s. Phd thesis (in progress) Ceramic Vessels Production, Use and Distribution in North Mesopotamia and Syria during the Middle Bronze Age (c. 2000-1600 B.C.). A Ceramic Functional Analysis from Tell Ahmar (North Syria).

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collapsed walls and roofing material. Thus, if it is assumed that the catastrophic event which happened at tell ahmar at the end of the middle bronze age was as rapid as it was unplanned, then the ceramic materials found on the floors would belong to the last place of cultural deposition and use (for site abandonment processes see cameron and tomka 1993; schiffer 1972: 160; stevenson 1982: 240-263). such a scenario is a determinant factor which has subsequently justified the ceramic analysis methodology adopted. this infrequent archaeological pattern can provide crucial information about the past. an analysis of the natural and cultural processes which have operated in the past is essential in order to infer ancient cultural behaviour and present interpretation of ceramic material.6

With these considerations in mind, the diagnostic rim sherds at tell ahmar were sorted into two broad categories of open and closed vessels. semi- and complete vessel shapes, together with reconstructed diagnostic sherds, were considered as belonging to specific functions and they were classified into functional types. Subsequently, they were counted and quantified. Vessel types were defined on the basis of whole vessels, or at least complete or nearly complete profiles which provide sufficient information on the original vessel shape.

vessel functions were divided into six categories: four primary categories, namely storage, processing, transport, and consumption and two supplementary categories designated as multiple functions (e.g. both storage and transport).7 complete shapes and rims which showed similar techno-morphological characteristics were grouped in the same category.

Storage has always been an indispensable system for conserving, supplying or depositing food. ceramic storage vessels tended to take mainly closed shapes, for example jars, and were used as containers for liquid, such as water, oil, wine and beer. by contrast, grain, seeds, herbs and other dry contents were probably kept in non-ceramic containers, such as baskets and bags.8 however, storage vessel morpho-technological characteristics may differ according to the duration of episodes in use which can be sub-divided into short term - hours or days, and long term - weeks or months (rice 1987: 208). at tell ahmar three shapes have been associated with storage vessels: jars with concave neck and plain hammer rim, neckless jars with thickened folded-out rim and large dimension basins with flat out-turned rim.

6 For more information about formation processes of the archaeological record see mills 1989: 133-147; schiffer 1972: 156-165; schiffer 1985: 18-41; schiffer 1987.

7 see rice 1987: 208-211. rice put consumption into the short-distance transport category (1987: Fig.7.1), but the importance of this category at tell ahmar suggests that it warrants an independent category (consumption).

8 at tell ahmar, evidence for the use of bags for dry contents (e.g. grain) has been supported by the discovery of several sealings in a specific room (Bunnens 2010: 113).

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Processing activities such as boiling and baking may involve heat while others such as mixing, washing and grinding may be undertaken without the presence of heat. Pots can be set directly into a fire, preserving their shape without damage. They may have been used for both liquid and dry contents. vessels used with heat usually take closed shapes, while open shape vessels were mainly used without heat (rice 1987: 208). the most common cooking vessel found at tell ahmar is a medium dimension neckless jar with round-flattened out-turned rim, but three types of vessels associated with processing activities were identified: large/medium dimension carinated bowls with a plain/grooved flat rim, bowls with a rounded out-turned rim and bowls with a simple or thickened in-turned flattened rim.

Transport functions may be divided into short distance and long distance (rice 1987: 208). short distance transport, related to activities such as serving food or carrying water, took place within the site (for example from a kitchen to a consumption area). ceramic vessels used for short distance transport are likely to have varied greatly in size depending, for example, on the number of bearers involved in the transport and in the mode of transport. thus, while bases associated with short distance transport are usually very stable (flat or ring shapes), slightly rounded, concave bases seem to offer greater efficiency for overhead carriage over short distances. Vessels tended not to be very large, because otherwise they would have been too heavy for transport (when they would rather be used for storage). narrow-necked vessels are likely to have been used for transporting liquid because they spill less than wide-mouthed vessels. spouts for pouring the liquid are also often present. small dimension bottles and medium dimension jugs with a trefoil mouth found at Tell Ahmar seem to fit well into this category (Fig. 5). For long distance transport activities between, for example, tell ahmar and neighbouring sites, ceramic vessels would have been most appropriate for liquids but for dry contents, it is more likely that bags were used.

the last vessel functional category to be analysed here is that which refers to activities directly connected with eating and drinking (consumption). at tell ahmar consumption vessels have a small-medium dimension and they were probably used by a single person or by a few people only. small dimension goblets with carinated shoulders and with inverted/everted wall and flaring rim brought directly to the mouth or used with straws were employed for drinking while medium dimension bowls/dishes with simple or in-turned rim were used for food consumption (Fig. 6).

the ceramic vessels described in each of the four categories required a different combination of morpho-technological characteristics to satisfy their intended function. However, not all the shapes can be easily assigned to a specific function. Some vessels have been classified for multiple uses. thus, it would be common that shapes used for transport, especially long distance, could also be suitable for storage, and examples included medium dimension jars with carinated shoulders and everted flaring rim, jars with carinated shoulders and out-folded rim, jars with medium/high restricted neck and

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thickened out-turned rim with a depression on the edge, medium dimension jars with medium/high restricted neck and with out-turned rounded, thickened or out-turned flat rim, as well as medium/large dimension neckless jars with out-turned simple or thickened rim with a depression on the edge. Moreover, large jars with rilled/plain rim and combed/cordoned decoration and with everted short/no neck, straight medium/high neck and convex body with an umbrella rim, inverted slightly concave short/no neck and inverted medium/high neck with a hammer rim may have been associated with multiple activities such as storage and processing (Fig. 7).

Finally, in order to substantiate the determination of the vessel shape-use relationship, other important elements should be taken into consideration, for example, the body fabric, the residual/chemical analyses and the ceramic parallels from other middle bronze age sites. such elements, however, have not been considered here but are fully examined elsewhere together with an expanded description of tell ahmar ceramic functional types (see note 5).

dAtA AnAlysIs

the following data analysis offers a preliminary overview of the frequency and the distribution of the ceramic functional categories of the middle bronze age levels at tell ahmar.

in this analysis the rim sherds from the western area (m) and the eastern area (S14) have both been considered. The rim sherds have been linked to a specific functional category and then counted. From the total assemblage of rim sherds of tell ahmar the frequency of rim sherds associated with each of the six categories – storage, processing, transport, consumption, multi-functions transport/storage, and multi-functions processing/storage, has been calculated. This is presented as a pie chart (Fig. 8).

it is evident that ceramic sherds related to processing (35.4%) and consumption (22.8%) activities are the most conspicuous. this trend can be explained by considering that such activities are closely linked to each other, and several rooms excavated at tell ahmar were very likely used for both food processing and consumption. installations such as tannurs, basalt grinding stones and pestles discovered in some rooms seem to support this hypothesis. in contrast, storage activities are little represented, but one should not necessarily conclude that storage activities at tell ahmar were secondary activities. they should be rather understood as related to a system which may not have used ceramic vessels for storage but containers of other materials (e.g. bags or baskets). This hypothesis finds confirmation in the bag seals found in Block 3 (bunnens 2010: 113). transport activities also have a small representation in the pie chart. this may be interpreted as a result of an attempt to rescue artefacts from the site during which it might be expected that those vessels most suitable for transport

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would have been used, thereby reducing their numbers within the corpus of remaining artefacts.

having established the frequency of the ceramic functional categories at the total site level of tell ahmar, the further aim of the analysis is to examine in more detail the distributional class patterns. this would help to establish functional category frequency distributions within the site.

As explained in the introduction, the site is subdivided into six units, five of which are located in area m with area s14 comprising a single unit. these data are summarised in a bar chart (Fig. 9) which shows the units excavated at tell ahmar on the x axis and the number of rim sherds belonging to a specific functional category expressed as a percentage on the y axis. the bar chart shows that the frequency of ceramics of the four different functions is significantly larger in units M9 and S14 compared to the other four units. in unit m9 in particular, processing shapes dominate over the other functional categories, while in s14 shapes used for consumption activities are slightly higher than the other categories. the data shown by the chart attributes a high frequency of vessel shapes used for processing and consumption activities to m9 and s14 respectively. in contrast, the frequency of ceramic sherds in M8, and in the Blocks 1, 2 and 3 is significantly small. The relative scarcity of ceramic functional categories associated with these units could be explained by attributing to them a different usage which is not residential (as in m9 and s14), but public (bunnens 2010:111-117). hypotheses about a room’s function can be formulated with reference to both architectonical installations and archaeological finds (pottery excluded) discovered at the site. no remarkable differences can be noticed among the public units which seem to have similar ceramic functional category frequency trends. however, in block 3 in particular, the frequency of ceramics is considerably lower. Storage/processing and transport/storage activities are, on average, well represented. in blocks 1 and 2, as in m8, the functional category most represented is the multi-function transport/storage, where transport activities were probably undertaken within the site (short-distance transport).

conclusIon

although limited to only two areas of occupation (m and s14), relationships between vessel shape and function at tell ahmar can be deduced in order to investigate the nature of past activities at the site.

this investigation has required several levels of linking arguments and some key assumptions.

The primary assumption is that ceramic shapes coming from the floors, above-floors and the collapsed walls of the excavated units were deposited in or near their area of last use. this assumption is well supported by the archaeological record which attested fire damage.

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given the importance of this assumption, it was possible to speculate about correlations between ceramic shape and function. these correlations are based on the second assumption introduced into this analysis which considers vessel morpho-technological characteristics as decisive elements in the establishment of vessel function.

consequently, according to the vessel morpho-technological characteristics, six vessel functional categories were defined.

the analysis progressed calculating the frequency of ceramic functional categories in order to investigate patterns of ceramic distribution within the six excavated units at tell ahmar. the data obtained by statistical and spatial analyses have been summarised in two charts.

the preliminary results produced in this study, however, involve some limitations which need to be explained.

The first concerns the frequency of functional categories shown in the pie chart (Fig. 8). elements such as ceramic use life (measured from ceramic production to discard), ceramic brokenness (breakage rates) and ceramic deposition processes in a specific cultural context, can affect the final number of rim sherds counted, and consequently the frequency of different vessel classes (mills 1989: 133-147; sinopoli 1991: 86-87). here, however, only deposition processes have been considered.

the second limitation concerns the data interpretation which follows the determination of frequency of functional categories. according to the data analysis results which show that vessels used for storage represent 4% of the whole assemblage and vessels used for processing 35% of the whole assemblage (Fig. 8), one could question if these data are scientific enough to support the hypothesis that storage activities were not as common as processing activities at the site.9 in this regard, more study needs to be undertaken in order to integrate the data obtained so far. although there have been some preliminary conclusions reached, the final aim of this analysis was to suggest the potential that vessel studies could assume in a broader investigation of settlement activities and subsistence systems.

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braun, d. 1983 Pots as tools: in a. Keene, J. moore (eds), Archaeological Hammer and

Theories, new york, 107-134.

9 see to this end, c.m. sinopoli who argued that ‘the frequency of vessel types in an archaeological assemblage is not necessarily a direct reflection of their frequency of use at any point in time’ (1991: 86).

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bunnens, g. 2010 tell ahmar in the middle and late bronze age: in P. matthiae, F. Pinnock, l.

nigro, n. marchetti (eds), Proceedings of the 6th International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East May, 5th-10th 2008, “Sapienza” - Università di Roma, vol.2, Wiesbaden, 111-112.

cameron, c.c., tomka, s. a. 1993 Abandonment of Settlement and Regions. Ethnoarchaeological and

Archaeological Approaches, cambridge.henrickson, e. F., mcdonald, m. a. 1983 ceramic Form and Function: an ethnographic search and an archaeological

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ceramic assemblage Formation: in World Archaeology 21, pp. 133-147.rice, P. m. 1987 Pottery Analysis: A Sourcebook, chicago.1996 recent ceramic analysis 1: Function, style and origins: in Journal of

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Fig. 1: tell ahmar geographical location. (courtesy of guy bunnens)

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Fig. 2: excavated areas on the acropolis. (courtesy of guy bunnens)

Fig. 3: area m – Public complex. (courtesy of guy bunnens)

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Fig. 4: area s14 – mba house. (courtesy of guy bunnens)

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Fig. 5: ceramic shapes related to liquid transport activities.

Fig. 6: ceramic shapes related to consumption activities.

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Fig. 7: large jar related to multi-function activities (storage and processing). (courtesy of guy bunnens)

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Fig. 8: Pie chart showing the frequency of functional categories on the overall site.

Fig. 9: bar chart showing the frequency of functional categories in the specific excavated units.