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THE STUDY OF POTTERY COLLECTIONS FROM THE SETTLEMENT SITE OF SEGLAMEN, 2010 FIELD SEASON: SEG 1, SU5, ROOM 1. [Abstract ID: 0103-06]
Archaeological investigations were conducted at the pre-Aksumite settlement site of Seglamen in different times since 2010. However, systematic analysis on the ceramics recovered in 2010 field season from the building exposed at excavation unit SEG I has not yet been conducted. This study aimed at providing the typological, functional and chronological classification of the ceramics from one of the very few undisturbed contexts excavated at SEG I, namely unit 5, the living floor of Room 1. This was done in order to chronologically ascribe the building to one of the three major architectural phases exposed and documented in the settlement area during 2010 up to 2014 field seasons by the Italian Archaeological Expedition. Additionally, it was aimed at confirming the hypothesis that Room 1 of the building had been used as a food preparation and cooking area. Purposive sampling technique was employed to select the sample potteries from the whole pottery assemblage. The selected data were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. The analysis provides 276 non-diagnostic and 101 diagnostic sherds. Detailed analysis of the diagnostic sherds allowed extraction of seven types of vessels and thirteen groups of fabrics. According to the types of vessels and color, and by comparing with the ceramics from other pre-Aksumite sites, the researcher concluded that Room 1 of the building was used as an area of cooking, preparing, serving and storing food and beverages. The room and the building can be chronologically dated to the pre-Aksumite period. Precisely, they can be related to architectural Phase III of Seglamen, and dated to the 6th/5th centuries BC on the basis of radiocarbon dating from other buildings belonging to the same phase. As a recommendation, intensive investigation of the entire ceramic assemblage from the whole building, their analysis combined with the study of related artifacts, botanical and faunal studies, the detection of undisturbed samples for radiocarbon dating will surely play a pivotal role in bringing a more detailed knowledge about the dating and function of the building, and the economy and social organization of the people living at Seglamen between the 6th/5th century BC.