Investigation Of The Achaemenid Period Pottery Production Technology From The Seyitömer Mound (Kütahya, Turkey)

Abstract

There are many archaeological excavations still being performed in Anatolia to unearth the cultural heritages from the past civilizations. Archaeological excavations started in the Seyitömer Mound in 1989. It is located on a large coal reserve and archaeological excavations need to be completed as soon as possible to utilize the mine. Pottery sherds investigated in this study were unearthed in the Seyitömer Mound and they belong to the Achaemenid period. Characterization studies on findings may contribute to archaeological knowledge about how they produced artifacts. To study the production technology of the Achaemenid pottery sherds, chemical analysis of samples was performed by wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WDXRF) and mineralogical/phase composition analysis was performed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and microanalysis technique (EDX) were performed for microstructural and microchemical analysis. Thermogravimetric–differential thermal analysis (TG–DTA) were employed to characterize the potsherds. It may be concluded from the results that ceramic bodies have been produced from illitic clays rich in iron and magnesium, containing carbonated minerals such as calcite and dolomite. Finally, considering the obtained results, firing temperatures of the potsherds could be between 600°C and 900°C.