Masses and firing of ceramics of the Chirik-Rabad culture based on the results of experimental studies

The article presents the results of an experiment on the reconstruction of the pottery production of the Chirik-Rabad culture, which was conducted in the field seasons of 2022-2023 at the site adjacent to the unique pottery workshop of the Chirik-Rabad culture of the Babish Mola archaeological complex. The purpose of the study was the practical and theoretical reconstruction of the stages of pottery production of ancient farmers and cattle breeders of the lower reaches of the Syrdarya in the second half of the 1st millennium BCE. In the course of experimental work, based on the analysis of ceramics of the Chirik-Rabad culture, production cycles were recreated, starting from the collection of raw materials and determining the characteristics of the molding mass, the construction of vessels, firing and ending with the production of final items. A detailed technical and technological analysis of experimental ceramics norms, as well as the results of a comparative analysis of standards and products of the pottery manufacture of the Chirik-Rabad culture, allowed us to identify specific features in the pottery production of ancient farmers and cattle breeders of the lower reaches of the Syrdarya river in the second half of the 1st millennium BCE.