A discovery by archaeologists at the Pre-Pottery Neolithic site of Çemka Höyük in southeastern Turkey is extending the accepted timelines on the origins of ancient ceramic technology.
The discovery, detailed in a new study that appeared in the journal Antiquity, provides some of the earliest evidence yet uncovered for intentionally fired pottery in Southwest Asia. The findings appear to show that the first experimentation with ceramic technology began thousands of years earlier than once believed.
At the heart of the findings are a collection of more than 45 low-fired clay fragments, representing at least nine separate vessels, which researchers unearthed at the site of Çemka Höyük in Mardin Province. The fragments date to approximately 9,350 BC, placing them in a period that predates the widespread adoption of pottery during the seventh millennium BC by nearly two millennia.
The discovery offers an unprecedented glimpse into the earliest stages of ceramic innovation, adding to past discoveries that include early agricultural innovations and remarkably sophisticated monumental architecture associated with famous sites in the region like Göbekli Tepe.
An Ancient Experiment in Ceramics
Rather than evidence of full-scale pottery production, the new study by researchers Ergül Kodaş, Natalia Petrova, Maria Daghmehchi, and Rana Özbal argues that a period of experimentation seems to have begun around 11,500 years ago.
The nine vessels represented by the fragments uncovered at Çemka Höyük showcase simple slab-building techniques, where plant material, and even animal dung was sometimes mixed into the source clay to help improve its performance during the firing process. Further analysis of the samples indicated that they were intentionally heated in controlled, low-heat fires that reached temperatures of roughly 600 to 700 degrees Celsius, which produced permanent ceramic transformation, rather than mere accidental burning.
A Surprise Discovery
Along with the pottery fragments, archaeologists also discovered an unusual variety of clay objects at Çemka Höyük: a type of clay coating that may have once covered organic objects, along with an attachment formed from the same material that seems to have been used for enlarging the capacity of a vessel made from another material, such as stone or wood.
Altogether, the diversity of the artifacts the team uncovered points to strong evidence that early Neolithic communities in the region were already experimenting with clay in a range of different ways, before the widespread adoption of ceramic technologies for pottery production.
This is significant, since the discoveries challenge existing ideas about the emergence of pottery, which suggested that it was quickly adopted as a fully developed technology.
“This new evidence points to an early implementation and demonstrates that ceramic innovation emerged before widespread production and adoption,” the team writes, “developing regionally and progressively rather than through a single invention event.”
“Our analysis of the fired clay items from Çemka shows that the inhabitants of the site experimented with pottery production by selectively using organic temper, low-temperature firing technologies, and slab-construction techniques,” they add.
Ceramic Technology in the Ancient World
The study also places Çemka Höyük within a broader network of early clay experimentation across Southwest Asia. While similar finds have been reported from sites in Türkiye, Syria, Jordan, Iran, and Israel, the Çemka discoveries are now recognized as being among some of the oldest known examples of intentionally fired ceramic technology ever identified in the region.
Even beyond the technical implications of what the team outlines, the new study offers deeper perspectives on the social aspects of such innovations in the ancient world. For instance, to become successful, technologies must offer more than just functionality by becoming ingrained in the everyday lives of a culture.
The evidence suggests that at Çemka Höyük, use of clay underwent gradual transitions from use as a construction material to a medium used for storage and food preparation. This reflects changes in the culinary practices of the era, as well as certain community activities right down to the daily routines of Çemka Höyük’s ancient residents.
Thus, the early experiments outlined in the new study helped to lay the foundation for the sophisticated pottery use and other traditions that would ultimately make their way throughout the region, revolutionizing the ancient Near East with the arrival of one of its earliest technological revolutions.
The team’s new study, “Understanding a first attempt at pottery: early fired containers at Çemka Höyük,” appeared in the journal Antiquity.
Micah Hanks is the Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of The Debrief. A longtime reporter on science, defense, and technology with a focus on space and astronomy, he can be reached at micah@thedebrief.org. Follow him on X @MicahHanks, and at micahhanks.com.