Tableware in the Hellenistic Tradition from the City of Kampyr Tepe in Ancient Bactria (Uzbekistan)

Abstract

Slipped and unslipped wares from Kampyr Tepe dated to the Hellenistic–Seleucid and Greco‐Bactrian periods stylistically resemble tableware from the Greek tradition. Since two pottery workshops have been recovered at the site, the aim is to shed light on the provenance and the production and consumption patterns of the tableware, as well as on the degree of technological influence from Hellenistic–Mediterranean traditions. The archaeometric characterization, consisting of thin‐section petrography, XRF, XRD and SEM–EDS analysis, was performed on 44 wares and three unfired locally made pondera, which were used as reference local elemental patterns. The study demonstrated the local origin of most of the wares, which were produced using a similar clay paste, following standardized techniques in modelling and firing, while surface treatments appear to be more diversified.

Assessing Hellenistic to nomadic cultural patterns through pottery in ancient Termez, Uzbekistan

“…In the case of TC‐6, TP1‐7, and TP2‐7, aluminum concentration is considerably higher in the slip, whereas the corresponding iron concentration is low, indicating that different clays must have been used for the slip (Figure c). Similar recipes to those identified within group S1 have been recognized in the red, brown and black slips of coeval tableware of Hellenistic tradition produced in Kampyr Tepe (Martínez Ferreras et al, ). Moreover, these recipes are equivalent to those found in the coatings of some contemporary Mediterranean productions, including the Campanian A wares from south Italy and Sicily, which are characterized by high amounts of alkali metals and low concentrations of alkaline earth metals (Montana, Tsantini, Randazzo, & Burgio, ).…”

“…These data suggest the occurrence of weathering processes related to the crystallization of salts in those sherds presenting the highest Na 2 O concentrations. This contamination process has previously been described in archaeological ceramics found at Termez and in other settlements located in the Amu Darya‐Surkhan Darya floodplain (Martínez Ferreras et al, ; Tsantini et al, ).…”

“…In fact, in both Greco‐Bactrian and Yuezhi traditions, a single atmosphere was maintained during the firing process. These firing conditions would have been equivalent to those identified in the pottery production at the nearby site of Kampyr Tepe dated to the Seleucid and Greco‐Bactrian periods (Martínez Ferreras et al, ). Therefore, it appears that the oxidizing–reducing–oxidizing single firing cycle, characteristic of some black coated pottery productions from the Mediterranean (i.e., Attic and Campanian A and B wares), was not performed by Bactrian potters (Maniatis, Aloupi, & Stalios, ; Montana et al, ).…”

“…WD‐XRF and XRD were performed on all the pottery sherds (powdered specimens) from Termez except TC‐6, 11, and 14. The analyses were conducted at the CCiTUB laboratory of the University of Barcelona following procedures described elsewhere (Martínez Ferreras et al, ). A PW 2400 spectrometer (Philips, Amsterdam, The Netherlands) with an Rh excitation source was used for chemical analysis; the mineralogical composition was examined using two different diffractometers: A Siemens D‐500 (Siemens, Munich, Germany) and a Panalytical X'Pert PRO alpha 1 (Malvern Panalytical, Malvern, England).…”

“…For instance, the tableware produced and used from the late 4th and mid‐2nd century B.C. at Ai‐Khanoum and Dzhiga Tepe in northern Afghanistan, Merv in Turkmenistan, and Termez, Kampyr Tepe, Dalverzin Tepe and Kurganzol in southern Uzbekistan (Bolelov, , ; Gardin, ; Houal, ; Lyonnet, ; Martínez Ferreras, et al, , 2018; Nekrasova & Pugachenkova, ; Pidaev, , ; Puschnigg, ; Sverchkov, ), presents clear resemblances with coeval vessels from the Mediterranean Hellenistic tradition (Morel, ). They consist of nonslipped and reddish‐orange or black slipped kraters, cups, bowls, paterae and “fish” plates, some with stamped palms and applied ornaments.…”