Sumerian pottery lacks the beautiful decorative designs typical of pottery from the preceding Ubaid period. The lack of decoration is generally attributed to the widespread adoption of the potters wheel which enabled potters to mass produce pots. But this cannot be the full explanation since we have plenty of examples of highly decorated vessels turned on the wheel from later periods. It may be that changing tastes in pottery reflect broader societal changes or, as Woolley thought, the appearance of new pottery styles may indicate the arrival of a new group of people in southern Mesopotamia, who brought with them new pottery styles.¹Woolley 1955, 22 ff.

Urukean pots were evenly fired at high temperatures by artisans who clearly had mastered kiln technology. The clay used to make the vessels (“the fabric”) is characterized by “grit” or sand which was added to the clay to temper it. Grit temper was required to prevent the clay from shrinking and cracking during firing. Uruk period pottery often features four small lugs attached to the shoulders of the pot. These lugs were pierced to receive a cord that was used to secure a lid. The shoulders of the vessel are often also decorated with hastily incised lines.

ARC / Pergamon Museum