Ceramic Production and Trade during the 3rd millennium in Oman and the Indus Valley: A multiagent approach to better understand the issue of technology transfer in the Bronze Age.
Résumé
Pottery production and trade during the 3rd millennium in Oman and different regions of the Indus reflects a combination of local production using local processes and materials as well as the introduction of non-local processes to replicate trade vessels brought from other regions. The analysis of clay composition using ceramic petrographic analysis provides one perspective on the ways in which clays were used and processed in each region. The analyses of vessel shape and the chaîne opératoire of production provide additional perspectives on the ways in which technologies from different regions were adopted and adapted to local needs. The chemical analysis of the clays using Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis provides an additional technique for tracing the movement of pottery from one geologically distinct region to another. Finally, experimental replication of pottery and processing of local clays allows for added insight into the potential for different types of ceramic production in a specific region. Preliminary results of these different studies will be presented along with suggestions for new data sets that need to be collected to better understand the complex interactions between potters and the people who used different types of pottery in Oman and the Indus Valley.