2016 Volume 58 Issue 2 Pages 139-155
The Chalcolithic, especially the 5th millennium BC, cultural period of Marv Dasht plain, Fars, southwest Iran, is called the Bakun period. It has been classified into Early, Middle, and Late phases. Some researchers identify this period as the initial stage of socioeconomic complexity (Sumner 1994; Alizadeh 2006). While the processes of the changes in settlement patterns during the Bakun period have been well studied to clarify social development, those of ceramic changes have not been well researched, except for the decorated motifs and vessel forms (Voigt and Dyson 1992). This paper analyzes ceramic changes by using ceramic materials now curated in the University Museum of the University of Tokyo and in the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, from four Bakun period sites: Tall-i Jari A (Early Bakun), Tall-i Bakun B (Early Bakun), Tall-i Gap (Middle Bakun), and Tall-i Bakun A (Late Bakun). This paper focuses particularly on the ceramic assemblages, the amount of fine ceramics, and the ceramic production technology. It finds that the peak in the amount of fine ceramic produced was in the Middle Bakun phase, while the craftsmanship which enabled craft specialization gradually and locally improved over time.
