The Rise of the “Pottery Neolithic” in the Ancient Near East 10,000 to 7,000 years ago

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

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Near East pottery at Boncuklu Hoyuk (Turkey) (8,300–7,800 BCE) and Çatal Hoyuk (Turkey) (7.500-5.600 BCE), within the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B 8800–6500 BCE, as well as early pottery in Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Israel.

Alcohol, where Agriculture and Religion Become one? Such as Gobekli Tepe’s Ritualistic use of Grain as Food and Ritual Drink

Stone Vessels (Pre-Pottery Neolithic) before the Pottery Neolithic  

“A stone vessel is a hollow container made of stone. The scope of such vessels excludes pottery fired from clay (stoneware) and instead concentrates on those carved from a solid chunk of natural stone.” ref

“Starting from the Epipalaeolithic (c. 12,000–9600 BCE), but especially during the Early Neolithic of the Near East (Pre-Pottery Neolithic, PPN, 9,600–6,500 BCE), a wide range of stone vessels appear in site inventories. This period is linked to the Neolithization process, which included a fundamental change of human diet through the adoption of cereals as staple food. This emphasized the existence of diverse Neolithic foodways and regional traditions in food processing. Preserved food remains, methods for residues, use-wear combined with experimental programs, and the identification of cooking installations have revealed the omnipresence of bread-like products in different regions of the Early Neolithic Near East. In addition, there is evidence for the presence of porridge-like products at some Neolithic sites. So far, this potential diversity of early cereal processing (boiling, baking, brewing) has not been systematically linked to the diverse set of stone vessels known from this period. Rather, the appearance of dedicated cooking containers has been pinpointed to Late Neolithic pottery vessels that are directly heatable over a fire.” ref

“While there are several supra-regional studies on ground stone assemblages and stone vessels for the Southern Levant, few reports of sites with assemblages containing stone vessels have been published from Northern Mesopotamia where both coarse and carefully finished vessels are attested since the PPNA. Middle-sized, open limestone bowls, and different rim shapes as well as platters in diameter occur frequently. Similarly sized thin-walled and often richly decorated containers made of a soft ‘greenstone’ have also been reported from early Neolithic sites in that area. Another object group are the large PPNA and PPNB limestone troughs. Platters and symmetrical bowls have been discussed as dishware for the orchestrated presentation and consumption of foodstuffs within households when nuclear families and the private realm became more important during the transition to a fully sedentary agricultural lifestyle. For the Neolithic site of Çatalhöyük, it has been suggested that organic containers were used for boiling food.” ref

“Stone containers have only rarely been linked to the preparation of soaked or heated meals. Large containers in Neolithic houses have been proposed for the storage of water or foodstuffs including cereals. In the case of the limestone troughs, an interpretation as tools used for the preparation of beer due to the presence of charred cereals in their fills and associations with burnt stones at some sites has been put forward. The presence of oxalate on the walls of such containers at Göbekli Tepe has been discussed as tentative evidence for beer, though oxalate can also be produced when grains regularly come into contact with water, or in certain plants.” ref

“For the fermentation process, modified starch particles in Late Natufian mortars have been used as evidence for beer. Here, we applied an integrated approach to investigate the functions of stone vessels in Neolithic foodways through contextual, use-wear, scientific and experimental analyses of the stone vessel assemblage from Göbekli Tepe. With about 600 pieces it is the largest known repertoire of Early Neolithic stone vessels. They are accompanied by more than 10,000 grinding stones, which previous analyses has connected to the large-scale processing of cereals. Experimental work and surface analysis of use-wear show that processing of both fine and coarse cereal flour was performed at Göbekli Tepe, although patterns for coarse flour prevail.” ref

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“(1): PPNA= Pre-Pottery Neolithic A, (2): MPPNB= Middle Pre-Pottery Neolithic B, (3): LPPNB= Late Pre-Pottery Neolithic B, (4): PPNC= Pre-Pottery Neolithic C, Early PN = Early Pottery Neolithic. ECA= Early Central Anatolia/Turkey (Pottery Neolithic).” ref

“The Pre-Pottery Neolithic (PPN) represents the early Neolithic in the Near East, dating to c. 12,000 – c. 8,500 years ago, (10000 – 6500 BCE). The Pre-Pottery Neolithic is divided into Pre-Pottery Neolithic A (PPNA 10000–8800 BCE) and the following Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB 8800–6500 BCE). Pre-Pottery Neolithic C (circa 6500-6400 BCE) in Jordan and Israel. The site of ‘Ain Ghazal in Jordan has indicated a later Pre-Pottery Neolithic C period. In Israel, PPNC four sites had been clearly identified: Ashkelon (Afridar) and ‘Atlit Yam on the coast, stratum II at Tel ‘Ali one mile south of the Sea of Galilee, and Ha-Gosherim in the north.” ref

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“Körtik Tepe with 500 stone vessels, many of them decorated with incised designs of plants, animals, humans, and various symbols, dated between 10,700-9,250 BCE. Chronologically, Kortik Tepe is followed by the Taş Tepeler culture sites of Karahan Tepe (9,750 BCE) and Göbekli Tepe (9,600–8,200 BCE), characterized by important monumental developments, and Jericho (site of Tell es-Sultan) (9,600–8,500 BCE) with its wall structure around an early city.” ref

“The same range of depictions of snakes, scorpions, quadrupeds, insects, and birds occurs on thin-walled stone cups and bowls of the Hallan Cemi (Turkey) (9,700-9,270 BCE) type. Fragments of this vessel type are known from Göbekli Tepe (Turkey), Çayönü (Turkey) (8,630-6,800 BCE), Nevali Cori (Turkey), Jerf el Ahmar (Syria) (9,500-8,700 BCE), Tell´Abr 3 (Syria) (9,280-8,930 BCE), and Tell Qaramel (Syria) (10,650-9,650 BCE), while complete vessels have been discovered at Körtik Tepe in large numbers as part of rich grave inventories.” ref

“Göbekli Tepe with more than 600 stone vessels made up of small and middle-sized limestone vessels, big limestone troughs, limestone platters and fragments of ‘greenstone’ vessels.” ref  

“Ayanlar Höyük with stone vessels decorated with animal motifs, dated between 8,800-7,000 BCE.” ref

“Nevali Cori with a bas relief on a fragment of a limestone bowl depicts two humans and one tortoise-like creature dancing, dated between 8,400-8,100 BCE.” ref

“A precursor to clay pottery “White Ware” or “Vaisselle Blanche“, effectively a form of limestone plaster used to make vessels, was the first precursor to later clay pottery developed in the Levant that appeared in the 9th millennium BCE, during the pre-pottery (aceramic) neolithic period. It is not to be confused with “whiteware“, which is both a term in the modern ceramic industry for most finer types of pottery for tableware and similar uses, and a term for specific historical types of earthenware made with clays giving an off-white body when fired. White Ware was commonly found in PPNB archaeological sites in Syria such as Tell Aswad, Tell Abu Hureyra, Bouqras and El Kowm. Similar sherds were excavated at ‘Ain Ghazal in northern Jordan. White pozzolanic ware from Tell Ramad and Ras Shamra is considered to be a local imitation of these limestone vessels. It was also evident in the earliest neolithic periods of Byblos, Hashbai, Labweh, Tell Jisr and Tell Neba’a Faour in the Beqaa Valley, Lebanon. It has been noted that this type of pottery was more prevalent and dated earlier in the Beqaa than at Byblos. A mixed form was found at Byblos where the clay was coated in a limestone slip, in both plain and shell combed finishes. The similarities of White Ware and overlapping time periods with later clay firing methods have suggested that Dark Faced Burnished Ware, the first real pottery, came as a development from this limestone prototype.” ref

“Dark faced burnished ware is the second oldest form of pottery developed in the western world, the oldest being Dotted wavy line pottery from Africa. It was produced after the earliest examples from the independent phenomenon of the Jōmon culture in Japan and is predominantly found at archaeological sites in Lebanon, Israel southwest Syria and the earliest pottery in Cyprus. Some notable examples of dark faced burnished ware were found at Tell Judaidah (and nearby Tell Dhahab) in Amuq by Robert Braidwood as well as at Ras Shamra and Tell Boueid. Other finds have been made at Yumuktepe in Turkey were different categories of ware have been generally grouped as Dark faced burnished ware.” ref 

“It is thought to have come as a development of White Ware. Vessels are often coarse, tempered with grit or sand, and made with a variety of clays in different areas. Later examples are usually finer and more carefully burnished and decorated. Designs included rounded, inverted or straight sided bowls with plain rims, some with basic handles under the rims along with ring bases in the later pieces. Decorations included incised or impressed chevrons or motifs with pattern burnishing appearing in later periods. Other types of pottery were produced around the same time including coarse impressed ware, dark faced unburnished ware and washed impressed ware but these were less prevalent. Dark faced burnished ware has long been considered the forebear of the more polished examples such as ancient Greek pottery.” ref 

“Did pottery precede agriculture, or was it after? The dates are close, I always thought it was before, it was a technological advance that showed a new way of thinking. Stone remains stone, but to take clay and turn it into something new must have been magic.” – @JefferyParkins2 ref

My response: Pottery in China 20,000 years ago, began with hunter-gatherers and remained that way as it spread to Japan and Siberia, then to Europe. They likely made hot soup with meat and fish in them. Extensive wild-gathering and wild cereal management occurred in the Middle East before pottery. “The transition from high to low harvesting was a long process that took place during the origins of cereal agriculture, from 11,000 to 7,000 BCE. During the PPNA in the Near East, wild cereals started to be cultivated, though wild cereals in natural stands were occasionally harvested. High cutting was still dominant during this period, though sometimes cultivated cereals were reaped by cutting near the ground. During the PPNB, when the transition from wild to domestic cereals occurred, harvesting was carried out dominantly near the ground, indicating a growing need to use straw. Finally, during the Pottery Neolithic, low cutting was the standard method to harvest cereals. The reaped crops were probably grouped in sheaves and transported to the threshing area, a technical procedure that has persisted up to very recently in the Mediterranean area.” ref

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Hadza pre-fired figurines (Origin Date Unknown)

Czech Republic fired pottery (30,000 years ago)

China Xianren Cave pottery (20,000 years ago)

Japan pottery and fired figurines (16,500 years ago)

Siberia pottery  (16,000 years ago)

Mali Ounjougou pottery (12,000 years ago)

“Pottery first appeared between 20,000 and 12,000 calibrated years before present in East Asia, as evidenced by dated sequences at Xianrendong Cave, China. Similar early pottery has been documented elsewhere in China, Russia, and Japan between 17,000 and 15,000 calibrated years before present. In Africa, the emergence of pottery is situated around the end of the 12th millennium calibrated years before present. While the current state of research does not definitively determine whether pottery was invented in a single or multiple regions in Africa, it is certain that pottery technology rapidly spread across a zone spanning approximately 2000 to 3000 km, extending through the central and southern Sahara, the northern Sahel, and along the Nile from the First Cataract down to the confluence of the White and Blue Nile.” ref

Pottery before the Pre-Pottery Neolithic? Pre-Pottery Neolithic (10000 – 6500 BCE) and Pottery Neolithic (7000–5000 BCE)

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“As a general but not absolute rule The Late Neolithic/Pottery Neolithic began with the first experiments with pottery, around 7000 BCE, and lasted until the discovery of copper metallurgy and the start of the Chalcolithic around 4500 BCE. After the initial Pre-Pottery Neolithic phase from northwestern Mesopotamia to Jarmo (red dots, circa 7500 BCE), the Pottery Neolithic culture of Mesopotamia in the 7th–5th millennium BCE was centered around the Hassuna culture in the north, the Halaf culture in the northwest, the Samarra culture in central Mesopotamia and the Ubaid culture in the southeast, which later expanded to encompass the whole region.” ref

“The northern Mesopotamian sites of Tell Hassuna and Jarmo are some of the oldest sites in the Near-East where pottery has been found, appearing in the most recent levels of excavation, which dates it to the 7th millennium BCE. This pottery is handmade, of simple design and with thick sides, and treated with a vegetable solvent. There are clay figures, zoomorphic or anthropomorphic, including figures of pregnant women which are taken to be fertility goddesses, similar to the Mother Goddess of later Neolithic cultures in the same region. The Late Neolithic began around 6,400 BCE in the Fertile Crescent, succeeding the period of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic. By then distinctive cultures emerged, with pottery like the Halafian (Turkey, Syria, Northern Mesopotamia) and Ubaid (Southern Mesopotamia).” ref

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

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“The Neolithic of the Southern Levant is divided into Pre-Pottery and Pottery or Late Neolithic phases, initially based on the sequence established by Kathleen Kenyon at Jericho. In the eastern desert regions of the Southern Levant—the Badia—the whole period is referred to as the Late Neolithic (c. 7000–5000 BCE). It is marked by the appearance of the first pastoralist societies in the desert, who may have migrated there following the abandonment of the large PPNB settlements to the west. In the Mediterranean zone, the Pottery Neolithic is further subdivided into two subphases and several regional cultures. However, the extent to which these represent real cultural phenomena is debated: Pottery Neolithic A (PNA) or Late Neolithic 1 (LN1): Yarmukian culture or Lodian (Jericho IX) culture. Pottery Neolithic B (PNB) or Late Neolithic 2 (LN2): Wadi Rabah culture.” ref

“Although the Yarmukian culture occupied limited regions of northern Israel and northern Jordan, Yarmukian pottery has been found elsewhere in the region, including the Habashan Street excavations in Tel Aviv and as far north as Byblos, Lebanon. Besides the site at Sha’ar Hagolan, 20 other Yarmukian sites have been identified in Israel, Palestine, Jordan and Lebanon. Of 163 sites found up to that date, the vast majority had been discovered in the main area known for its Yarmukian settlements, in and around the northern type-site of Sha’ar Hagolan, with just two exceptions further to the south.^[1] This new finding led to speculations that much of the Southern Levant might have been inhabited by a contiguous civilization during the time (c. 6400–6000 BCE), with differences in pottery types being more significant to today’s archaeologists than to people living back then. A prehistoric site near Beit Hilkia, with findings from the Yarmukian, Late Chalcolithic, and the Middle Bronze Age IIA–IIB. Somewhat surprising was the discovery of a typical Yarmukian-style fired clay figurine of a fertility goddess, the southernmost such finding.” ref

“The Lodian culture or Jericho IX culture is a Pottery Neolithic culture of the Southern Levant dating from the first half of the 5th millennium BCE, existing alongside the Yarmukian and Nizzanim cultures. The Lodian culture appears mainly in areas south of the territory of the Yarmukian culture. The Jericho IX culture is defined by its distinctive pottery and the relationship between the Lodian culture and the two other Southern Levantine Pottery Neolithic cultures, the Yarmoukian and the Wadi Raba culture, has been debated for many years. Levy argued that it was a short-lived but distinct tradition that emerged after the Yarmoukian and before the Wadi Raba. Lodian pottery slightly differs in shape to the Yarmukian pottery and in decoration. One of the noted differences is more complexity in paste preparation and another being in its variety of vessel forms. The typical Lodian pottery vessels are painted and burnished, with distinctive geometric motifs.” ref

“The Wadi Rabah culture is a Pottery Neolithic/Early Chalcolithic culture of the Southern Levant, dating to the middle of the 5th millennium BCE. This period was first identified at the ancient site of Jericho (Tell es-Sultan) “Pottery Neolithic B”, a name now regarded as synonymous with the modernly defined Early Chalcolithic. Large courtyard structures were erected in the Wadi Rabah culture  period, like the ones found at Sha’ar HaGolan of the preceding Yarmukian culture (c. 6400–6000 BCE) and Tel Tsaf of the following Early/Middle Chalcolithic period (c. 5300–4500 BCE).” ref

1, Boncuklu Hoyuk (Turkey) (8,300–7,800 BCE) ref, “Boncuklu Höyük is within the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB) dating to 10,800 –  8,500 years ago, or 8800–6500 BCE; and its fired clay sherds are therefore regarded as among the earliest ceramic vessels known in southwest Asia, although the manufacturing technique was different to that used to make the contemporaneous PPNB ceramics found at Kfar HaHoresh in Israel.” ref, ref, Asikli Hoyuk (Turkey) (8,200–7,400 BCE) “A animal figurine as well as and small cones made of clay, and beads from a variety of raw materials include clay.” ref, ref, ref, and Çatal Hoyuk (Turkey) (7.500-5.600 BCE) ref “Basketry was a common craft at Ҫatalhӧyük during the Neolithic, with basket containers being used alongside undecorated pottery for everything from storage to burying the dead. It has long been thought that pottery styles and shapes were influenced by earlier organic containers such as baskets. It is often argued that the shape and decorative patterns on pottery from the American southwest, for example, mimic the designs of earlier basketry. Within this context, the ongoing work of Ҫatalhöyük’s ceramic specialist Ingmar Franz suggests that these influences may also be present in the pottery found at the West Mound at Ҫatalhӧyük. The settlement of the West Mound saw a move away from organic containers and simple pottery in favour of decorated pots, part of a wider regional change known as the ‘Painted Pottery Revolution’. This trend continued at Ҫatalhӧyük throughout the Chalcolithic period. Many of these painted pots take on a similar form to the baskets found at the East Mound and their decorative patterns can be interpreted as mimicking the coils and weaves of basketry. As Ingmar speculates, this was perhaps due to “a desire for form and function to remain consistent”. The causes of this change are unclear, yet Ingmar believes that shifts within people’s daily lives meant that crafting elaborate baskets became too time-consuming.” ref “The Neolithic East Mound and the Early Chalcolithic West Mound at Çatalhöyük are closer in time than has been previously assumed. However, we do not yet see any layers with transitional pottery: The latest pottery of the East Mound, in the TP area, is still very Neolithic. On the West Mound we deal with fully developed Chalcolithic ceramics. The main difference lies in the amount of pottery, which seems related to the fact that in the Early Chalcolithic, pottery replaced basketry in many everyday uses, resulting in the repertoire of vessels used on the West Mound being much more broad. This is especially exemplified by painted ornaments resembling basket texture and by the affinities in vessels’ shapes. Although this change was abrupt and vital, we can observe some continuity between the Neolithic and Early Chalcolithic pottery. Apart from single cases of similar forms and ornaments, similarity can be observed in pottery production: use of the same raw materials and techniques. From a technological point of view, Early Chalcolithic pottery making was not a radical departure from the Neolithic; this represents a strong argument in favor of both mounds at Çatalhöyük having been inhabited by the same population.” ref

Carbon Dating Çatalhöyük Pottery 8,722-7,672 years ago

“It relates to the early Neolithic (ca. 6700–5650 BCE or 8,722-7,672 years ago) site of Çatalhöyük in Turkey, dates from four pottery sherds also matched the site’s known chronology. Evershed hopes the technique will allow researchers to learn more about the origins of animal domestication. It could also reveal when changes in prehistoric diets, such as the adoption of dairy products, took place. The researchers analyzed microscopic traces of plant residues trapped in pits and crevices on stone tools. In addition to wheat, oats, peas, and vegetables grown by the early farmers, the researchers found traces of wild tubers and wild millet seeds. This is the first time the presence of wild millet has been detected at the site. These foraged plants would have supplemented the diet, and indicated that the residents of Çatalhöyük possessed knowledge of the tubers’ seasonal cycles. The study also suggests that the tools were used for other domestic activities in addition to processing plants.” ref, ref

2. Mezraa-Teleilat from the aceramic (Pre-Pottery Neolithic B) to the ceramic Neolithic ref, and Akarçay Tepe Höyük from the aceramic (Pre-Pottery Neolithic B) to the ceramic Neolithic, and the Pre-Halaf Pottery Neolithic Period. ref, ref

3. Tell Halula (Syria) (7.750-6,780 BCE) “Pre-Halaf’ period covering a very long initial stage of pottery production, introduction of Halaf culture at the end of the 7th millennium.” ref

4. Tell Abu Hureyra (Syria) (11,000-5,000 BCE) “Basket weaving as far back as 6500 BCE.” ref, “Between 6500 and 6000 BCE as a major building material, figurine fragments, Cylindrical clay beads and textile weaving, is illustrated in clay by the appearance of plain clay spindle whorls. Rectangular clay plaques decorated on all sides with punctated and linear motifs, are interpreted as stamp seals. A round clay “stamp” with a prehension knob exactly in the shape of the early stamp seals of the Halaf period bears no design at all on its face and its use is un­knownand. The Appearance of Pottery (6000-5500 BCE) at Tell Abu Hureyra.” ref

5. Tell Sabi Abyad (Syria) (7500-5500 BCE) ref “Earliest pottery of Syria 6900-6800 BCE mineral-tempered, sometimes painted wares and early Halaf period between 5100-5000 BCE. The oldest painted pottery here. Remarkably, the earliest pottery was of a very high quality, and some of it was already painted. Later, the painted pottery was discontinued, and the quality declined. Pottery found at the site includes Dark Faced Burnished Ware(earliest examples from the Jōmonculture in Japan and predominantly found at archaeological sites in Lebanon, Israel, southwest Syria and Cyprus. Some notable examples of dark faced burnished ware were found at Tell Judaidah (and nearby Tell Dhahab) in Amuq by Robert Braidwood as well as at Ras Shamra and Tell Boueid. Other finds have been made at Yumuktepe in Mersin, Turkey) and a Fine Ware that resembled Hassuna Ware and Samarra Ware.” ref

6. Tell Halaf (Syria) (6,100 to 5,400 BCE) “The Halaf culture 6,100-5100 BCE a continuous development out of the earlier Pottery Neolithic and is located primarily in the fertile valley of the Khabur River (tributary to the Euphrates in Syria that originates in Turkey). Halaf culture is found in Northern-Eastern Syria, South-Eastern Turkey, and northern Iraq, although Halaf-influenced material is found throughout Greater Mesopotamia. The Halaf period was succeeded by the Halaf-Ubaid Transitional period, which comprised the late Halaf (c. 5400–5000 BCE), and then by the Ubaid period (6500–3800 BCE).” ref, and Tell Kashkashok (Syria) (6500 – 5000 BCE) “The site is dated by pottery finds to the latter neolithic era, and early Dynastic era. Pre-Halfa – Proto-Hassuna culture dates to 6,300 BCE and Proto-Hassuna is seen at Tell Kashashok (Layer 3).” ref, ref, “Pre-Proto-Hassuna (7000-6700 BCE) refers to the Late Neolithic period in Upper Mesopotamia when the ceramic containers were just being introduced.  At this time stone vessels and White Ware were (appeared in the 9th millennium BCE, during the pre-pottery (aceramic) neolithic period) still being used in addition to pottery. The pottery vessels were still very few in number in these early settlements. At that time, the main emphasis was on the pottery with a mineral temper, as opposed to the plant-tempered pottery which came to predominate later.” ref,  “White Ware was commonly found in PPNB archaeological sites in Syria, northern Jordan, and Lebanon, with similarities as well as overlapping time periods with later clay-firing methods have suggested that Dark Faced Burnished Ware at sites in Lebanon, Israel, Syria, and Cyprus; the first real pottery, developed from this limestone prototype.” ref, ref, ref

7. Tell Hassuna (Iraq) (early sixth millennium BCE) “Tell Hassuna is the type site for the Hassuna culture. Around 6,000 BCE, at Tell Hassuna, adobe dwellings were built around open central courts; fine painted pottery was replacing the crude pottery of the earlier levels. Female figurines were also used in relation to worship and jar burials, within which food was placed due to belief in the afterlife. Pottery found at Hassuna can be divided into three different categories: Hassuna Archaic, Hassuna Standard, and Samarran. These also include painted, incised, and painted-incised ware. At Hassuna, six different layers of houses were uncovered, revealing various vessels and pottery that date ca. 5600-5350 BCE, with each layer becoming more substantial. Similar vessels were found throughout the Middle East, showing that there was an extensive trade network that was present as early as the 6th Millennium BCE. Hassuna was one of the earliest cultures in Northern Mesopotamia. Before this time, Southern Mesopotamia was considered the cradle of civilization. When settlements began forming in the north, such as Hassuna, Jarmo, Samarra, and Tell Halaf, the north became an important region.” ref, and Tell Arpachiyah (Iraq) (6000-5000 BCE) “The site was occupied in the Halaf and Ubaid periods. It appears to have been heavily involved in the manufacture of pottery. The pottery recovered there forms the basis for the internal chronology of the Halaf period.” ref, and Tell Maghzaliyah (Iraq) (7000 BCE, part of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B 8,800–6,500 BCE) “Tell Maghzaliyah shows the development of pre-Hassuna culture. There are also numerous connections to the Jarmo culture going back to 7000 BCE. The clay used for construction was apparently imported from other locations, as the primary natural stratigraphy is limestone loam. A cold hammered ‘awl’ (or a chisel) made from native copper (i.e. not smelted) was found on the floor of one of the houses. Other early sites with metal are also Ali Kosh in lowland Iran, and Tol-e Nurabad and Tepe Sialk in the Iranian Zagros Mountains. Also in the Iranian Zagros, near Marvdasht, are located the sites of Tall-i Mushki, and Tall-i Jari showing evidence of early metallurgy utilizing native copper. All these settlements date to the late 7th/early 6th millennia BCE.” ref, and Yarim Tepe (Iraq) (6,000 BCE to 5th millennium BCE) “Yarim Tepe I belongs to the Hassuna culture with the earliest known kiln, dating to around 6,000 BCE. Some finds include ceramic vases, female clay figurines, and other objects. Metal objects were also found, such as a lead bracelet, copper beads, and copper ore, which represent some of the oldest examples of metallurgy in Mesopotamia. And Yarim Tepe II is a settlement of the Halafian culture, dating to the 5th millennium BCE. Ceramic vessels in the shape of elephants and women were among the finds. Some ceramic containers depict fish, birds, gazelles, and other animals. Several pendant seals were also discovered, including a very old copper seal. The site consists of several mounds that reflect the development of the Hassuna culture, to later the Halaf and Obed cultures (or Ubaid culture).” ref 

8. Umm Dabaghiyah (Iraq) (6,000–5,800 BCE) “The term Proto-Hassuna culture is also frequently used synonymously, as the Umm Dabaghiyah-Sotto culture is considered a direct precursor to the Hassuna culture. Proto-Hassuna culture a direct precursor to the Hassuna culture, pottery 5,800–5,260 BCE. Isolated older sites, such as Jarmo or Maghzaliya, already possessed knowledge of pottery production and are thus considered classic representatives of the ceramic Neolithic period before the heyday of the Umm Dabaghiyah-Sotto type, but their assemblages did not reach the same diversity. From around 6,000 BCE onwards, not only is there a more widespread use of ceramic goods in northern Mesopotamia, but greater similarities also emerge between the finds from the individual settlements, shaping the picture of a coordinated network. The ceramic vessels of this group are primarily simple in design, with thick, vegetable- tempered walls and were fired at low temperatures. Their coarse forms were created by hand using coil throwing , as the potter’s wheel had not yet been invented. Alongside this coarse-grained ware, however, ceramics made of finer material were also found, which may have been imported. Although the vast majority of the vessels found are undecorated, some examples painted with ochre exist , while others were polished or decorated with incised designs. Simple motifs such as dots, circles, hooks, triangles, or herringbone patterns, usually placed below the rims, are dominant. Bowls with grooved bottoms, presumably used for peeling legumes, are also found in Hassuna ware. Particularly noteworthy are the finely modeled, practically designed decorative elements, such as human eyes and ears, animal heads, snakes, anthropomorphic figures, or crescent moons. Examples include round or oval vessel shapes, simple pots, bowls and dishes, but also double-conical containers up to 50 cm/19.68 in high.” ref

9. Tell Shemshara (Iraq) (7322–7180 BCE – Early 6th millennium BCE “Hassuna period”- 4h millennium BCE “Uruk period”, to 3rd and 2nd millennium BCE, ETC.) “16 occupation layers, pre-Hassuna to the Hassuna period (early sixth millennium BCE) to the 14th century CE. However, the site was occupied, although not continuously, from the Hassuna period (early sixth millennium BCE) until the 14th century CE. The Hassuna period occupation pottery, has only been found in abundance in layers 13–9, shows stylistic links with that of Hassuna and Tell es-Sawwan. Whereas the main mound seems to have been abandoned after the Hassuna occupation, scarce archaeological material from the Uruk (fourth millennium BCE) and Jemdet Nasr periods (early third millennium BCE) has been found on the lower town.” ref

10. Jarmo (Iraq) (7,090-4,950 BCE) “Jarmo is one of the oldest sites at which pottery has been found, dates it to the 7,100-5,800 BCE. It was broadly contemporary with other important Neolithic sites such as Jericho in the Southern Levant and Çatalhöyük in Anatolia. The entire site consists of twelve levels. Jarmo appears to be two older, permanent Neolithic settlements and, approximately, contemporary with Jericho or the Neolithic stage of Shanidar. The high point is likely to have been between 6,200 and 5,800 BCE. In the earlier phases there is a preponderance of objects made from stone, silex—using older styles—and obsidian. The use of this latter material, obtained from the area of Lake Van, the largest lake in Turkey that is 200 miles away, and suggests that some form of organized trade already existed, as does the presence of ornamental shells from the Persian Gulf. In the oldest level baskets have been found, waterproofed with pitch, which is readily available in the area. Fragments of alabaster “soft rock” jars, Jarmo circa 7500 BCE, before the 7000 BCE. An early pottery bowl found dates to 7100-5800 BCE, from possibly the earliest Jarmo invention of pottery in the region. There is evidence that they had domesticated goats, sheep and dogs. On the higher levels of the site pigs have been found, together with the first evidence of pottery. Jarmo is one of the oldest sites at which pottery has been found, appearing in the most recent levels of excavation, which dates it to the 7th millennium BCE. This pottery is handmade, of simple design and with thick sides, and treated with a vegetable solvent. There are clay figures, zoomorphic or anthropomorphic, including figures of pregnant women which are taken to be fertility goddesses, similar to the Mother Goddess of later Neolithic cultures in the same region.” ref  

11. Ganj Dareh (Iran) ceramic tradition (7300-6900 BCE) “The oldest settlement remains on the site date back to c. 8,200 BCE, and have yielded the earliest evidence for goat domestication in the world. Ganj Dareh is important in the study of Neolithic ceramics beginning in the late 8th millennium BCE, and continuing to the middle of the 6th millennium BCE. Also, the evidence from two other excavated sites nearby is important, from Tepe Guran, and Tepe. At Ganj Dareh, two early ceramic traditions are evident. One is based on the use of clay for figurines and small geometric pieces like cones and disks. These are dated ca. 7,300-6,900 BCE. The other ceramic tradition originated in the use of clay for mud-walled buildings (7,300 BCE). These traditions are also shared by Tepe Guran, and Tepe Sarab. Tepe Asiab is also located near Tepe Sarab, and may be the earliest of all these sites. Both sites appear to have been seasonally occupied. A 40-year-old woman from Ganj Dareh, GD13a. mtDNA analysis shows that she belonged to Haplogroup X phenotypically similar to the Anatolian/Turkey early farmers and Caucasus Hunter-Gatherers. Her DNA revealed that she had black hair, brown eyes and SLC24A5 variant which is shown to be a major factor in the light skin tone of Europeans.” ref “The SLC24A5 gene, possibly originating as long as 19,000 years ago, it has been the subject of selection in the ancestors of Europeans as recently as within the last 5,000 years, and is fixed in modern European populations. The earliest known sample of the threonine allele is 13,000 years old from Satsurblia Cave in Georgia. The allele was widespread from Anatolia to Ukraine and Iran at the beginning of the Neolithic.” ref, “GD13a is genetically closest to the ancient Caucasus hunter-gatherers identified from human remains from Georgia (Satsurblia Cave and Kotias Klde). She belonged to a population (Neolithic Iranians) that was genetically distinct from the Neolithic Anatolian farmers. In terms of modern populations, she shows the relative highest genetic affinity with the Baloch people, Makran Baloch, and Brahui people. Also genetically close to GD13a were ancient samples from Steppe populations (Yamanya 3,300–2,600 BCE Pontic–Caspian steppe, Mykhailivka 3,600–3,400 BCE from the lower Dnieper River in Ukraine, formed the core Yamnaya culture,  & Afanasievo 3300 to 2500 BCE south Siberia, from the pre-Yamnaya Repin culture) that were part of one or more Bronze age migrations into Europe, as well as early Bronze age cultures in that continent (Corded Ware) in line with previous relationships observed for the Caucasus Hunter-Gatherers. And most Y-DNA Neolithic Iranian specimens from Ganj Dareh belong to the paternal haplogroup R2a that dates to 10,162 years old. Haplogroup R2 most often observed in Asia, especially on the Indian subcontinent and Central Asia. It is also reported at notable frequencies in the Caucasus. According to one model, the Mesolithic/Neolithic Iranian lineage are inferred to derive significant amounts of their ancestry from Basal Eurasian (c. 38–48%), with the remainder ancestry being closer to Ancient North Eurasians or Eastern European Hunter-Gatherer (ANE/EHG; c. 52–62%). A late Neolithic sample was found to belong to Haplogroup G2a.” ref, ref, And Clay vessels fragments at the site Ganj Dareh in the Central Zagros, no later than the end of the 9th millennium BCE.” ref

12. Tell es-Sawwan (Iraq) (5th millennium BCE, with the periods of Ubaid, Hassuna, and Samarra cultures) “An important Samarran period archaeological site in Saladin Province, Iraq and Samarra culture pottery 5,500 to 4,800 BCE; partially overlaps with Hassuna and early Ubaid. It is considered the type site for the Samarran culture. The site is a primarily Ubaid, Hassuna, and Samarra culture occupation with some later Babylonian graves. They used stone and flint tools similar to those of the Hassuna culture. They had fine Samarran ware and beautiful, translucent marble vessels. Underfloor graves of adults and children contained terracotta and alabaster statuettes of women and men, in various poses; some of these had the eyes and pointed heads typical of the Ubaid period.  There were five occupation layers. Among the finds were 77 Neolithic clay tokens and a number of clay sling bullets were also found, by a ditch and wall the excavators termed defensive in nature dated to 5,730 BCE.” ref

13. Rahmatabad Tepe (Iran) (7th to 5th millennium BCE) “A long cultural sequence has been found and the Pottery Neolithic starts in the late seventh millennium BCE. A large number of ancient shards and kilns, and an important industrial site dating back to the 5th millennium BCE. 12 square-shaped coupons (tokens), indicating that the people of the region had economic and commercial ties with neighboring regions in the 4th and 5th millenniums BCE. Also discovered 6000-year-old (4,000 BCE) clay coupons.” ref, and “The Neolithic phase can be further divided into two different  phases including pottery Neolithic (7029 to 7031 BCE) and Pre-pottery Neolithic (7032 to 7040 BCE).” ref

14. Touq Tappeh and Tappeh Valiki (Iran) (Pottery Neolithic starting 6,600–5,800 BCE) “The oldest Pottery Neolithic culture of northeastern Iran is at Touq Tappeh and Tappeh Valiki, making the Pottery Neolithic of eastern Mazandaran start at least from the first half of the 7^th millennium BCE and lasted until the early 6^th millennium BCE (c. 6,600–5,800 BCE). While Tappeh Valiki represents the oldest dates, the Pottery Neolithic periods may have started in the region even earlier, given the presence of potteries from the lowest layers of the site. The Pottery Neolithic layers of Tappeh Valiki started in 6c600 BCE and ended in 5,900 BCE, showing that the phase of the Pottery Neolithic of eastern Mazandaran, which contains Caspian Neolithic Soft-ware (The CNS), started at least from the mid-7^th millennium BCE and continued until the beginning of the 6^th millennium BCE. Also, according to dating from the Kamarband Cave, the PPN starts in 7,940 BCE and the Pottery Neolithic starts in 7,140 BCE.  Analysis of the available material from these sites through dating indicates strong regional connections, while also showing inter-regional connections. The new dating from the old and new Epipalaeolithic and Neolithic sites of eastern Mazandaran suggests there is no gap between them, which is not surprising given the favorable environment during the early Holocene.” ref 

15. Tol-e Sangi (Iran) (7th millennium BCE) “Pottery Neolithic in the late 7th millennium BCE has generally been proposed in Iran and for decades, it was believed that the first pottery culture in South Iran to be represented by Mushki ware, dating from the late 7th millennium BCE. However, excavations at Tape Rahmatabad produced evidence suggesting the emergence of Neolithic pottery at the beginning of the 7th millennium BCE, almost contemporary with the first pottery in the eastern wing of the Fertile Crescent. Evidence from the Tol-e Sangi site, where a neatly stratified sequence from Pre-Pottery Neolithic (PPN) to early PN was discovered. Although the Pottery Neolithic in Fars highlands, southeast of the Fertile Crescent has long been believed to have started in the late 7th millennium BCE, recent excavations at Tepe Rahmatabad have suggested a date half a millennium earlier. Data from Tol-e Sangi, a stratified site with Pre-Pottery and Pottery Neolithic cultural deposits, support the advent of the Pottery Neolithic at the beginning of the 7th millennium BCE.” ref, and “During the excavation of Tol-e Sangi in southern Iran, tokens and a sealing were discovered in 7050–6900 BCE layers. As the oldest sealing found in Iran, this artefact suggests that storage and sealing practices were used during the PPN period in South-west Asia. Seals and sealings are indicators of some degree of social complexity. Surplus production and the concomitant need to store and monitor this surplus led to the practice of storing and sealing items in containers or warehouses. Clay sealing is where a piece of clay is used to secure an object, this could be a storeroom door or a container such as a pot, basket or sack. The oldest evidence of sealing in the western part of the Fertile Crescent dates to the late Pre-Pottery Neolithic (late 8th millennium), while the use of sealing appears to be more recent in the eastern part. Around 25 seals and 140 sealings retrieved in Tol-e Bakun in the Fars cultural zone of southern Iran indicates that the Chalcolithic society of the fifth millennium BCE in this region was increasingly complex. Small clay and stone objects, which may have been used for accounting and sealing, have also been found at the nearby site of Tol-e Sangi. These objects are substantially older than sealings previously found in Iran, dating to the end of the PPN.” ref

16. Byblos (Lebanon) (? – 6,400-5,500 BCE) “Cardium pottery or Cardial ware” and the alternative name, Impressed ware, because impressions can be made with sharp objects other than cockle shells, such as a nail or comb. And because impressed pottery is much more widespread than the Cardial. The Cardium pottery culture or Impressed ware culture, eventually extended from the Adriatic sea to the Atlantic coasts of Portugal and south to Morocco. According to Simões (2023) human remains from the earliest Neolithic contexts in northwestern Africa had European Neolithic ancestry (c. 5400 BCE), indicating that the first stages of the Neolithization process in northwestern Africa were started by the migration of Neolithic farmers from Iberia. The earliest pottery in the Tingitan peninsula (the African portion of the Gibraltar Strait) was also of Cardial type, with clear affinities to archaic Cardial pottery from Catalonia–Valencia.” ref, “During the Neolithic, from around 7,500 years ago onwards, there was a migration into Northwest Africa of European Neolithic Farmers from the Iberian Peninsula with G2 Y-DNA found in Morocco with Cardial pottery (who had originated in Anatolia/Turkey several thousand years prior; the geographic origin of haplogroup G plausibly locates somewhere nearby eastern Anatolia, Armenia or western Iran), as well as pastoralists from the Levant, with T Y-DNA found in Morocco with Proto-Beaker pottery (T may have expanded with the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B culture which originated in West Asia, and then spread into North Africa) via the Sinai Peninsula, both of whom also significantly contributed to the ancestry of modern Northwest Africans.” ref “The origin of the Impression culture is a subject of debate. The oldest examples of pottery with the imprint of Cardia shells were found in Byblos (Lebanon) and date back to the 9th millennium BCE. There is a chronological gap of 2.5 thousand years between these monuments and Cardia pottery in western Greece (pre- Sesklo in Thessaly). Ukrainian archaeologist D. L. Gaskevych believes that the chronological gap between the Byblos pottery and the later monuments of the Adriatic can be explained by the fact that the areas of Cardial migration in the 8th–7th millennium BCE were flooded by rising sea levels (see the theory of the Black Sea Flood ). He considers the Samchyn pottery of the 7th–6th millennium BCE, found in the northern Black Sea region and further inland from the coast, as one of the branches of Cardial pottery. The first known monuments of the Impresso culture itself were found on the eastern Adriatic coast and date back to the first centuries of the 6th millennium BCE. Representatives of this culture lived in caves at that time and of all the Neolithic technologies were familiar only with ceramics. This is typical of the people of the Subneolithic: hunter-gatherers came into contact with agricultural crops, but did not abandon their way of life. Cardial pottery then spread along the coast of Italy, with different variants on the west and east coasts. In the 5th millennium BCE, the Impresso culture spread to southeastern France and eastern Spain. Impressa (impresso) — (starting from 6,200–6,000 BCE) most of Italy, Adriatic, Sicily. Classic Cardial Pottery — (starting 5,900–5,400 BCE) extreme northwestern Italy (Liguria), Sardinia, Corsica, most of coastal Spain/Portugal, Morocco, Aquitaine. Epicardial Pottery  — (from 5,200 BCE) interior Spain (including the northern coast), southern France (except Aquitaine and coastal areas).” ref

17. Kfar HaHoresh aceramic (Israel) (Pre-Pottery Neolithic B) ref, and “12 fired clay samples and an unfired marl sample from the late 9th and early 8th millennium BCE site of Boncuklu Höyük (8,300–7,800 BCE) in central Turkey, contemporaneous PPNB ceramics found at Kfar HaHoresh in Israel.” ref, “Twenty-three pottery sherds have been defined as belonging to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B levels at Kfar HaHoresh. Twenty-one sherds represent a rather distinguishable fabric referred to as “KHH Ware”. Only two pottery sherds were not classified as KHH Ware, identified as representing Pre-Pottery Neolithic B pottery. KHH Ware is composed of low-fired marl unavailable on-site and vegetal material. KHH Ware was manufactured on a sporadic basis for limited purposes. Contextual associations indicate that KHH Ware may have had cultic significance. In some regions of the Near East (Zagros, Anatolia and the Northern Levant) pottery containers are first documented 7,750–7,250 BCE. Initially the pottery is rare and only from 7,250 BCE do pottery containers become more common. In the Levant pottery containers are the principal artefacts that distinguish the Pre-Pottery Neolithic (PPN), ca. 9,600–6,400 BCE, from the Pottery Neolithic (PN), 6,400–4,500 BCE  – at least from a nomenclatural point of view. This is not to say that pottery containers are totally absent in the PPN repertoire. In fact, more and more evidence of pottery containers are reported from Pre-Pottery Neolithic B layers at different sites in the Northern Levant. Evidence concerning the beginning of pottery container production in the Southern Levant remains very fragmentary. Sun-dried or low-fired pottery sherds dated to the PPNB have been reported from different sites in Transjordan, but these were subsequently identified as large installations – tabuns – ovens – or silos. Consequently, pottery containers are reported in the Southern Levant only with the onset of the PN period. Even if the exact time and place for the first appearance of pottery containers in the Southern Levant remains uncertain.” ref, and Sha’ar HaGolan (Israel) (6400–6000 BCE) “Sha’ar HaGolan is Sha’ar HaGolan is the largest, probably indicating its role as the Yarmukian center. The type site of the Yarmukian culture, a Pottery Neolithic culture that inhabited parts of Israel and Jordan, Yarmukian culture is notable for the discovery of a significant number of artistic objects, as well as some of the earliest pottery in the Southern Levant. At the Yarmukian culture site of ‘Ain Ghazal, located in Jordan, the early Pottery Neolithic period is dated from 6,400 to 5,000 BCE. Sha’ar HaGolan, zoomorphic and human female figurines are found, such as the 8000 years-old clay “Mother Goddess” figurine covered by a bracelet with a red bottom was found broken into 2 pieces. It was sculpted in a sitting position with big hips, a unique pointed hat and what is known as ‘coffee-bean’ eyes and a big nose.” ref 

18. Tell es-Sultan (Palestine: Jericho, West Bank) (10th millennium BCE to 586 BCE) “After the Pre-Pottery Neolithic A 8,500–7,500 BCE settlement phase, no use of pottery, there was a settlement hiatus of several centuries, then the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B settlement was founded on the eroded surface of the tell. This second settlement, established in 6,800 BCE, perhaps represents the work of an invading people who absorbed the original inhabitants into their dominant culture. Artifacts dating from this period include ten plastered human skulls, painted so as to reconstitute the individuals’ features. Also found stylized anthropomorphic plaster figures, almost life-size, anthropomorphic and theriomorphic clay figurines. Other items discovered included dishes and bowls carved from soft limestone.” ref, and  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tell_es-Sultan “Pottery was locally produced when technological features and architecture showed a cultural regression. The Pottery Neolithic A (6,000–5,000 BCE) village consisted of pit dwellings dug into the erosion layers (or even in previous Pre-Pottery Neolithic B strata), and flint and stone tools exhibit a cruder and less refined treatment in respect ofthose of Pre-Pottery Neolithic. Earliest pottery was characterized by coarse, straw-tempered ware, usually decorated by burnished red-on-cream painted decoration. Nonetheless, it represents an extraordinary innovation in the economy of this early rural community. Pottery Neolithic B (5,000–4,500 BCE) Jericho exhibits once again the shift to rectilinear architecture associated with the diffusion of a new kind of mud brick (bun-shaped). Nonetheless, Pottery Neolithic A and B layers produced a few remnants of plants and charcoal, thus suggesting that the Jerichoans were basically herdsmen and hunters during these periods. Pottery Neolithic is viewed as a culturally recessive period, when the site was slightly reduced in area and hosted a less developed village in respect of the preceding Pre-Pottery Neolithic.” ref

19. “Dotted wavy line and wavy line pottery have been discovered in archaeological sites across North and Eastern Africa. Wavy line pottery was characteristic of the early Mesolithic, while the dotted wavy line pottery was characteristic of the late Mesolithic. Some of the oldest evidence comes from the sites of Tagalagal and Adrar Bous 10 in Niger 10,000 BCE, and from Temet in Niger 8,600 BCE.” ref, and “African artisans produced hand-built pottery – for at least 10,000 to 15,000 years.” ref

20. Barcın Höyük (Turkey) (6600 to 6000 BCE) “The observed conceptual similarities between the pottery assemblages of Barcın Höyük and Çatalhöyük in Central Anatolia, especially in the second half of the seventh millennium BCE, have often been regarded in the context of an overland expansion model, which has also been proposed for Ulucak on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. However, both the architectural style and the composition of the faunal packages differ between these regions, challenging the interpretation of similarities between the pottery assemblages. Although the development of cooking ware is seen in Central Anatolia at about the same time as the beginning of the settlement at Barcın Höyük, the use of crushed calcite temper may be specific to the eastern Marmara region and adjacent inland areas. The use of crushed calcite temper may therefore represent a local innovation.” ref “173 organic residues obtained from 805 Neolithic potsherds and suggest that bowls and four-lugged pots may have been preferred containers for processing milk. The discovery of abundant milk residues even among the earliest ceramics indicates that the pioneer farmers arrived in the region already with the knowhow of dairying and milk processing.” ref, ref

21. Sang-i Chakmak(Iran) (7th millennium BCE/6500) ref, ref “Most of the decorated pottery displays geometric patterns such as crossed lines, and the horizontal and vertical parallel lines drawn in red or dark brown against a creamy or reddish background. This is a site in northeastern Iran with the ceramics of the upper, younger layers that show animal motifs. There are also conical clay objects, spindles, animal statuettes made of clay or stone, and clay figurines. A skull of a young woman was also found; it was covered with a decorated pot of a type known from the site of Tepe Sialk (Central Iran) (6000–3000 BCE). The objects found generally show similarities to the lowest layer of Yarim Tepe and, above all, to the Jeitun culture (Neolithic period in southern Turkmenistan). Various types of the earliest Jeitun artefacts, such as clay figurines, decorated ceramics, and small stone axes, show similarities with those of the early agricultural Neolithic sites in the Zagros Mountains, such as Jarmo (Iraq). Jeitun culture may have begun prior to 7000 BCE, judging by the age of Sang-i Chakmak, the earliest settlement where such artefacts are found. In the same area of the Gorgan Plain, other related sites are Yarim Tepe (Iran), and Tureng Tepe. It is possible that the later Jeitun influence expanded to the south, across the Kopet Dag mountains to Kermanshah Province and Luristan, to the sites such as Tepe Guran, Tepe Sarab, and Ganj Dareh.” ref, ref

22. Tell el-‘Oueili (Iraq) (6,500-5,400 BCE – abandoned before 3,000 BCE) “In the south, corresponding to the area that would later be known as Sumer, the entire Ubaid period extends from ca. 6500 to 3800 BCE. The oldest known Ubaid site, Tell el-‘Oueili, which ranges from Ubaid 0 (6500-5400 BCE) to Late Ubaid 4 (4900–4350 BCE) and the site was occupied into the Uruk Period. Occupation layers predating those of Eridu, making Tell el-‘Oueili the earliest known Ubaid settlement in Lower Mesopotamia. In central and northern Iraq, the Ubaid culture was preceded by the Hassunaand Samarra” ref, ref, and Tell Abu Shahrain (Eridu) (Iraq) (5,500-5,300 BCE – abandoned before 6,00 BCE) “Ubaid 1, also called “Eridu style,” dates to 5900/5,500–5200 BCE, and at Eridu and Tell al-‘Ubaid, Ubaid pottery was found. Its characteristic style was a black-on-buff painted ware. Eridu is traditionally considered the earliest city in southern Mesopotamia based on the Sumerian King List. Located 24 km (15 mi) south-southwest of the ancient site of Ur, Eridu was the southernmost of a conglomeration of Sumerian cities that grew around temples, almost in sight of one another. Among the finds were a Ubaid period terracotta boat model, complete with a socket amidship for a mast and hole for stays and rudder, bevel-rimmed bowls, and a “lizard type” figurine like those found in a sounding under the Royal Cemetery of Ur. Soundings in the cemetery showed it to have about 1000 graves, all from the end of the Ubaid period. The first platform at Eridu dates to Ubaid 4,500–4,000 BCE, and the “Temple Sequence” starts. These sequence of “Palace-like” or “Temple-Like” buildings appears to be the first occurrence of such structures in the region.” ref, ref

“Evidence for the social organization of the people of the Neolithic in Central Sudan will be limited to that derived from burial information. Although the hypothetical social classes reflected in the graves were not observed in the settlements, currently available evidence seems to indicate that the burial grounds at el Kadada and Kadero I illustrate well the process of the increasing concentration of goods and power by a social “elite”- toward the end of the Neolithic. It is clear that the social structure in the Central Sudan during the Neolithic period exhibited more or less inseparable economic and settlement patterns, which are in turn witness to developmental stages extending from the Early Neolithic to the complex picture of the Late Neolithic.” ref

ref, ref, ref, ref, ref

There are many similarities between Asia Minor/Turkey pottery and early Greek Neolithic pottery

Biblos pottery 6,400-5,800 BCE “Cardial Ware culture”

“Ceramic decoration evolves to flame motifs toward the end of the Sesklo culture. Pottery of this “classic” Sesklo style was also used in Western Macedonia, as at Servia. That there are many similarities between the rare Asia Minor/Turkey pottery and early Greek Neolithic pottery was acknowledged when investigations were made regarding whether these settlers could be migrants from Asia Minor/Turkey, but such similarities seem to exist among all early pottery found in Near Eastern regions. The repertoire of shapes is not very different, but the Asia Minor/Turkey vessels demonstrate significant differences. They seem to be deeper than their Thessalian counterparts. Shallow, slightly open bowls are characteristic of the Sesklo culture, but are absent in Anatolian settlements. Use of a ring base was almost unknown in Anatolia/Turkey; flat and plano-convex bases were worked instead. Altogether, the appearance of the vessels is different. The very rare examples of pottery from levels XII and XI at Catal Hoyuk closely resemble the shape of the very coarse earthenware of Early Neolithic I from Sesklo, but the paste is significantly different, having a partly-vegetable temper, and this pottery is contemporaneous, not a predecessor, of the better-made products in the Thessalian material.” ref

“Early Neolithic (late phase) corresponding to the PNA of Tell es-Sultan (Jericho) IX (also Yarmukian) between 6,400 and 5,800 BCE, represented by pottery, sickle blades, figurines and small points; Middle Neolithic corresponding to the PNB of Tell es-Sultan (Jericho) VIII and represented by pottery, dated between 5800 and 5300 BCE; Late Neolithic corresponding to the Middle Chalcolithic of Beth Shean and represented by pottery, stone vessels, silos, chamber tombs and seals, dated between 5,300 and 4,500 BCE.” ref

“The initial Late Neolithic ceramic period is thought to be roughly 7,000–6,700 BCE. These earliest pottery traditions may be known in literature as ‘Initial Pottery Neolithic’ in the Balikh River area of Syria and Turkey, for example Tell Sabi Abyad. Or it may be known as ‘Halula I’ in the Syrian Euphrates area; the main site is Tell Halula. Also, it may be known as ‘Rouj 2a’ in Northern Levantine Rouj basin (Idlib, Syria). Neolithic pottery may well have arrived as a full-blown technological set from more northerly regions. Pottery appears to have become ubiquitous in the southern Levant by late in the 6th millennium BCE and remained as an integral part of human material culture up to the present. The earliest PN phase is associated with the site of Sha’ar HaGolan in the Jordan Valley. This pottery is sometimes called “Yarmukian Ware”. The diagnostic pottery typical of this period is somewhat sophisticated.” ref

“Early Neolithic impressed pottery is found in the Levant, and certain parts of Anatolia, including Mezraa-Teleilat, and in North Africa at Tunus-Redeyef, Tunisia. Impressed pottery also appears in Egypt. Along the East Mediterranean coast, impressed ware has been found in North Syria, Palestine, and Lebanon. Older Neolithic cultures existed already at this time in eastern Greece and Crete, apparently having arrived from Anatolia, but they appear distinct from the Cardial or impressed ware culture. The ceramic tradition in the central Balkans also remained distinct from that along the Adriatic coastline in both style and manufacturing techniques for almost 1,000 years from the 6th millennium BCE.” ref

“This suggests a seafaring expansion by planting colonies along the coast. This pottery style gives its name to the main culture Cardium pottery culture or Cardial culture, which also can be referred to as impressed ware culture, which eventually extended from the Adriatic sea to the Atlantic coasts of Portugal and south to Morocco. Maternal genetic affinity between people of the Linear Pottery Culture and Cardium pottery with earlier peoples of the Near Eastern Pre-Pottery Neolithic B, including the rare mtDNA (maternal) basal haplogroup N*, and suggested that Neolithic period was initiated by seafaring colonists from the Near East. 6 Cardials buried in Spain c. 5470–5220 BCE mtDNA extracted belonged to the maternal haplogroups K1a2a, X2c, H4a1a (2 samples), H3 and K1a4a1. Researchers Suggest that the Cardials and peoples of the Linear Pottery Culture were descended from a common farming population in the Balkans, which had subsequently migrated further westwards into Europe along the Mediterranean coast and Danube river respectively. Among modern populations, the Cardials were found to be most closely related to Sardinians and Basque people.” ref

“Rare unclassified haplogroup N* has been found among fossils belonging to the Cardial and Epicardial culture (Cardium pottery) and the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B. A rare unclassified form of N has also been reported in modern Algeria. Haplogroup N1a – Arabian Peninsula and Northeast Africa. It is also found in Central Asia and Southern Siberia. This branch is well attested in ancient people from various cultures of Neolithic Europe, from Hungary to Spain, and among the earliest farmers of Anatolia. Haplogroup N1b – found in the Middle East, Egypt (Gurna), the Caucasus, and Europe. N1b1b1 – found in Ashkenazi Jews and other populations, formerly called N1b2. It is believed to be of Middle Eastern origin, but over time, it became concentrated in Ashkenazi Jews.” ref

“N1a originated in the Near East  12,000 to 32,000 years ago. Specifically, the Arabian Peninsula is postulated as the geographic origin of N1a. This supposition is based on the relatively high frequency and genetic diversity of N1a in modern populations of the peninsula. Exact origins and migration patterns of this haplogroup are still subject of some debate. Two main competing scenarios exist for the spread of the Neolithic package from the Near East to Europe: demic diffusion (in which agriculture was brought by farmers) or cultural diffusion (in which agriculture was spread through the passage of ideas). N1a became particularly prominent in this debate when a team led by Wolfgang Haak analyzed skeletons from Linear Pottery Culture sites.” ref

“The Linear Pottery Culture is credited with the first farming communities in Central Europe, marking the beginning of Neolithic Europe in the region some 7500 years ago. As of 2010, mitochondrial DNA analysis has been conducted on 42 specimens from five locations. Seven of these ancient individuals were found to belong to haplogroup N1a. N1a was not identified in any of the hunter-gatherer fossils, indicating a genetic distinction between Early European Farmers and late European hunter-gatherers. A genetic and phylogeographic analysis of N1a. Based on the results, they conclude that some of the LBK samples were indigenous to Europe while others may have resulted from ‘leapfrog’ colonization.” ref

“A genetic discontinuity between ancient and modern Europeans could be attributed to demic diffusion, cultural diffusion, or long-distance matrimonial exchanges, all equally plausible explanations for the current genetic findings. Seven of 42 skeletons from Linear Pottery Culture (Linearbandkeramik) sites were found to be members of the N1a haplogroup (see Neolithic European). N1a was also identified in skeletal remains within a 6200-year-old megalithic long mound near Prissé-la-Charrière, France. Haplogroup N1a is widely distributed throughout Europe, Northeast Africa, the Near East, and Central Asia.” ref

“It is divided into the European/Central Asian and African/South Asian branches based on specific genetic markers. The N1 subclade has also been found in various other fossils that were analysed for ancient DNA, including specimens associated with the Starčevo (N1a1a1, Alsónyék-Bátaszék, Mérnöki telep, 1/3 or 33%), Linearbandkeramik (N1a1a1a3, Szemely-Hegyes, 1/1 or 100%; N1a1b/N1a1a3/N1a1a1a2/N1a1a1/N1a1a1a, Halberstadt-Sonntagsfeld, 6/22 or ~27%), Alföld Linear Pottery (N1a1a1, Hejőkürt-Lidl, 1/2 or 50%), Transdanubian Late Neolithic (N1a1a1a, Apc-Berekalja, 1/1 or 100%), Protoboleráz (N1a1a1a3, Abony, Turjányos-dűlő, 1/4 or 25%), Iberia Early Neolithic cultures (N1a1a1, Els Trocs, 1/4 or 25%),^[14] Rinaldone–Gaudo Eneolithic cultures (N1a1a1a3, Monte San Biagio, 1/1 or 100%).” ref

Ancient mDNA “N1a1a1” and Pottery?

Bon005 – Boncuklu Höyük mtDNA N1a1a1 around 10,220 years ago Turkey – Central Anatolia ref

Bon004 – Boncuklu Höyük mtDNA N1a1a1 around 10,076 years ago Turkey – Central Anatolia ref

ZHAG – Boncuklu Höyük mtDNA N1a1a1 around 9,900 years ago Turkey – Central Anatolia ref

People who lived in ancient settlement in central Turkey migrated to Europe: archaeologists

“10,300-year-old Boncuklu Höyük settlement in Turkey revealed that the people who lived in the settlement migrated to Europe. And the Boncuklu Höyük settlement was established a thousand years before Çatalhöyük, so is the ancestor of later Çatalhöyük.” ref

Ash040 – Aşıklı Höyük mtDNA N1a1a1 around 9,875 years ago Turkey – Central Anatolia ref

CCH144 – Çatalhöyük mtDNA N1a1a1 around 8,808 years ago Turkey – Central Anatolia ref

I1096 – Barcın Höyük mtDNA N1a1a1 around 8,300 years ago Turkey – Northwest Anatolia ref

Bar25 – Barcın Höyük mtDNA N1a1a1 around 8,295 years ago Turkey – Northwest Anatolia ref

Tep004 – Tepecik-Çiftlik Höyük mtDNA N1a1a1 around 8,237 years ago Turkey – Northwest Anatolia ref

Tep006 – Tepecik-Çiftlik Höyük mtDNA N1a1a1 around 8,099 years ago Turkey – Northwest Anatolia ref

I0725 – Mentese mtDNA N1a1a1 around 7,950 years ago Turkey – South-Western corner, on the Aegean Sea ref

I0174 – Alsonyek-Bataszek mtDNA N1a1a1 around 7,558 years ago Hungary – Starcevo ref (Starčevo–Körös–Criș culture: 6,200 – 4,500 BCE or around 8,223-6,523 years ago)

“Starčevo culture of Southeastern Europe originates in the spread of the Neolithic package of peoples and technological innovations including farming and ceramics from Anatolia to the area of Sesklo. The Starčevo culture marks its spread to the inland Balkan peninsula as the Cardial ware culture did along the Adriatic coastline. It forms part of the wider Starčevo–Körös–Criş culture which gave rise to the central European Linear Pottery culture c. 700 years after the initial spread of Neolithic farmers towards the northern Balkans.” ref

Klein1 – Kleinhadersd mtDNA N1a1a1 around 7,500 years ago Austria – LBK/AVK ref (Linear Pottery culture *LBK*: 5,500–4,500 BCE or around 7,523-6,523 years ago)

UZZ74 – Grotta dell’Uzzo, Sicily mtDNA N1a1a1 around 7,223 years ago Italy – Stentinello I ref (Stentinello culture: dated to the 5th millennium BCE: 5000 to 4000 BCE or around 7,023-6,023 years ago)

I0412 – Els Trocs, Bisaurri, Huesca, Aragón mtDNA N1a1a1 around 7,177 years ago Spain – Epicardial ref (Cardium/Cardial–Epicardial pottery culture: 6400 – 5500 BCE or around 8,423-7,023 years ago)

A Common Genetic Origin for Early Farmers from Mediterranean Cardial and Central European LBK Cultures

“Fernández et al. 2014 found traces of maternal genetic affinity between people of the Linear Pottery Culture and Cardium pottery with earlier peoples of the Near Eastern Pre-Pottery Neolithic B, including the rare mtDNA (maternal) basal haplogroup N*, and suggested that Neolithic period was initiated by seafaring colonists from the Near East. Mathieson et al. 2018 examined three Cardials buried at the Zemunica Cave near Bisko in modern-day Croatia c. 5800 BCE the three samples of mtDNA extracted belonged to the maternal haplogroups H1, K1b1a, and N1a1.” ref

Ancient mDNA “N1a1a1” and Pottery from Turkey to Europe? People likely descended from central Anatolian populations with Pottery and mDNA “N1a1a1” such as Boncuklu/Çatalhöyük, spread to central Europe through NW Anatolia thousands of years later?