Typology and Chronology of Celadons Obtained During Archeological Survey in Sirjan Plain

Celadon is a valuable type of pottery from the Islamic period that was imported from China to Iran in the 3-11 century AH, and due to its popularity, it was produced in centers such as Kerman since the 8th century AH. Celadon has been found during archaeological excavations and survey in the Persian Gulf coasts and even inland regions in Iran. Sirjan Plain in southeastern Iran is one of the areas from which a variety of celadon was obtained during surface survey in 2018. In response to questions about technical specifications, temporal distribution, and imported or locally made nature of celadon obtained from Sirjan Plain, the authors have examined samples from Shahre Qhadem e Sirjan, Qaleh Sang, and Bagh Bamid sites. The study objective was typology, chronology, and determination of the form, type, and techniques used in making and decorating these wares. The study method included fieldwork and secondary research with a descriptive–analytical approach. The comparative results of the study showed that the celadon under study can be classified into six types including Yue, Longquan, Dusun, Martaban, Jingdezhen and Guangdong. According to research findings, these objects were imported from China, most likely via southern coasts of the Persian Gulf, from the third century AH until the Safavid period. Only two percent of the celadons, i.e. those from to the Safavid period excavated in Bagh Bamid site, were locally produced, most likely in Kerman. These samples are comparable to celadons obtained from sites such as Mahroban, Harireh in Kish, Old Hormuz region, Shahr e Kohan in Jiroft, Yazd, Bataneh Port, Askar Mukram, Williamson pottery collection, Julfar and Ras al-Khaimah.
Keywords: Celadon, Typology, Sirjan, China, Islamic Period.
 
Introduction
Celadon is a type of stone-paste Chinese ceramics with a special green glaze. Not only were these greenware popular in China, but since the ninth century they were exported through southern China regions, such as Ningbo, and via sea to the Middle East and East Africa. The Yue type, which is one of the earliest exported types of celadon, has been discovered extensively in Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, etc. This type of pottery was imported to areas such as Siraf in Iran in the third century AH through sea trade in large quantities, and were used until the sixth century AH in coastal areas and inland parts of Iran. After the sixth century AH, Yue celadon disappeared from the coastal and inland areas of Iran and was replaced by the, Longquan type. The trade of this type also ended in late ninth century CE. Longquan’s celadon played an important role in the history of Chinese pottery from the beginning of the Northern Song period to the Ming period and the international trade of this pottery. In fact, over the course of eight centuries, several types of celadon have been imported to Iran, each of which became popular in certain periods and was later replaced by another type. This can help identify and reconstruct aspects of industrial and cultural continuity in Iran–China relations. Sirjan Plain is located in the southeast of Iran and in Kerman Province. It was precisely because of this importance that, with the permission of Iran’s Cultural Heritage Organization, systematic, surface survey of the city was prioritized, and as a result, a large volume of culturally movable findings was collected. The multiplicity of celadons obtained from across this ancient city prompted the authors to categorize and typologize them in an independent study and to compare and chronologize the results in the present article. The present study sought to answer the question of to which period the celadons obtained from Sirjan Plain belong? What are the technical specifications of these celadons?  Are all celadons imported from China, or are there signs of local pottery production (in the excavation site itself or the Kerman pottery center)? Which celadon types can be identified in the studied sample?
 
Text of the Article
Celadon is a glazed pottery type from Sirjan Plain, obtained from the Shahre Qhademe Sirjan, Qaleh Sang and Bagh Bamid sites. Archaeological survey in Sirjan Plain yielded 108 pieces of Celadon pottery, of which 10 pieces were found in the Shahre Qhademe Sirjan, 81 in Qaleh Sang, and 17 in Bagh Bamid. These ware celadon examined in terms of technical specifications, decorative features, and form, and then compared with samples discovered in different sites for typological and chronological purposes. These can be categorized into six types including Yue, Dusun, Longquan, Guangdong, Jingdezhen and Martaban.
The Longquan samples obtained from Sirjan Plain include the largest number celadon types. Considering the typology and decorative features of Williamson collection and Sirjan plain celadons, the Longquan type from Bagh Bamid and Qaleh Sang were identified as the 1-4 Longquan Priestman Group (Williamson Collection) from the 7th-9th centuries AH. Two Dusun type celadons were identified in the Shahre Qhadem e Sirjan site. These had a gray stone paste with olive glaze covering the inner and outer surfaces. Among the celadons from Sirjan Plain, one sample was identified as the Martaban type in Bagh Bamid, which belongs to the Martaban II Group and the eighth century AH considering its dense paste and glossy black glaze.  Three pieces of Guangdong type celadons were found in Qaleh Sang and Bagh Bamid, with a type of dense, delicate, and yellow stone paste that is covered with a uniform olive glaze inside and out. These celadons dated back to the 8th and 9th centuries AH. Moreover, three pieces of Jingdezhen pottery from Bagh Bamid and Qaleh Sang, correspond to the characteristics of the above type in terms of paste material and color, glaze thinness, and the glaze color of internal and external surfaces.
 
Conclusion
Pottery is a valuable type of data in archeology that plays a key role in the understanding of economic exchanges and regional and trans-regional trade relations. One of the most important types of pottery that was imported from China to other countries, including Iran, for centuries, was called celadon. A number of celadon artifacts have been found during archaeological survey in Sirjan Plain, namely the Shahre Qhademe Sirjan, Qaleh Sang and Bagh Bamid sites. Studies have shown that these samples belong to Yue, Longquan, Guangdong, Martaban, Dusun, and Jingdezhen celadon types. Each of these types has been produced and exported to Iran in a specific period. Considering the presence of Dusun and Yue types in Iran during the third to fifth centuries AH, and the correspondence of the two types in the Sirjan plain to known samples from other sites in Iran, it seems that the history of the presence of celadons in this area dates back to the same time as important sites such as Siraf. Furthermore, Longquan, Martaban, and Guangdong types are imported to this region from China in the seventh to ninth centuries BC via the southern coats of the Persian Gulf. Meanwhile, the presence of Jingdezhen celadon indicates the continuation of the import of this type of luxury pottery from the ninth century BC to the Safavid period in the Sirjan plain. In terms of form, decorations, and technical specifications, the studied celadons are comparable with samples obtained from Siraf, Mahroban, Harireh in Kish, Old Hormuz region,  Shahre Kohan in Jiroft, Yazd, Ardashir-Khwarrah, Bataneh Port, Askar Mokram, and Williamson collection in Iran and sites such as Julfar, Sharma, and Ras al-Khaimah outside of Iran.