Characterization of the Pottery Structure of the First Millennium BC in Pila Qala, Rudbar Based on Petrographic Results

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Department of History and Archaeology, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

2 M. A. in Archaeology, Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Literature, Humanities and Social Sciences, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Abstract
In terms of archaeological studies, Gilan Province is considered as one of the most important and influential regions of the Iranian Plateau during the first millennium BC. One of the sites of this cultural area is Pila Qala (Pileh Qaleh) in Rudbar in the northeast of Nesfi Village, whose archaeological studies dates to the excavations of Negahban in 1961. During the excavation of this mound, which has been introduced as one of the mounds related to Marlik in the first millennium BC, 17 archaeological deposits dating from the second and first millennia BC to the newer periods were recorded. The site even covers the Sassanian and Islamic periods up to the 5th century AH. Even though the potteries of the first millennium BC documented in Pila Qala have previously been studied based on typology and classification, no laboratory studies like petrographic and mineralogical analysis have been done so far. This article is dedicated to the petrographic analysis of nine potsherds related to the first millennium BC in Pila Qala with the aim of examining construction technique and mineralogical composition. Petrographic results showed that, except in one case, all the potsherds had non-carbonate compounds (clay) and used igneous rocks and related minerals as temper. In terms of texture, two silty, or fine-grained and coarse-grained textures could be seen. Excessive use of igneous rocks for temper suggests that these types of rocks were readily available and that the potters were familiar with the properties of igneous rocks, such as their strength. In the case of pottery, the temperature was close to 800 degrees Celsius, and only the samples without calcite experienced a firing temperature slightly higher than 800 degrees Celsius.
Keywords: First Millennium BC, Marlik Hill, Pila Qaleh, Pottery Pieces, Petrography.
 
Introduction
Gilan region was a suitable area for establishing human settlement due to factors such as fertile soil, a suitable climate, the ubiquity of surface water, and the possibility of irrigating land from different prehistoric and historical periods, especially the first millennium BC (Jahani and Babayev, 2017: 60). The vast cemeteries of Talesh (Khaltabari, 2013), Marlik (Negahban, 1966), Deilaman (Egami, 1965), Clozer (Hakemi, 1973) and Jamshidabad (Falahian, 2013), along with the other sites, show the importance of this region in archaeological studies of the first millennium BC. One of the significant sites in the region is Pila Qala, which was noticed at the same time as Marlik’s excavations (Negahban, 1999). The exploration of Pila Qala was started by Negahban, as a result of which 17 settlement layers with works from the end of the second and first millennia BC (contemporary to Marlik) and even later periods, like Sassanid and Islamic settlements up to the 5th century AH were identified (Negheban, 1999: 28, 53-52. 2006: 238-250). The article “Typology of Iron Age Pottery of Pila Qala” was the next archaeological research in which 13 types of Iron Age pottery were identified (Naghshineh, 2009). In addition, the brief architectural evidence of Pila Qala was studied in an article entitled: “Evidence of new architecture of the late 2nd and 1st millennia BC in the sites of the southwestern shores of the Caspian Sea (Gilan)” (Jahani and Babayev, 2017). Since so far, no laboratory research has been done on the structure of pottery from the first millennium BC of this region. In this article, the potsherds recovered from these strata of Pila Qala are analyzed using petrography. Pila Qala could be considered as one of the prominent sites of the region, which has a continuity of settlement with architectural evidence from the end of the second to the first millennia BC (Negheban, 1999: 52). Thus, the petrographic analysis of the pottery of the first millennium BC from Pila Qala could provide new topics in the field of understanding the method of construction and mineralogy of the pottery texture and their firing temperature. Therefore, the important question is as follows: What is the structure and texture of the pottery of the 1st millennium BC based on the petrographic results? And, how much have their mineralogical structures changed?
 
Article text
In terms of macroscopic characteristics, nine potsherds from Pila Qala which belong to the Iron Age, were selected. All of which were simple and wheel-shaped with a mineral temper and adequate firing with a mud coating in a range of brown, pea, and gray colors. It is worth noting that these nine sherds were selected from a population of 65 pieces. Based on the results of the petrographic test, it was found that the potsherds could be grouped into two main categories: rough texture and fine-grained or silty texture. The geological origin of clayey raw materials is mainly silty clay or sand from natural outcrops in alluvial sediments and soils. Except for one of the samples that has a carbonated paste composition, the other samples feature a non-carbonated composition. In these samples, the quartz mineral is the most abundant. Other constituents present in these mineral samples are pyroxene, plagioclase, igneous rock fragments such as quartz mineral, and iron oxide, which are seen in the form of fine fragments and scattered in the clay paste in the form of temper. Some of the samples have calcite minerals, and some do not have that.
Conclusion
The matrix of Pila Qala pottery is silty, but the filler material is different and could be seen as siliceous and carbonated, which could be analyzed as a tradition of potterymaking due to the non-cohesive dispersion and non-uniform size of the filler material. Multicolored matrix dough helps in estimating the baking temperature. According to the presented examples, it could be said that clay paste fillers are igneous materials. This importance could be seen in the angularity of the matrix of filler materials and the fact that none of them are rounded, and the presence of minerals like amphibole with a yellow color in the clay texture could indicate this importance. Another remarkable point about some of these pottery samples is the colloidal concentration of iron and hematite caused by the high temperature. In terms of fabric or texture, two types of silty texture and peripheral texture, or coarse crystal, are seen. In the samples that contain calcite, this mineral is in two forms: coarse crystal and fine crystal. The presence of this mineral in the composition of pottery shows that the firing temperature of pottery is not higher than 800 degrees Celsius, and in samples without calcite, the firing temperature of pottery is more than 800 degrees Celsius. The high use of igneous rocks for clay temper raises the possibility that these types of rocks were easily available, and the potters were familiar with their properties, such as their strength. In terms of geological structure, the dominant bedrock in the region is composed of igneous rocks. In general, igneous rocks have a higher strength of brittleness than other rocks, and they can be crushed without being powdered. In some studied samples, there is an empty space in the clay paste, which can be related to the amount of kneading of the clay paste or the burning and complete decomposition of the organic materials in the paste due to the high amount of heat. 

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References

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pazhoheshha-ye Bastan shenasi Iran
Volume 13, Issue 39
March 2024
Pages 89-118

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