Specialization in Early Bronze Age Pottery Production: Interpretations on the Organization of the Specialized Production in Southwest Cappadocia

Abstract

In Cappadocia, craft specialization has been observed from the end of the Paleolithic. Apart from such extraordinary early examples, which probably developed due to the local availability of raw materials, it is understood that division of labor and full-time specialization actually occurred during the Early Bronze Age, in connection with developments in economic and political organization. In this period, pottery, metal and architectural findings throughout Anatolia show that specialized production had become more institutionalized than ever. In this study, three distinctive pottery ware groups are evaluated that reflect the specialized production models of the period. In the analysis of these ceramics, it is understood that each group reflects different production models. In this study, the nature of the organization of specialized production in the Early Bronze Age will be interpreted in light of new definitions and analysis in ethnographic and ethnoarchaeological studies.