Long-term clay raw material selection and use in the region of Classical/Hellenistic to Early Byzantine Sagalassos (SW Turkey)

A provenance study was carried out on coarse ceramics from the Classical/Hellenistic to Mid-Byzantine city of Sagalassos, SW Turkey. The ceramics were sampled from the excavations of the city, and clay raw materials were sampled throughout its ancient territory. Used techniques were optical microscopy and electron microprobe analysis on thin sections, geochemical analysis (fusion ICP/MS and mineralogical analysis (X-ray diffraction). The geochemical/mineralogical diversity in the ceramics is not as wide as for the clay raw materials. It seems that even at the restricted scale of this study, the resources were limited to the area around the ancient site. The differences between the ceramics are likely due to the use of different ophiolitic clay bodies being exploited for their production.

► Ceramic provenance study on coarse wares from Sagalassos, SW Turkey. ► Petrographical, geochemical and mineralogical analysis of clays and ceramics. ► Ceramics have a common ophiolitic origin. ► Exploited clay sources must have been located near the ancient site. ► Archaeological implications for the area in Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine times.