Ortaçağ Araştırmaları Dergisi

Öz

Honeycomb-Patterned Storage Ware (Honeycomb Ware) has been studied since the 1960s and has been found throughout Mesopotamia, western Iran, the eastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula along the southern Persian Gulf, and more recently in northeastern Syria. These ceramics are generally considered to be pithos or amphora-like vessels, primarily intended for storage. However, given the wall thickness and rim diameter, the possibility that they could represent other types of pottery is also discussed in this paper. This article also reports the discovery of these ceramics in southeastern Türkiye. This study suggests that Honeycomb Ware can be classified into two main types, each of which may be further subdivided into distinct subtypes. These sherds are typically decorated with honeycomb patterns, vertical channels, and horizontally oriented oval or arc-shaped motifs. The decoration technique primarily involves fingerprinting on the vessel body while the clay is still wet. Additionally, some specimens exhibit other decorative elements such as wave patterns, vertical or horizontal incised grooves, and tool-applied notches on the rim, neck, or body of the vessels. Although precise production data are lacking, a Mesopotamian origin for these wares is plausible, or at least production in Mesopotamia and its adjacent regions can be inferred. These ceramics are dated to as early as the 5th or 6th centuries, with their primary production occurring during the 7th and 8th centuries, and possibly continuing until the 9th or 10th centuries.