Petrographic study of the pottery assemblages from Horvat Qarqar South, a Ghassulian Chalcolithic cemetery in the Southern Levant

A petrographic study has been conducted on 181 identifiable, mostly complete vessels originating from Horvat Qarqar South in the southern Shephelah, Israel. This is one of the largest Ghassulian Chalcolithic cemeteries in the southern Levant known to date. The results of the petrographic study demonstrate that 49% of the examined vessels were made non-locally, an unusual percentage for ceramic assemblages originating at a Ghassulian Chalcolithic mortuary site. Identification of raw material provenance, for example, points to an affiliation with communities living farther east in the Shephelah and in the Judaean Mountains. The "catchment area" of ceramic vessels found in the cemetery at Horvat Qarqar South may suggest regional use by communities within distances of a few tens of kilometers from the site. In addition, a clear distinction in technology is apparent: While the ossuaries were made of coarse ware, the accompanying vessels were made of fine ware.