Archaeometrical Study of Bronze and Iron AgePottery from Tell Mishrifeh/Qatna andArchaeomagnetic Data

An archaeometrical study on the Bronze and Iron Age pottery from Tell Mishrifeh/Qatna was undertaken with the aim of defining provenance and technological features of the ceramic production. Petrographic, chemical and diffractometric analyses were carried out on both potsherds and a clayey material found in a separation basin within the pottery workshop area in Operation J, where the complete cycle of ceramic production is well-documented. The definition of petrographic groups and the estimation of the maximum firing temperatures and redox firing conditions provided constraints on identifying the production technology and its evolution with time. The studied potsherds turned out to be locally produced, with only a few cases of possible similarities with those described for other localities along the Orontes Valley, and in a couple of cases with evidence of pottery exchange. Moreover, archaeomagnetical directional data were collected on Middle Bronze to Iron Age pyrotechnological structures (kilns and tannurs) and compared with contemporary archaeomagnetic directions from Western Europe, Bulgaria, Iraq and Egypt.