The Acceptance of Black on Buff Ware in Chalcolithic Southwest Iran

A Reanalysis of Pottery Assemblages from Tall-i Jari A

Abstract

Black on Buff ware, which characterizes the cultural entity "Bakun", was accepted in the beginning of the 5th millennium BC of Fars, southwest Iran, and this phenomenon coincides with the shift from Neolithic to Chalcolithic in this area. Two issues remain unclarified as to this phenomenon. First, the precise timing of the acceptance of the Black on Buff ware is unclear. Secondly, the process of the acceptance of the Black on Buff ware should also be further elucidated. This paper deals with these issues by referring to potsherds from Tall-i Jari A, square C, which is kept in the University Museum, the University of Tokyo. This site, excavated by Namio Egami and Seiichi Masuda, has cultural periods from Late Pottery Neolithic (Jari and Shamsabad) to Chalcolithic (Early Bakun). The square C, which consists of five layers according to the author's stratigraphic analysis, contains a transitional period between the Shamsabad and the Bakun. A quantitative analysis of potsherds from this square shows that Black on Buff ware occupies only 20％ of all wares even in the most upper layer. In addition, the analysis points out that Black on Buff potsherds in the lower layers differ from those in the upper layers (Early Bakun) in terms of decoration and form. This paper will discuss the timing and the process of the introduction of Black on Buff ware in Fars by using these results. It also addresses a new radiocarbon date from Tall-i Jari A, Square C.