Ceramic resource landscapes of ancient Pergamon: Linking geochemical and archaeometric analyses with spatial modeling

The selection of mineral raw materials in (pre-industrial) ceramic production depends on their geogenic availability, accessibility, technological properties, and the framing socio-ecological conditions for resource exploitation. The connection of these factors is explored in the current study by taking the Pergamon Micro-region in western Anatolia as an example; here, potters worked within a geologically diverse landscape that offered both alluvial and autochthonous clay sources. To understand how this variation influenced ceramic production, geochemical provenance analysis, experimental archaeometry, and spatial modeling were employed. Geochemical properties of archaeological ceramic sherds were statistically matched with those of local raw clays. The raw clays were processed into experimental briquettes and analyzed with portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF), along with X-ray diffraction (XRD) observations and firing tests. Model-based clustering of centered log-ratio (clr)-transformed geochemical data revealed seven distinct compositional groups. The archaeological ceramics reflect a subset of the diversity in the local clays, implying a selective use of local materials rather than an opportunistic utilization. Moreover, our fuzzy terrain-adjusted distance models identify broad zones of resource co-accessibility under both clay scenarios, suggesting that proximity alone did not determine raw-material selection. Pergamenian ceramic production functions as a selective resource system where geological diversity was balanced by workability, firing behavior, and workshop practices. The presence of a chemically distinct amphora fabric outside the regional reference field further shows that Pergamon's production network was linked to wider exchange systems.