The Study of Middle Chalcolithic Pottery in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari by Using Petrographic and ICP-OES Analysis

The work has tried to study the structural propinquity of Middle Chalcolithic potteries in Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari, which, in terms of appearance, are very similar to those of Khuzestan and Fars, by using laboratory studies. The pottery with well- firing was made in the color range of  buff, cream, buff-green, light green and less frequently orange wares. Characteristic of these ceramics is the paste which tends to be buff or its different shades. Sand and fine white particles were used as temper. The painted type is seen in buff, creamy or greenish creamy. The designs generally include geometric motifs represented mainly by parallel bands and lines, undulating lines, hanging triangles, checkerboard patterns, ladders and dot motifs. For the provenance of these types of pottery, the use of laboratory methods seemed necessary to find out whether this pottery is native or has entered to area by the nomads. We can largely determine the interactions of the communities on the Iranian plateau during the Middle Chalcolithic. For this purpose, it employs a combination of field, library and laboratory methods. 32 pieces of pottery, collected from the surface of the Middle Chalcolithic sites of Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari, Khuzestan and Fars, were analyzed by performing petrographic and ICP-OES analysis. After the analysis and multiplicity compering between Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari samples and similar structural samples, it was concluded that specimens of Khuzestan and Fars are naturally produced in the same regions as the origin of the Susa and Bakun pottery, respectively. But the samples of Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari have been produced in itself, the Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari areas, despite the apparent technical similarities with the neighboring regions. In fact, the production of pottery, is made by the influence of neighboring cultures, but, this effect was due to the transferring of potters to the area or the transferring of the technology of making pottery due to the nomad movements