An integrated study of glazed ceramics from tortkul sites in the Talas River Valley, Kazakhstan (10-12th c. CE)
Klesner C. Akymbek Y. MacDonald B.L.
February 2024Elsevier Ltd
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports
2024#53
This paper presents composition and microstructural analysis of seventy-four glazed ceramics from the recently excavated tortkul sites of Arna, Talapty, and Zhargul in the lower Talas River Valley, Kazakhstan. A tortkul is a fortified medieval settlement, traditionally identified as nodes to link Silk Road trade routes through Kazakhstan. Radiocarbon dating of the sites place the occupation of these tortkuls during the early Islamic Period (10-12th c. CE). Analysis of the ceramic pastes by neutron activation analysis (NAA) identifies six distinct compositional groups, one of which is formed by the quartz bodied ceramics, and five of which have clay bodies. Most of these groups were found at multiple sites, suggesting there was an active circulation of glazed ceramics in the area, and a diversity of production centers in the larger region. The results suggest that these tortkul sites were integrated into the larger regional circulation of goods, including local craft products, and were not isolated centers. Two of the compositional groups fall within previously identified compositional groups from southern Kazakhstan. One of those groups was produced at the site of Aktobe in the Chu River Valley, and the fact that ceramics belonging to this group were recovered from the Zhargul tortkuls supports the conclusion that there was regional trade of glazed ceramics between the Chu and Talas River Valleys. Several distinct glaze types were identified, including high-lead glaze, two distinct low-lead alkali glazes, and alkali-lime glaze. The characterization of tin- and antimony-opacified glazes on four samples further strengthens our understanding of the distinct technological traditions that were employed in the production of the early Islamic style wares, and indicates that the local craftspeople in piedmont region north of the Tianshan were producing a unique opaque glazed ceramic using local raw materials.
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McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3ER, United Kingdom
Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, New York University, New York City, NY, United States
Laboratory of Archaeological Technologies, Margulan Institute of Archaeology, Almaty, Kazakhstan
Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, Kazakhstan
Archaeometry Laboratory, University of Missouri Research Reactor, Columbia, MO, United States
McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research
Institute for the Study of the Ancient World
Laboratory of Archaeological Technologies
Al-Farabi Kazakh National University
Archaeometry Laboratory
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