Early Neolithic pottery of Ifri n'Etsedda, NE-Morocco – Raw materials and fabrication techniques

Ifri n'Etsedda is a rock shelter in northeastern Morocco, at the southern flank of the Kebdana Mountains. The site was discovered in 2008 and excavated during three field campaigns between 2012 and 2014 and provides Epipalaeolithic and Neolithic deposits. From the Neolithic deposits we analyzed 30 pottery sherds by macroscopic determination, Infrared (IR) Spectroscopy, polarizing microscope and thermodilatometric analysis (TDA) in order to determine information about the clay and natural inclusions in the clay and temper materials used as well as the manufacturing process. In addition, we identified and sampled 12 potential raw materials sources during one survey campaign in 2015, which were analyzed by IR spectroscopy as well. We identified 8 groups by means of inclusions in the clay: extrusive igneous rocks (EIR), EIR with amphiboles, EIR with fragments of micro quartz, granite, dolerite or gabbro with fibrous quartz and unidentified spherulites, schist, organic limestone and grog. Trends in the succession of clay traditions could be identified. Most of the pottery was fired in an oxidizing atmosphere and were placed upside down in a pit. Burning temperatures range between 800 and 1000 °C. No local clay source seems to have been used for the pottery production at Ifri n'Etsedda. With regard to the small artifact samples size as well as the incomplete raw material survey, further studies are needed to shed more light on Ifri n'Etsedda pottery.