Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History

• World Regions

  All regions

  Select a region

  • North America
  • Europe
  • Central and North Asia
  • East Asia
  • Central America
  • South America
  • Africa
  • West Asia
  • Oceania
  • South and Southeast Asia

  Select a time period

  • 8000–2000 B.C.
  • 2000–1000 B.C.
  • 1000 B.C.–1 A.D.
  • 1–500 A.D.
  • 500–1000 A.D.
  • 1000–1400 A.D.
  • 1400–1600 A.D.
  • 1600–1800 A.D.
  • 1800–1900 A.D.
  • 1900 A.D.–Present
• Timelines

  by Time Period 8,000–2,000 b.c. 2,000–1,000 b.c. 1,000 b.c.–1 a.d. 1–500 a.d. 500–1,000 a.d. 1,000–1400 a.d. 1400–1600 a.d. 1600–1800 a.d. 1800–1900 a.d. 1900 a.d.–present

  by Geographical Region Africa   Central America   Central and North Asia   East Asia   Europe   North America   Oceania   South America   South and Southeast Asia  West Asia

• Thematic Essays
  • Recent Additions  |  All Thematic Essays
  • 
    Select a Thematic Category African Art American Art Ancient Near Eastern Art Art of the Americas Asian Art Byzantine Art Egyptian Art European Art Greek and Roman Art Islamic Art Medieval Art Modern and Contemporary Art Oceanic/Pacific Art Prehistory Select a Department American Decorative Arts American Paintings and Sculpture Ancient Near Eastern Art Arms and Armor Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas Asian Art The Costume Institute Drawings and Prints Education Egyptian Art European Paintings European Sculpture and Decorative Arts Greek and Roman Art Islamic Art The Libraries Medieval Art and The Cloisters Musical Instruments Nineteenth-Century, Modern, and Contemporary Art Objects Conservation Paintings Conservation Paper Conservation Photographs Robert Lehman Collection Scientific Research Textile Conservation

    ---

  • Select a Geographical Region Africa Central America Central and North Asia East Asia Europe North America Oceania South America South and Southeast Asia West Asia All Geographical Regions Select a Time Period 20,000–8000 B.C. 8000–2000 B.C. 2000–1000 B.C. 1000 B.C.–1 A.D. 1–500 A.D. 500–1000 A.D. 1000–1400 A.D. 1400–1600 A.D. 1600–1800 A.D. 1800–1900 A.D. 1900 A.D.–Present All Time Periods
    
• Works of Art
  Recent Additions
  
  

  Title Description
  Artist
  Material and Technique
  Credit Line
  Accession Number

• Index

  Artist (A–Z) | All Artists

  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
  • H
  • I
  • J
  • K
  • L
  • M
  • N
  • O
  • P
  • Q
  • R
  • S
  • T
  • U
  • V
  • W
  • X
  • Y
  • Z

  ---

  Subject (A–Z)

  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
  • H
  • I
  • J
  • K
  • L
  • M
  • N
  • O
  • P
  • Q
  • R
  • S
  • T
  • U
  • V
  • W
  • X
  • Y
  • Z

The Halaf Period (6500–5500 b.c.)

• 
  Stamp seal, 6th millennium B.C.; Halaf period
  Syro/Cilicia
  Steatite or chlorite; 0.55 x 0.43 x 1.02 in. (1.4 x 1.09 x 2.59 cm)
  Gift of Martin and Sarah Cherkasky, 1986 (1986.311.1)
  
• 
  Bowl, 7th–6th millennium B.C., Halaf period
  Syria, Tell Halaf
  Ceramic; 3.23 in. (8.2 cm)
  Purchase, Colt Archaeological Institute Inc. Gift, 1983 (1983.407)
  
• 
  Seated female, 7th–6th millennium B.C., Halaf period
  Mesopotamia or Syria
  Ceramic, paint; 2.01 x 1.77 in. (5.11 x 4.5 cm)
  Purchase, Shelby White and Leon Levy, 1985 (1985.84)
  
• 
  Vessel fragment with rosette, 7th–6th millennium B.C.; Halaf period
  Excavated at Tell Brak, FS 1314, Syria
  Ceramic, paint; 1.56 x 2.05 in. (3.96 x 5.21 cm)
  Gift of Colt Archaeological Institute Inc., 1988 (1988.323.6)
  
• 
  Vessel fragment with bird in profile, 7th–6th millennium B.C.; Halaf period
  Excavated at Tell Brak, Eye Temple fill, Syria
  Ceramic, paint; 2.83 x 1.65 in. (7.19 x 4.19 cm)
  Gift of Colt Archaeological Institute Inc., 1988 (1988.323.7)
  

View SlideshowView Thumbnails

In the period 6500–5500 B.C., a farming society emerged in northern Mesopotamia and Syria which shared a common culture and produced pottery that is among the finest ever made in the Near East. This culture is known as Halaf, after the site of Tell Halaf in northeastern Syria where it was first identified. The Halaf potters used different sources of clay from their neighbors and achieved outstanding elaboration and elegance of design with their superior quality ware. Some of the most beautifully painted polychrome ceramics were produced toward the end of the Halaf period. This distinctive pottery has been found from southeastern Turkey to Iran, but may have its origins in the region of the River Khabur (modern Syria). How and why it spread so widely is a matter of continuing debate, although analysis of the clay indicates the existence of production centers and regional copying. It is possible that such high-quality pottery was exchanged as a prestige item between local elites. The Halaf culture also produced a great variety of amulets and stamp seals of geometric design, as well as a range of largely female terracotta figurines that often emphasize the sexual features. Among the best-known Halaf sites are Arpachiyah, Sabi Abyad, and Yarim Tepe, small agricultural villages with distinctive buildings known as tholoi. These rounded domed structures, with or without antechambers, were made of different materials depending on what was available locally: limestone boulders or mud and straw. The Halaf culture was eventually absorbed into the so-called Ubaid culture, with changes in pottery and building styles.



The Halaf potters used different sources of clay from their neighbors and achieved outstanding elaboration and elegance of design with their superior quality ware.

Related

Timelines (3)

• Anatolia and the Caucausus, 8000–2000 b.c.
• Mesopotamia, 8000–2000 b.c.
• The Eastern Mediterranean, 8000–2000 b.c.

Primary Thematic Essays ()

Other Thematic Essays (2)

• List of Rulers of Mesopotamia
• The Ubaid Period (5500

Maps (2)

• West Asia, 8000-2000 B.C.
• World, 8000-2000 B.C.

Index Terms (11)

Art Movement/Style

• Ubaid Period in the Ancient Near East
• Halaf Period in the Ancient Near East
• Neolithic Period of Prehistoric Art

Geography/Place

• Anatolia and the Caucasus
• The Eastern Mediterranean
• Iran
• Iraq

Material and Technique

• Ceramic from West Asia
• Painted Ceramic from West Asia

Subject Matter/Theme

• Archaeology from Asia
• Trade (8000–2000 b.c.)

Share

| More

Department of Ancient Near Eastern Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Citation Department of Ancient Near Eastern Art. "The Halaf Period (6500–5500 B.C.)". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/half/hd_half.htm (October 2003) Further Reading Campbell, Stuart "The Halaf Period in Iraq: Old Sites and New." Biblical Archaeologist 55 (1992), pp. 182–87.. n/a: n/a, n/a. Hijjara, Ismail The Halaf Period in Northern Mesopotamia. London: Nabu Publications, 1997. Related exhibitions and online features Special Exhibitions (including upcoming, current, and past exhibitions)