A new study published in Journal of Archaeological Research in Asia explores the function of Iron Age long-billed funerary ceramics from Sialk (Iran) through molecular organic geochemistry studies.
The SIALK project was funded by a project from the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle in Paris and in collaboration with the Louvre Museum. The protohistoric site of Sialk is a major site in Iran, with multiple occupations since the Neolithic and the presence of large Bronze Age and Iron Age necropolises.
The long-beaked decorated ceramics were discovered during illegal excavations of one of the necropolises, and their particular typology led to the interest in carrying out excavations in the 1930s. In accordance with agreements made at the time, some of the collections are now held by the Louvre Museum, which partially financed the campaign. These ceramics, known only from this site and in a funerary context, raise many questions about their use and function.
ruminant carcasses. ©2011 Musée du Louvre/Antiquités Orientales.
In order to discover whether these ceramics had been used, organic geochemical analyses were carried out. The ceramics were sampled in a strategic location, the spout. Lipid remains of animal origin were found. These included dairy products and ruminant carcasses. Given the typology of the ceramics, these remains must have been in a liquid state, composed of fresh or fermented milk in one case, and tallow, blood or meat juices in the other. These results attest to the fact that these ceramics were used, likely in libation rituals to pour liquids of animal origin.
Reference: Emmanuelle Casanova, Julien Cuny, Antoine Zazzo, Marjan Mashkour, 2023. Unveiling the function of long-spouted ceramics at Sialk, Iran: Insights from organic residue analysis. Archaeological Research in Asia. Article 100570. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ara.2024.100570