Vessel
In western Asia, people discovered how to make pottery during the period known as the "Pottery Neolithic," beginning about 6900 B.C. For several millennia, pottery was made by hand, since the potter's wheel was invented only in the fourth millennium B.C. The colors, shapes, and decorations of pottery vary from culture to culture and often small pieces of distinctive broken pottery (sherds) help archaeologists identify the dates and cultural affiliations of archaeological sites.
The site from which this ceramic vessel comes has not been identified. However, the geometric decorative pattern in red paint on cream slip (a thin coating of special clay) is characteristic of the site of Hacilar in Turkey in the Chalcolithic period. In the previous Neolithic period, the pottery at Hacilar was brown- or red-slipped and then polished with a piece of stone or bone before being placed in the kiln; in the Chalcolithic, lively painted decoration was introduced.
The pottery at Hacilar was made within the walled village in workshop areas devoted to the production of ceramics. Excavation did not yield kilns, but they are assumed to have been located outside the village.
This jar, although handmade, is thin-walled with a wide, tall neck and carinated body. The red paint creates a wavy line on the neck in reserve (the slip underneath forms the main design), while the body is painted with red, vertical zigzag lines in groups of two and three.
The site from which this ceramic vessel comes has not been identified. However, the geometric decorative pattern in red paint on cream slip (a thin coating of special clay) is characteristic of the site of Hacilar in Turkey in the Chalcolithic period. In the previous Neolithic period, the pottery at Hacilar was brown- or red-slipped and then polished with a piece of stone or bone before being placed in the kiln; in the Chalcolithic, lively painted decoration was introduced.
The pottery at Hacilar was made within the walled village in workshop areas devoted to the production of ceramics. Excavation did not yield kilns, but they are assumed to have been located outside the village.
This jar, although handmade, is thin-walled with a wide, tall neck and carinated body. The red paint creates a wavy line on the neck in reserve (the slip underneath forms the main design), while the body is painted with red, vertical zigzag lines in groups of two and three.
Artwork Details
- Title: Vessel
- Period: Middle Chalcolithic
- Date: ca. 5600–5400 BCE
- Geography: Southwestern Anatolia
- Culture: Hacilar
- Medium: Ceramic, paint
- Dimensions: 4 3/4 × 5 1/8 × 5 1/8 in. (12 × 13 × 13 cm)
- Credit Line: Anonymous Gift, 1963
- Object Number: 63.108
- Curatorial Department: Ancient West Asian Art
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Proto-Elamite
ca. 3100–2900 BCE
ca. 4000–3600 BCE
ca. 3500–3100 BCE
Halaf
ca. 5600–5000 BCE
ca. mid- to late 3rd millennium BCE
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.