THE ROLE OF THE HUSKING TRAY IN THE LATE NEOLITHIC COMMUNITIES OF THE NORTHERN MESOPOTAMIA

The subject of this paper is the study of a pottery shape known as “husking tray”, whose interpretation is the topic of my doctoral research. The husking trays are usually very large trays, made of a coarsely strew-tempered clay, characterized by a very wide oval base and low sides; they were used by the communities living in Northern Mesopotamia during the 7th and the first half of the 6th millennium BC. The most interesting feature of this kind of vessels is the presence of incisions and impressions on their interior surface. Several scholars have suggested various hypotheses about how the husking trays could have been used and what specific function they could have had, but these suggestions have remained merely theories so far. In the paper it will be presented an experimental analysis which has revealed that the husking trays could have been used as pans to bake bread and the impressions/incisions on their inner surface could be anti-adhesive arrangements.