The ceramics of Godin II, ceramic variability in the archaeological record

grantor: University of TorontoThis thesis examines the ceramics from the Iron Age occupation of the site of Godin in the Kangavar Valley of northwestern Iran. The work begins with a stratigraphic analysis of the Iron Age strata at the site that delineates two main phases of occupation: the manor phase, consisting of a well-built manor house, and the squatter phase, represented by a number of poorly-constructed secondary rooms built within the ruins of the manor house after its abandonment. A statistical analysis of the ceramic lots at the site is then presented with the goal of elucidating the cultural and archaeological formation processes that produced these deposits. This analysis includes an examination of the distribution of functional types, concluding that, with the exception of cooking pots, the proportion of functional types remains relatively stable between phases. This is followed by a review of the ethnoarchaeological literature on stylistic variability that generates some theoretical models of stylistic change to be applied to the data from Godin. The ceramics from Godin II are then divided into discrete stylistic types, and the frequency of occurrence of each type within the two main phases at the site is analysed. It is found that, although most stylistic types span the two occupational levels at Godin II, certain types appear in much higher proportions in each of the two phases at the site. In addition, a limited number of types occur in statistically greater proportions in the mixed lots that are found outside the main walls of the manor house, and it is suggested that these types derive from the earliest occupation of the manor. The ceramic typology and phasing thus generated is then compared to the ceramics from other late Iron Age sites in western Iran. It is shown that the parallels between these sites create a consistent stylistic sequence for the Iron III/Achaemenid period in the region, and a revised comparative chronology for the late Iron Age in western Iran is presented. The thesis concludes with some suggestions about the possible cultural-historical events that may have produced these stylistic patterns.Ph.D