Central Asian Pottery Network

Towards a New Agenda for Ceramic Studies and Related Fields in Central Asia
1st Meeting

DATE 30-31 October 2025

PLACE University for Foreigners of Siena, Via Pispini 1, Siena – Italy

FOLLOW IT ONLINE AT https://unistrasi-it.zoom.us/j/88332720771

 

Lo studio della ceramica d'Asia centrale è un'area di ricerca vasta e diversificata, che abbraccia diverse specializzazioni, approcci metodologici e tradizioni accademiche. Facendo seguito alla sessione intitolata "Pots in Transition" durante il 30° Convegno Annuale dell’EAA 2024 tenutosi a Roma, questo Meeting ha lo scopo di mettere in pratica suggerimenti e discutere progetti emersi in quell'occasione e a creare una solida rete che stimoli la collaborazione. Nasce così il Central Asian Pottery Network (CAPN). In particolare, vorremmo incoraggiare giovani studiose e studiosi, colleghe e colleghi non occidentali a unirsi al nostro gruppo e a condividere i loro interessi e le loro ricerche. La ceramica è il tema centrale del Meeting. Tuttavia, il nostro interesse si estende ad altri oggetti e argomenti come il vetro, i metalli e altri aspetti della cultura materiale che possono essere esplorati in relazione alla ceramica. Ampio spazio è dedicato agli studi archeometrici, soprattutto quelli con un approccio più ampio, che enfatizzino gli aspetti storici, sociali, culturali ed economici, piuttosto che concentrarsi esclusivamente sui dettagli tecnici. Inoltre, verranno esaminate l'urbanistica e la ruralità attraverso la lente della ceramica, fornendo preziosi spunti su come la cultura materiale rifletta e modelli le strutture sociali. Questo approccio consentirà una comprensione più olistica della materia, promuovendo un ambiente dinamico e inclusivo per diverse prospettive di ricerca.

********** 

Central Asian ceramics represent a vast and diverse study area, encompassing various fields of academic expertise, methodological approaches, and scholarly traditions. Following the Rome EAA Session 2024 “Pots in Transition”, this Meeting aims to put into practice suggestions and plans discussed there and create a strong network that encourages collaboration. Thus, we are establishing the Central Asian Pottery Network (CAPN). In particular, we would like to encourage young scholars and non-Western colleagues to join our group and share their interests and research. Ceramics are the central reference point of the workshop. Still, our concern extends to various other materials and topics such as glass, metals and other aspects of material culture that can be explored in dialogue with pottery. Archaeometric studies are welcome, especially those with a broader approach, emphasising the historical, social, cultural and economic dimensions, rather than focusing solely on technical aspects. In addition, urbanism and rurality will be examined through the lens of ceramics, providing valuable insights into how material culture reflects and shapes social structures. This approach will allow for a more holistic understanding of the subject, promoting a dynamic and inclusive environment for diverse academic perspectives. 

Towards a New Agenda for Ceramic Studies and Related Fields in Central Asia
1st Meeting

DATE 30-31 October 2025

PLACE University for Foreigners of Siena, Via Pispini 1, Siena – Italy

FOLLOW IT ONLINE AT https://unistrasi-it.zoom.us/j/88332720771

 

Lo studio della ceramica d'Asia centrale è un'area di ricerca vasta e diversificata, che abbraccia diverse specializzazioni, approcci metodologici e tradizioni accademiche. Facendo seguito alla sessione intitolata "Pots in Transition" durante il 30° Convegno Annuale dell’EAA 2024 tenutosi a Roma, questo Meeting ha lo scopo di mettere in pratica suggerimenti e discutere progetti emersi in quell'occasione e a creare una solida rete che stimoli la collaborazione. Nasce così il Central Asian Pottery Network (CAPN). In particolare, vorremmo incoraggiare giovani studiose e studiosi, colleghe e colleghi non occidentali a unirsi al nostro gruppo e a condividere i loro interessi e le loro ricerche. La ceramica è il tema centrale del Meeting. Tuttavia, il nostro interesse si estende ad altri oggetti e argomenti come il vetro, i metalli e altri aspetti della cultura materiale che possono essere esplorati in relazione alla ceramica. Ampio spazio è dedicato agli studi archeometrici, soprattutto quelli con un approccio più ampio, che enfatizzino gli aspetti storici, sociali, culturali ed economici, piuttosto che concentrarsi esclusivamente sui dettagli tecnici. Inoltre, verranno esaminate l'urbanistica e la ruralità attraverso la lente della ceramica, fornendo preziosi spunti su come la cultura materiale rifletta e modelli le strutture sociali. Questo approccio consentirà una comprensione più olistica della materia, promuovendo un ambiente dinamico e inclusivo per diverse prospettive di ricerca.

********** 

Central Asian ceramics represent a vast and diverse study area, encompassing various fields of academic expertise, methodological approaches, and scholarly traditions. Following the Rome EAA Session 2024 “Pots in Transition”, this Meeting aims to put into practice suggestions and plans discussed there and create a strong network that encourages collaboration. Thus, we are establishing the Central Asian Pottery Network (CAPN). In particular, we would like to encourage young scholars and non-Western colleagues to join our group and share their interests and research. Ceramics are the central reference point of the workshop. Still, our concern extends to various other materials and topics such as glass, metals and other aspects of material culture that can be explored in dialogue with pottery. Archaeometric studies are welcome, especially those with a broader approach, emphasising the historical, social, cultural and economic dimensions, rather than focusing solely on technical aspects. In addition, urbanism and rurality will be examined through the lens of ceramics, providing valuable insights into how material culture reflects and shapes social structures. This approach will allow for a more holistic understanding of the subject, promoting a dynamic and inclusive environment for diverse academic perspectives. 

30 OCTOBER
Brief Welcome and Introduction 9:00 – 9:15
1st session: Methodological Issues (part 1)  9:15 – 10:45

Silvia Pozzi & Ilaria Vincenzi
When the ceramologist is missing: Raw strategies of pottery study at Vardanzeh

Paul Wordsworth
Legacies of division in the study of medieval Islamic ceramics between Iran and the Soviet Union

Bertille Lyonnet
The pottery assemblages from Afrasiab (6th c. BC to the 7th c. AD): problems of definition and chronology


Coffee Break: c. 10:45 – 11:15

2nd session: Methodological Issues (part 2) 11:15 – 12:45

Vikentiy Parshuto & Emily Everest-Phillips
The method of Minimal Number of Vessels for Late Antique sites in Central Asia. A discussion.

Jacopo Bruno, Abdisabur Raimkulov & Bekhruz Kurbanov
A Tale of Pots and People. The Contribution of Integrated Material Culture Studies to the Interpretation of Excavated Contexts: A Case Study from Bukhara

Gabriele Puschnigg & Maria Daghmechi
A holistic approach to the study of ceramic assemblages from Kulal Tepa


Lunch: c. 12:45 – 14:00


3rd session: Pottery and Fashion: Revivals and Cross-material Synergies 14:00 – 15:45

Ute Franke
Painted Pseudo-Prehistoric Pottery – Typology, Date and Distribution Patterns in Herat Province and beyond

Agnese Fusaro
Shining like the stars: the use of micaceous coating on pottery at Kafir Kala and parallels with other case studies

Camille Abric
Similar Form, Different Material: Pottery, Metal and Stone Vessels in Bronze Age Northeastern Iran (ca. 3000-1800 BCE)

Yui Arimatsu
Considering the origins of cultural change: The “emergence” of burnished gray ware in the Bronze Age of Northeastern Iran

Coffee Break: 15:45 – 16:15


4th session: Pottery Production and Workshops 16:15 – 17:45

Johanna Lhuillier
Early Iron Age pottery production: ceramics from Pashkurt Valley as a case study

Abdurakhmon Pulotov
Ceramic Production in the Southwestern Sector of the Sanjar-Shah Site: A Pottery Workshop Complex (5th-9th CE)

Guergana Guionova
Ceramics produced and used at Paykend (8th-11th centuries): study methodology, data analysis and results

Dinner

31 OCTOBER
1st Session: Archaeometry Meets History: Socio-cultural and Economic Issues 9:00 – 10:45

Élise Luneau & Verónica Martínez Ferreras
Identifying Production Centers: The First Regional and Integrated Cross-Site Analysis of Bronze Age Ceramics in Northern Bactria

Ladislav Stančo, Jan Petřík, Elena Paralovo
Pottery production in Northwestern Bactria: a diachronic perspective from Jandavlat Tepa (Sherobod Oasis, 1000 B.C.–500 C.E.)

Serenella Mancini
Reconstructing Technological Traditions and Trade Networks through the Analysis of the Ceramic Corpus from Estakhr (Fars, Iran, 9th–13th Centuries)

Carmen Ting
Exploring the nature and development of ceramic production in the Bukhara Oasis: Technologies and craft organisation


Coffee Break: 10:45 – 11:15

2nd Session: Glass, Glaze & Pottery 11:15 – 12:45

Ayano Endo
Analysis of glass and glaze production residues from Islamic Bukhara Oasis

Catherine Klesner & Qin-Qin Lü 
Examining the role of early Islamic glazed ceramics and other vitreous materials in the Chu River Valley

Valerie Yeung
From Chemistry to Connectivity: Tracing Glass Circulation in Early Islamic Central Asia


Lunch: 12:45 – 14:00


Final Discussion 14:00 – 16:00

ORGANISING AND SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE:
- Agnese Fusaro - University for Foreigners of Siena - International University (Italy); agnese.fusaro@unistrasi.it
- Gabriele Puschnigg - Institute of Iranian Studies, Austrian Academy of Sciences (Austria) Gabriele.Puschnigg@oeaw.ac.at  
- Jacopo Bruno - Institute of Iranian Studies, Austrian Academy of Sciences (Austria); “A tale of pots and people” project (FWF – der Wissenschaftsfonds ESPRIT-Projekt ESP 422-G); jacopo.bruno@oeaw.ac.at

FUNDING AND SUPPORT:
University for Foreigners of Siena – Italy
Institute of Iranian Studies, Austrian Academy of Sciences (Austria), “A tale of pots and people” project (FWF – der Wissenschaftsfonds ESPRIT-Projekt ESP 422-G).


Contatti:

capn@unistrasi.it

ORGANISING AND SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE:
- Agnese Fusaro - University for Foreigners of Siena - International University (Italy); agnese.fusaro@unistrasi.it
- Gabriele Puschnigg - Institute of Iranian Studies, Austrian Academy of Sciences (Austria) Gabriele.Puschnigg@oeaw.ac.at  
- Jacopo Bruno - Institute of Iranian Studies, Austrian Academy of Sciences (Austria); “A tale of pots and people” project (FWF – der Wissenschaftsfonds ESPRIT-Projekt ESP 422-G); jacopo.bruno@oeaw.ac.at

FUNDING AND SUPPORT:
University for Foreigners of Siena – Italy
Institute of Iranian Studies, Austrian Academy of Sciences (Austria), “A tale of pots and people” project (FWF – der Wissenschaftsfonds ESPRIT-Projekt ESP 422-G).


Contatti:

capn@unistrasi.it