Dancing scenes on the Halaf ceramics

Shortly after the earliest utilization of ceramic vessels about 9 thousand years ago, coloured slip and oxide decoration became an important feature of pottery production. During the Halafian Period, the pottery was being fired in two layered vertical furnaces with high oxygen circulation. Oxides with high iron content were used to obtain red, black and brown decorations, while manganese and organic material were used for black ones. Controlling the oxygen circulation enabled the decoration with darker colours on light surfaces. A similar technique was applied thousands of years later, during the Classical period. Few ceramic vessels were slipped with a clay including small minerals and iron content, in order to obtain shiny surfaces. During the Halafian Period, pottery was decorated with geometrical and naturalistic patterns, with the help of oxide and controlled furnaces. Slipped and oxide decorated pottery are accepted as one of the most important features of the Halafian culture. These scenes were applied with linear or naturalistic styles. An important number of these ceramics bear dancing scenes. It is thought that these dancing scenes represent the dance performances presented during the festivals. Dances were organised to invigorate the social bonds, to celebrate the transformations of seasonal cycles, or to harbinger the arrival of the harvest. Ceramic vessels seem to have changed into agents that can visualise social events. This study focuses on the origins of pottery, Halafian pottery tradition, decoration patterns and dancing scenes