A Comparison of Ceramics from Uruk and Susa circa 3000 B.C

The study of pottery can be used to provide insight into past cultures. Pottery is ubiquitous on archaeological sites in the Near East and because of its durability; fragments often survive longer than artifacts made from less-durable materials. This study addresses the use of pottery to answer the question: Were Mesopotamia and Elam trading partners from 3000 to 2500 B.C.? Located in present day Iraq, Mesopotamia has evidence for early domestication of various plants and animals but was lacking certain types of semi-precious stones and ore for metal production. Elam, in present day Iran, possessed sources of both stones and metals that Mesopotamia did not have. The city state of Uruk in southern Mesopotamia and Susa in southeastern Elam went through similar social changes at about the same time. This makes for an easier comparison of trade between Mesopotamia and Elam. Uruk and Susa changed from smaller agricultural villages to massive city-states with evidence for increased class stratification. The rise of class stratification led to people with a surplus of goods, and a desire among the upper class for exotic items, which in turn led to an increase in trade to acquire them. However, these expensive items are scarce in the archaeological record and not easily traced. Pottery is unique to cultures and therefore it is easier to identify trade using pottery. This study will compare pottery from Uruk and Susa using stylistic attributes from both city-states. This will hopefully demonstrate that Mesopotamia and Elam were trading partners from 3000 to 2500 B.C.