Archaeologists have recently made tremendous advances in understanding the early ceramic traditions of the prehistoric Near East. Over the past decade there has been a huge increase in research focusing on various aspects of ceramic production, its origins and evolution, distribution and consumption in the Late Neolithic (ca. 7000–5000 cal. BC). Fieldwork brings new and exciting finds every year while laboratory studies change our perspectives regarding ceramic technology. Near Eastern ceramic specialists actively engage with, and contribute to, current trends in theoretical archaeology. For the first time, the 19 papers presented here bring together specialists discussing Neolithic ceramics from the Near East in the broadest sense. There is a general focus on decorated pottery traditions. What raw materials and ceramic technologies did Late Neolithic peoples employ? How did they paint their designs? How may we analyze decorated ceramics to explore social networks and identities? What did these decorated pottery traditions mean socially? Essential reading to Near Eastern prehistorians, these collected papers provide new insights for anyone interested in the development of early pottery traditions and the social significance of ceramics in Neolithic societies.

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• List of workshop participants
• 1. Late Neolithic pottery studies in the ancient Near East: Olivier Nieuwenhuyse, Walter Cruells and Inna Mateiciucová
• 2. Transitions and their chronologies in the Pottery Neolithic of the Near East: Walter Cruells
• 3. Dark and light colour in Early Near Eastern pottery: from technique to decoration: Marie Le Mière, Mihriban Özbaşaran and Maurice Picon
• 4. Investigating painted, incised and impressed ware from the Late Halaf Period: Anna Gómez Bach
• 5. The Painted Halaf pottery from Tell Tawila and the Tell Chuera region: Jörg Becker
• 6. The appearance and development of painted ceramics at seventh millennium Tell Halula (Syria): Josep-Miquel Faura and Miquel Molist
• 7. Analysis of paint on prehistoric pottery from Late Neolithic Tell Arbid Abyad (north-eastern Syria): Dalibor Všianský and Inna Mateiciucová
• 8. Late Neolithic pottery at Çatalhöyük East: Lech Czerniak and Joanna Pyzel
• 9. Late Neolithic pottery traditions on the Upper Tigris valley: Halil Tekin
• 10. Pots to be seen: Olivier Nieuwenhuyse
• 11. De l’art ou du cochon?: Béatrice Robert with Loïc Daverat
• 12. Painted pottery and visual representations at Tell Kurdu: Rana Özbal
• 13. Animal motifs on Halaf painted pottery: Mücella Erdalkıran
• 14. What happened in prehistory: can sherds speak?: Petr Charvát
• 15. More than just a pretty face: the meaningful use of painted pottery in the Halaf Period: Marie Hopwood
• 16. Decoration of Neolithic pottery in the northern Levant: a view from the Rouj basin: Takahiro Odaka
• 17. Exploring the data: the pottery of Umm Qseir: Frank Hole
• 18. Was White Ware always white? Looking into the world of painted plaster: Bonnie Nilhamn
• 19. Weaving and potting during the Late Neolithic period: are there textile patterns on the early painted pottery of Mesopotamia?: Catherine Breniquet
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