Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean (7.1995(1996))

TELL RAD SHAQRAH

CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF NORTH
MESOPOTAMIAN EARLY DYNASTIC PERIOD
CERAMICS FROM TELL RAD SHAQRAH
by Malgorata Daszkiewicz and Gerwulf Schneider
The discussion of resuits of chemicai analyses presented in
this paper is intended as the first part of a combined chemicai,
mmeraiogica! and technoiogicai study of North Mesopotamian
Eariy Dynastic period pottery from excavations on Teil Rad
Shaqrah in north-eastern Syria. The site was excavated from 1991
to 1995 by a Polish mission headed by Prof. Piotr Bielinski.
The samples selected by archaeologists represented all the
wares from the site. Chemical composition of ignited samples was
determined by WD-XRF. Losses of ignition were estimated after
refiring in air at 900^0 with a heating rate of 200OC/h and a lh
soaking time at peak temperature.
This brief report answers only one of several questions posed
by archaeologists: Are all the analyzed samples made from the
same raw material?. A more detailed interpretation of the chemical
data will be presented at a later date.
The analyzed samples can be divided into two major groups
according to calcium content. The larger group is made of
calcareous clays. This group can be divided into subgroups
(Fig. 1). One of these subgroups is characterized by higher titanium
content and consists of kitchen ware exclusively. The coarse
inclusions in these samples, added as a tempering material, are of
crushed basaltic rock which is the reason for the higher titanium
content.
Another subgroup is characterized by higher strontium
content which could be due to a different raw material, but which
could also constitute a secondary effect of deposit conditions.
Generally, all subgroups are similar in composition and could well

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