Cheshmeh Ali Ware: A Petrographic and Geochemical Study of a Transitional Chalcolithic Period Ceramic Industry on the Northern Central Plateau of Iran

A distinctive red ceramic known as Cheshmeh Ali Ware, which dates to the Transitional Chalcolithic period (c. 5200–4300 BC), has been found at sites on the Central Plateau in northern Iran, stretching from the Gorgan plain in the east to the Qazvin plain in the west. Geochemical and petrographic analyses were performed on samples collected from sites in the Qazvin and Tehran plains to investigate the mode of production and distribution. The results suggest local rather than centralised production of Cheshmeh Ali Ware ceramic vessels. Using discriminant analyses, geochemical groupings have been established that differentiate samples of vessels from the two plains, and also samples from different sites within the Qazvin plain. This has significance for our understanding of the mode and scale of ceramic production and distribution in this important formative period.