Geoarchaeology:AnInternationalJournal,Vol.18,No.2,255–281(2003)  2003WileyPeriodicals,Inc. PublishedonlineinWileyInterscience(www.interscience.wiley.com).10.1002/gea.10060 Geoarchaeological Investigations of the “Potters’ Quarter” at Sagalassos, Southwest Turkey P. Degryse, 1 J. Poblome, 2 K. Donners, 3 J. Deckers, 3 and M. Waelkens 2 1 Fysico-Chemische Geologie, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200C, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium 2 Departement Archeologie, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Blijde Inkomststraat 21, 3000 Leuven, Belgium 3 Laboratorium voor Bodem en Water, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, V. Decosterstraat 102, 3000 Leuven, Belgium Thepotters’quarteroftheancientcityofSagalassos,southwestTurkey,wasoneofthelargest andmostenduringceramic-producingmanufactoriesintheeasternMediterranean.Theob- jectiveofourstudywastodetermineenvironmentalcircumstancesthatfavoreddevelopment of different clay resources in the territory of Sagalassos and to assess utilization of these resourcesinthelocalpotterymanufactory.Thepotters’quarterwasestablishedwhere,owing tofavorablegeologicalcircumstances,alargeclaybodyhaddeveloped.Thebedrockinthe potters’quarter,atectonizedophiolitesequence,hassynclinalstructure;hence,surfacerunoff andgroundwatertendtoaccumulateinitscenter.Theweatheringofthebasicrockformed asmectite-richclaywithverticproperties.Thisclaywasminedinantiquity,andmineralogical and chemical analyses indicate that it was used for the production of local ceramics from HellenistictoByzantinetimes.Itislikelythatcolluviumontopoftheophioliticclayatthe potters’quarterisrelatedtodeforestationandslopeprocessesafterthepotters’quarterwas abandoned. In sum, environmental circumstances determined the location of the artisanal quarterofSagalassos,withitsclayquarryingoperationandceramicmanufactory.However, forthelocalmass-producedSagalassosredslipware,theresultsofourchemicalandmin- eralogicalanalysesindicatethatadifferent,moresuitableclaywasused:detritallakesedi- ments,richinchloriteandchlorite/smectitemixedlayers,locatedabout8kmfromtheoriginal artisanalquarter.Thechoiceforthisclaywasdeterminedbothbythepresenceofasuitable clay deposit, as well as socio-economic circumstances such as land ownership. The site of Sagalassosyieldeduniqueevidenceofminingofclayataceramicproductionsite,aswellas importofnearbyclays.Thelocalandimportedclayswereusedside-by-side,butoneforthe productionofcommonwaresandbuildingceramics,andtheotherforthemanufacturingof luxuryfinetablewares.  2003WileyPeriodicals,Inc. INTRODUCTION Since1985,ancientSagalassos(Pisidia)insouthwestTurkey(Figure1)hasbeen the focus of an interdisciplinary, archaeological research project coordinated by theKatholiekeUniversiteitLeuven(Waelkensetal.,1997).Initsancientcontext, thetownmayhavebeenrestrictedtothelevelofaregionalpoleofattraction.Yet,