Olivier P. Nieuwenhuyse - Relentlessly Plain

RELENTLESSLY PLAIN

SEVENTH MILLENNIUM CERAMICS AT TELL SABI ABYAD, SYRIA

SEVENTH MILLENNIUM CERAMICS AT TELL SABI ABYAD, SYRIA

Edited by

OLIVIER P. NIEUWENHUYSE

With contributions by

Bram van As, Koen Berghuijs, Renske Dooijes, Richard P. Evershed, Loe Jacobs, Ewout Koek, Luc Megens, Marie Le Mire, Valrie Thirion-Merle, Bonnie Nilhamn, Maurice Picon, Jo-Hannah Plug, Mlanie Roffet-Salque, and Anna Russell

Published in the United Kingdom in 2018 by

OXBOW BOOKS

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Oxbow Books and the individual authors 2018

Hardback Edition: ISBN 978-1-78925-084-8

Digital Edition: ISBN 978-1-78925-085-5 (epub)

Kindle Edition: ISBN 978-1-78925-086-2 (mobi)

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2018947538

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Front cover : Plain vessels (Standard Ware) from later seventh-millennium Tell Sabi Abyad. Tell Sabi Abyad Project. Back cover : Prehistoric pottery from Tell Sabi Abyad. Tell Sabi Abyad Project.

This book is dedicated to all of the many peoples of Syria. Their warm hospitality and support over the years made this project possible. As war has come once more to the ancient lands of Upper Mesopotamia, this book reminds us that nine millennia ago their ancestors invented the first pottery of the Old World, shaping the world to come. This book looks forward to a brighter future: Well be back .

K OEN B ERGHUIJS

Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, Einsteinweg 2, 2333 CC Leiden, the Netherlands

R ENSKE D OOIJES

National Museum of Antiquities, PO BOX 11114, 2301 EC, Leiden, the Netherlands

R ICHARD P. E VERSHED

Organic Geochemistry Unit, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Cantocks Close, Bristol BS8 1TS, UK

L OE J ACOBS

Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, Einsteinweg 2, 2333 CC Leiden, the Netherlands

E WOUT K OEK

Netherlands Cultural Heritage Agency, POB 1600, 3800BP, Amersfoort, the Netherlands

M ARIE L E M IRE

Archorient, UMR 5133, CNRS, Univ Lyon; Maison de l?Orient et de la Mditerrane, 7 rue Raulin, F-69365 Lyon, France

L UC M EGENS

Netherlands Cultural Heritage Agency, POB 1600, 3800BP, Amersfoort, the Netherlands

O LIVIER N IEUWENHUYSE

Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, Einsteinweg 2, 2333 CC Leiden, the Netherlands; Institut fr Vorderasiatische Archologie (Humboldt Fellow), Freie Universitt Berlin, Fabeckstrae 23-25, 14195 Berlin, Germany

B ONNIE N ILHAMN

Faculty of Science (former Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences), Free University of Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1081, 1081 HV Amsterdam, the Netherlands

M AURICE P ICON

Archologie et Archomtrie ArAr, UMR5138, CNRS, Univ Lyon, Maison de lOrient et de la Mditerrane, 7 rue Raulin, F-69365 Lyon, France

J O -H ANNAH P LUG

Department of Archaeology, Classics, and Egyptology, Liverpool University, 17 Abercromby Square, L69 7WZ, Liverpool, UK; Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, Einsteinweg 2, 2333 CC Leiden, the Netherlands

M LANIE R OFFET -S ALQUE

Organic Geochemistry Unit, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Cantocks Close, Bristol BS8 1TS, UK

A NNA R USSELL

Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, Einsteinweg 2, 2333 CC Leiden, the Netherlands

V ALRIE T HIRION -M ERLE

Archologie et Archomtrie ArAr, UMR5138, CNRS, Univ Lyon, Maison de lOrient et de la Mditerrane, 7 rue Raulin, F-69365 Lyon, France

B RAM VAN A S

Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, Einsteinweg 2, 2333 CC Leiden, the Netherlands

Many people have been important to the materialisation of this report. In Damascus, our colleagues at the DGAM have always provided firm support, often making complicated-looking things possible against all odds. Prof Michel Maqdissi in particular has put his shoulder to the wheel to make this study possible. The staff of the Archaeological Museum of Raqqa, especially our invaluable representative Nauras Mohammad, have contributed enormously to this project. Prof Peter Akkermans (Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University) and Prof. Hans van der Plicht (Center for Isotope Research, Groningen University) directed with contagious enthusiasm the four-year project Abrupt Climate Change and Cultural Transformation at the Faculty of Archaeology of Leiden University. This report is one belated outgrowth of that inspiring project, evolving from my sub project Material Continuities, Renewals and Cultural Transformation . Credits are due to the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research, for their trust and their almost inhumane patience (NWO dossier 360-62-040).

The study of the ceramics from Tell Sabi Abyad rests on the sound, detailed stratigraphic analysis made available by Akemi Kaneda, a study which forms part of her PhD project. Students and colleagues at the Faculty of Archaeology of Leiden University, the Faculty of Archaeology at Damascus University, the Freie Universitt Berlin, Tsukuba University Tokyo and the Universitat Autnoma de Barcelona have provided welcome feedback. I owe much to the reviewers for their invaluable help in pointing out inconsistencies and mistakes, and for their precious feedback: Dennis Braekmans, Epko Bult, Catherine Breniquet, Stuart Campbell, Martin Godon, Maikel Kuijpers, Hans van der Plicht, Takahiro Odaka, and Walter Cruells.

A study visit to Damascus by van As and Jacobs was made possible by the generous support of the Foundation Friends of Sabi Abyad (FOSA), facilitated by Astrid Rijbroek, the director of the Netherlands Institute for Academic Studies in Damascus. Sadly, the Dutch academic bureaucrats decided against continuing the important work of this institute. Renate van Oosterhout carried out microscopic fabric analysis at the Faculty of Archaeology in Leiden for her MA thesis. The thin-sections were made at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU); we wish to thank the director of the Institute for Geo- and Bioarchaeology Prof. Henk Kars, and Wynanda Koot for his support at the Geotechnical laboratory. Dr. Luc Megens allowed us to use the great facilities of the Netherlands Cultural Heritage Agency in Amsterdam.

As PauI Bahn observed (1989, 1112), members of the supporting staff of any Faculty of Archaeology are the most important people in academic archaeology, as they are usually the sanest individuals in the subject, they do all the hard work, and without them most academics and departments would simply fall apart. While I am not entirely sure they do all the hard work, Bahns statement certainly hits the mark. Erik Dullaart and Tjaco Mast occasionally managed to bring my computer back to life and save crucial data. Jaap Hoff, Ilone de Vries, Erik Dullaart and Claudia Regoor contributed to an efficient, enjoyable working atmosphere during my years at Leiden. The Stichting Nederlands Museum voor Anthropologie en Praehistorie (SNMAP) graciously contributed financially.