Petrographic Analysis of Iron Age Pottery from Tell en-Naṣbeh

The article discusses petrographic analysis of 200 pottery vessels, sampled from the site Tell en-Naṣbeh and dating mostly to the Iron Age II. The vessels analyzed represent main Iron Age II types appearing at the site (bowls, kraters, cooking pots, jars, jugs),alongside a number of special groups from this and other periods, including Philistine Bichrome vessels, vessels thought to have been imported, and several Judean pillar and other figurines. The primary aim of the study was to characterize the raw materials used for pottery production at this site and in the region of Benjamin, and to identify evidence for trade in vessels on various scales. The results show that, in general, the vast majority of the vessels were locally made (or made in the central hills region) from two main types of clay related to terra rossa or Moẓa type soils. Different classes of pottery, such as cooking pots or storage vessels, were made of different clay types. As not much compositional analysis of pottery from this region has been published, this study may also prove useful as comparative material for future compositional studies of pottery.