- Archaeological News
-
Image Credit: E. Kodaş, in Kodaş et al., Antiquity (2026)
12,000-Year-Old Clay Fragments in Turkey Point to Early Pottery Experiments
New archaeological research at Çemka Höyük in Mardin, southeastern Turkey, has identified low-fired clay fragments that may represent one of the earliest experiments with pottery technology in South-west Asia. The study examines clay vessel fragments from a Pre-Pottery Neolithic site dating to the tenth millennium BC, long before pottery became widespread in the region during the seventh millennium BC.
Çemka Höyük was occupied during the Late Epipalaeolithic and Pre-Pottery Neolithic A periods. Excavations revealed repeated phases of habitation, including round shelters, semi-subterranean buildings, stone architecture, clay wall coatings, and other uses of clay in construction. This wider use of clay suggests that the community was already familiar with the material before experimenting with fired containers.
The study focuses on 46 low-fired clay fragments from building level 2, dated to the first half of the tenth millennium BC. These fragments likely belonged to nine different vessels or clay objects. Most were recovered from floor surfaces inside or around several buildings, suggesting they were part of daily activity rather than later disturbance.
The researchers identified three main types of objects. Some fragments appear to be clay coatings that once covered organic objects. Another object may have been a clay addition attached to a larger vessel made from another material, possibly stone, to increase its capacity. The remaining fragments come from clay vessels with different shapes, wall thicknesses, and construction methods.
Microscopic and mineralogical analyses indicate that some pieces were intentionally fired at relatively low temperatures, probably around 600–700°C. The firing was not fully controlled, but the thermal changes in the clay suggest deliberate heating rather than accidental exposure to fire.
Several vessel fragments contained organic temper, including plant material and, in some cases, animal dung. These inclusions may have improved the clay’s performance during heating and use. The vessels were mainly built using slab construction, showing that the makers were experimenting with ways to shape clay into functional containers.
The Çemka finds do not suggest that pottery was already fully established as a common technology. Instead, they point to an early experimental phase, when people explored the properties of clay and adapted it to existing practices involving stone, organic materials, coatings, and containers.
The study places Çemka within a broader pattern of early clay container experiments across South-west Asia. Similar but varied examples are known from sites such as Boncuklu Höyük, Demirköy, Çayönü, Mureybet, Nevali Çori, Ganj Dareh, Jericho, and others. Together, these finds suggest that pottery did not appear suddenly in one place, but developed through multiple local experiments over a long period.
Overall, the evidence from Çemka Höyük shows that early Neolithic communities were testing the possibilities of fired clay nearly 12,000 years ago. These experiments helped prepare the ground for the later emergence of fully developed ceramic traditions in South-west Asia.
Published on: 21-06-2026
Edited by: Abdulmnam Samakie
Source: Antiquity
