Kaftati and Kaftari-Related Ceramics in Southwest Iran and the Persian Gulf

The Kaftari ceramic assemblage has previously been dated to the late 3rd and early 2nd millennium b.c.e, and is primarily known as a result of surveys in the Kur River Basin and the excavations conducted at the site of Tal-e Malyan, i.e., the ancient city of Anshan. Various excavations have shown that Kaftari and Kaftari-related ceramic vessels have a wide distribution, including sites in various parts of Fars, the Bushire Peninsula and throughout the Persian Gulf. This paper will review the evidence for Kaftari and Kaftari-related ceramic material in southwest Iran and the Persian Gulf. It will then draw conclusions about the significance that the chronology and distribution of this material has for our understanding of the interaction between southwest Iran and the other areas that were involved in the Persian Gulf trading system that operated in the late 3rd and early 2nd millennium b.c.e.