Investigating the painted pottery traditions of first-millennium BC north-western Arabia and southern Levant: chronological data and geographical distribution

Abstract

This paper studies the painted pottery traditions of first-millennium BC north-western Arabia and the arid margins of the southern Levant (Qurayyah, Tayma, Edomite/STNP, and al-ʿUla wares) in light of the recent archaeological research in the area. The local painted wares were part of a larger cultural substratum, given their sharing of certain features — most particularly the use of distinctive patterns of painted decorations and iconography —, their similar patterns of geographical distribution and archaeological deposition, and their parallel development throughout time. Research on these painted pottery traditions has frequently been kept separate: this paper will attempt to bridge this gap in order to determine the relationship between them, making a reassessment of the old data in light of new research, focusing especially on their chronology, geographical distribution, and Arabian parallels.