Elif Genc

ABSTRACT This study focuses on the archaeometrical characterization of the potteries belonging to the First Millennium AD from the Kuriki Mound using thermal, mineralogical, microscopic and spectroscopic techniques. The excavation area takes place at the intersection point of the Tigris River and the Batman Creek near the village of Oymatas in Batman city (Turkey). Since this region is located at Upper Mesopotamia, it is one of the important ancient sites in southeastern Anatolia and represents the cultural heritage of the civilizations that lived there. In the framework of the present study, thermogravimetric-differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA) and ceramic petrography were employed to characterize the potsherds. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), micro-Raman spectroscopy and colorimetric analyses were also performed as complementary techniques. The results showed that the mineralogical composition of the pottery consists mainly of quartz, feldspar and plagioclase. Clay minerals (mainly illite) and organic materials were identified as the minor phases, while carbonated materials (mainly calcite) were seen as major and minor phases in different samples. Iron minerals were also detected by XRD and micro-Raman analyses. A relatively low vitrification degree along with the poor sinterization behavior defined in SEM/EDX analysis and the absence of any prominent endothermic or exothermic effects on DTA curves up to 1000-1100 degrees C suggested that the firing temperature of the potteries did not exceed this range. The main reason for such characteristics is thought to be a non-advanced firing technique.

ABSTRACT The region covering Southeastern Anatolia takes place in upper Mesopotamia, so it has numerous cultural heritages due to its witness to various social movements of different civilizations in ancient times. Kuruki Mound is located on the junction point of Tigris River and Batman Creek, near Oymatas village which is almost 15 km to Batman, Turkey. The mound is dated back to Late Chalcolithic. Archaeological excavations are carried out on two hills named as “Kuriki Mound-1” and “Kuriki Mound-2” in which 4-layer and 2-layer settlements have been revealed, respectively. This region will be left under the water by the reservoir lake of Ilısu Dam when its construction is completed. Thus, characterization of ancient materials such as potsherds, metals and skeleton ruins should be rapidly done. In this study, 12 potsherds excavated from Layer-1 (the first settlement layer after the surface) in Kuriki Mound-2 were investigated by FT-IR spectrometry. Energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses were used as complementary techniques in order to expose chemical and mineralogical/phase contents, respectively. Obtained results showed that the potteries have been produced with calcareous clays and they include moderate amounts of MgO, K2O, Na2O and Fe2O3 in this context. Additionally, high temperature phases have also been detected with XRD analyses in some samples.