The Painted Pottery of Achaemenid Period from Kars Museum

Eastern Anatolian pottery of the Achaemenid Period is quite different from its predecessor Urartian pottery - in techniques and forms. With the collapse of the Urartian Kingdom and the spread of Achaemenids in Anatolia, we can speak of a newly developing pottery culture. The monochrome, glossy red slipped pottery of Urartu were replaced by monochrome and polychrome painted pottery in miscellaneous forms. After the collapse of Urartian Kingdom, the culture of Eastern Anatolia was gradually changed and over time, the old culture, developed by the official state, had disappeared. This process did not occur instantaneously. Rather, it appears that a couple of centuries was needed for such a reshaping. Historically, Urartian influence still exists in the early phase of the Late Iron Age, which coincides with the Median dominance period. This phase is considered to be associated with a Post-Urartian/Median period, which can be placed among the painted wares of Urartu and the Late Iron Age. Within the scope of this study, we succeeded to come to certain conclusions with respect to ceramic finds, which were obtained from the excavation sites in the region where architecture could not have been sufficiently examined. In the post-Urartian/Median phase, manufacturing with red coloured paste, influenced by Urartu, continues. While certain continuity also persists among the shapes, the prototype examples of double-handled metal vases, developed in Achaemenid period, appears as a novelty. Firstly, our current study considers the pottery of the Achaemenid Period, which was discovered by archaeologists in the excavations and surface surveys of the Northeastern Anatolia haemenidRegion. Secondly, This study will generally analyse the painted pottery of the Achaemenid period that is preserved at Kars Museum, taking on account the excavation and surface surveys of the Northeastern Anatolia Region