Early Iron Age Klazomenai: The Evidence from Neutron Activation Analysis

Abstract

Klazomenai in the North Ionian region of the eastern Aegean is an important site with a long occupation history that began in the 5th millennium BCE. Recent excavations have revealed diverse data from the domestic and the funerary spheres dating to the Early Iron Age. Large dwellings located on the southern outskirts of the prehistoric mound at Liman Tepe suggest continuous occupations during the transition from the end of the Late Bronze Age and throughout the Early Iron Age. Nineteen pottery samples were selected covering a chronological sequence from the late 12th through the late 6th century BCE for NAA. The results show Klazomenai’s involvement in pottery production during the 10th through the 6th centuries BCE and prove the site’s participation in long-distance maritime trade networks in the (northern) Aegean basin during the early first millennium BCE. © 2025 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.