Palynological Analysis of Ceramics from Yarim-Tepe I (Northern Iraq): Possibilities and Prospects

The study of the Upper Mesopotamian pottery tradition is an important task for the researchers focusing on the Neolithic of this region. It is often difficult to identify organic temper added to ceramic paste due to high temperature firing in ceramic production. Ten fragments of ceramics from the Yarim-Tepe I site were subjected to pollen analysis. The results obtained demonstrate that the method selected is promising. According to the study results, manure temper was most likely added to the paste; ceramics were produced in summer; various types of manure (fresh manure and «aged» manure) were used; in the second half of the 17th – early 6th millennia BC the climatic conditions were more humid (compared with the modern conditions).