Investigation of Neolithic pottery from Ebrahimabad in the central plateau of Iran, utilising chemical–mineralogical and microstructural analyses

Prehistoric sherds recovered from Ebrahimabad, in the Central Plateau of Iran, were investigated using X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM)/energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analyses. The results showed a gradual evolution in production from Sialk I-type pottery to Sialk II-type pottery, eventually leading to the production of bulk red pottery. The relative similarity of composition, homogeneous microstructures and the presence of high-temperature phases demonstrated a high degree of specialisation in the selection of raw materials and control of firing temperature and atmosphere by the potters of Ebrahimabad in the late fifth to early sixth millennia BC, peaking in the final phase associated with Sialk II.