Interpreting a Probable Pottery Kiln of the Middle Bronze Age from Hirbemerdon Tepe, SE Turkey

The excavations at the site of Hirbemerdon Tepe, in Southeastern Turkey, yielded a very well preserved architectural complex dated to the Middle Bronze Age period (1975-1782 cal. BC) in the northern side of the High Mound. The complex was a multi-functional structure in which both ceremonial and craft specialized sectors were recognized by the archaeologists. Within one of the latter, a room, most probably used as a downdraft pottery kiln, was uncovered. The studies on this type of firing installation in the region at this date are still fragmentary, due to either the lack of archaeological data or scholars’ tendency to focus on ceremonial architecture or residential structures. Therefore, a complete regional framework of the development of MBA pottery kilns has not been established yet. The aim of this paper is thus to provide a thorough analysis of the kiln found at Hirbemerdon Tepe by investigating topics related to the pottery production at the site and the firing processes involved. Furthermore, in order to clarify kiln features and their typology during the second millennium BC, a comparison will be provided with other pyro-technological structures discovered at sites in neighbouring regions.