Abstract
The second half of the 3rd millennium BC represents the height of the urbanization process observed during the Early Bronze Age of northern Syria. In a geo-political sense, the Amuq Plain, located in southern Turkey, is situated in a strategic location and as such has long been described as a crossroads of Near Eastern cultures. Tell Tayinat has been identified as the largest settlement in the plain beginning in the early 3rd millennium BC; excavations conducted in the 1930s uncovered a series of levels dating to the 3rd millennium which formed the foundation of the chronological sequence for this time period. More recent excavations at the site have produced significant remains dating to the Early Bronze IVB (2300–2000 BC). This article presents preliminary results of petrographic analysis of 57 samples from the Early Bronze IVB ceramic assemblage, identifying five primary petro-fabrics, and seven outlier groups, and goes on to discuss the broader significance of these results with regard to other comparative petrographic data in the Orontes area.