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Ceramics at the Emergence of the Silk Road: A Case from Southeastern Kazakhstan

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 May 2014

MaryFran Heinsch ,
Pamela B. Vandiver ,
Kyra Lyublyanovics ,
Alice M. Choyke ,
Perry Tourtellotte  and
Claudia Chang
MaryFran Heinsch
Affiliation:
University of Chicago, Department of Anthropology, 1126 East 59th Street, Chicago, IL 60637
Pamela B. Vandiver
Affiliation:
University of Arizona, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, 1235 E. James E. Rogers Way, Room 141, P.O. Box 210012, Tuscon, AZ 85721-0012
Kyra Lyublyanovics
Affiliation:
Central European University, Department of Medieval Studies, Nador u. 9, 1051 Budapest, Hungary
Alice M. Choyke
Affiliation:
Central European University, Department of Medieval Studies, Nador u. 9, 1051 Budapest, Hungary
Perry Tourtellotte
Affiliation:
Sweet Briar College, Department of Anthropology, 134 Chapel Road, Sweet Briar, VA 24595
Claudia Chang
Affiliation:
Sweet Briar College, Department of Anthropology, 134 Chapel Road, Sweet Briar, VA 24595
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Abstract

Most of what is known about the Iron Age in Southeastern Kazakhstan has been learned from kurgan burials and historical accounts describing the largely nomadic lifestyle of steppe populations from the 8th century B.C.E. to the 5th century C.E. Recent archaeological surveys however, are revealing an unexpectedly large number of settlements at the edges of the steppe, along the northern slopes of the Tien Shan Mountains. One of these sites, Tuzusai, has provided a wealth of ceramic finds that offer insight into local pottery production traditions and their social and material contexts. Our preliminary analysis of both pottery and local clay and temper resources suggests that the community at Tuzusai engaged in feasting activities that incorporated a diverse vocabulary of pot forms. The overwhelming majority of these forms appear to have been locally produced using assembly strategies that responded to shortcomings in available raw materials. Given our current understanding of local production resources and the technical difficulty associated with the production of thin walled forms using these materials, we suggest that these ceramics may be high-status goods valued not solely for their function in feasting activities, but for the labor and skill required to produce them.

Keywords

archaeologyartceramic
Type
Articles
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 1656: Symposium PP – Materials Issues in Art and Archaeology X , 2014 , mrsf13-1656-pp06-02
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2014 

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References

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