Neolithic pottery from Eksi Höyük in the Upper Menderes Basin in western Anatolia: An archaeometric investigation of raw material sourcing and manufacturing processes

Abstract

This study presents the first archaeometric investigation of Neolithic ceramics from Ekşi Höyük, a key early farming settlement in the Upper Menderes Basin, western Anatolia, dated to the second quarter of the 7th millennium BCE, with the main objective of understanding the raw material procurement strategies and technological practices of early Neolithic societies in the region. A multi-method analytical approach—combining petrographic thin-section analysis, X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM)—was applied to 56 ceramic sherds from the site and 16 reference clay samples collected from the surrounding areas.

The results reveal that the Neolithic potters at Ekşi Höyük utilized multiple locally available clay sources with different clay properties, including metamorphic-derived clays and fine-grained basin deposits. Four distinct fabric groups were identified, reflecting varying clay selection strategies. Mineralogical and microstructural analyses revealed firing temperatures ranging from moderate (750–800 °C) to remarkably high (up to 900–1000 °C) in a single case—representing one of the earliest indications of such advanced pyrotechnological practice in Neolithic western Anatolia. These results demonstrate the increasing complexity of resource management, technological practices, and the emergence of craft specialization by the 6th millennium BCE within the early community at Ekşi Höyük.