A matter of scale! Field observations and micromorphological analyses on earthen materials at Mentesh Tepe (Middle Kura Valley, Azerbaijan) in the Neolithic period - Archive ouverte HAL Accéder directement au contenu
Communication Dans Un Congrès Année : 2021

A matter of scale! Field observations and micromorphological analyses on earthen materials at Mentesh Tepe (Middle Kura Valley, Azerbaijan) in the Neolithic period

Résumé

The beginning of the VIth millennium matches with the implementation of Neolithic communities in the Southern Caucasus. This socio-cultural change is based on the adoption of a sedentary way of life with a farming and animal herding seemingly inherited from Near East. Cultural exchanges between Mesopotamian and Caucasian communities are also attested by the presence of Mesopotamian sherds in the Southern Caucasus. In this context, specific research on architecture has been undertaken to clarify if Caucasian communities benefited from “Mesopotamian skills” and how knowledge has been transmitted between techno-cultural groups. Architecture is an original technical marker to define socio-cultural relationships between communities because of its strong inertia. Therefore, architecture gives us a closer vision of Neolithic social dynamics in the Southern Caucasus. Until now, field analyses and bibliographic data define an autonomous implementation of architectural techniques in the Middle Kura Valley. Specific studies in Mentesh Tepe proved the invention of molded mud-brick in the Early Neolithic. However, some materials, undefined on the field, were sampled for micromorphological analyses. The need to carry out microscopic studies on earthen materials has emerged because macro features are not always enough to distinguish specific technical aspects. The aim of this paper is to prove the interest of a multiscale approach. A specific protocol has been established to combine macroscopic field observations (rims and slight ridges, equalization marks…) with micromorphological analysis (pedo-features, grain consistency, micro-stratigraphy…) in order to define the material used, its degree of mixing and the technicity. Whereas some field interpretations have been approved by laboratory analysis (mud-brick), other were reinterpreted (rammed earth) or identified (straw wastes). This approach – used for a long time to study clay materials for potteries – is pioneering in the Southern Caucasus architecture. We offer new reflections to understand technical exchanges and a new way to interpret social phenomena.
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hal-03547782 , version 1 (28-01-2022)

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Mathias Bellat, Emmanuel Baudouin, Cécilia Cammas. A matter of scale! Field observations and micromorphological analyses on earthen materials at Mentesh Tepe (Middle Kura Valley, Azerbaijan) in the Neolithic period. 27th Annual Meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists (EAA 2021 ) Widening Horizons, Session 496: A World of Clay I: Widening Analytical Horizons, European Archaeological Association, Sep 2021, Kiel, Germany. ⟨hal-03547782⟩
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