Naderi, Sona and Zohreh Zehbari. 2026. Technological Traditions in Late Antiquity Dashtestan Ceramics: A Multiscale Analytical Approach. Primitive Tider (Special Issue 2026: Espens Festskrift): 147-162.
This paper presents a multiscale analysis of ceramic technology from the Dashtestan region of southern Iran, focusing on the Late Antique period (approximately 3rd–9th centuries CE). Rather than treating pottery types as fixed cultural markers, the study investigates the organization, transmission, and evolution of ceramic production practices across the period and the regional landscape. The analysis begins by defining technological traits using a standardized set of macroscopic characteristics of pottery sherds. These variables act as proxies for underlying technological choices and ceramic recipes. By combining multivariate similarity analysis (Gower Distance), lowdimensional visualization (UMAP), and community detection (Leiden Clustering), the research identifies nine discrete technological groups of production practices operating within the larger ceramic landscape in the region. Chronological and locational overlays reveal temporal drift and spatial participation within these traditions. This suggests that technological changes were gradual and embedded in regional interaction networks, rather than occurring through breaks or isolated workshop traditions. The results suggest a regionally connected ceramic production system, in which recipes and techniques were shared across many sites.