Diaspora or diversity? technological and social insights from Kura-Araxes pottery assemblages in Iran

• Ceramic production in the Kura-Araxes culture shows convergent technical knowledge despite divergent raw material sources. • Evidence suggests flexible network of technical interactions rather than a centralized production system. • Shared patterns reflect knowledge transmission, cultural interaction, and socially embedded production practices. The spread of Kura-Araxes material culture from the southern Caucasus into regions such as northwestern Iran and the southern Levant during the Early Bronze Age (ca. 3500–2500 BCE) has long been interpreted as evidence of migration. This interpretation, however, often assumes a homogenous group identity and shared technological traditions across various and environmentally diverse landscapes. Pottery, as one of the most diagnostic elements of Kura-Araxes material culture, has been central to these discussions, frequently serving as a proxy for tracing cultural affiliations and social networks. In this study, we apply a multi-proxy analytical approach combining XRF, XRD, and petrography to 40 pottery sherds from 11 Kura-Araxes sites to examine technological choices, raw material procurement, and production knowledge to see whether the KA ceramic tradition in Iran reflects cultural continuity, hybridization, or independent technological pathways. The ceramic production network within the Kura-Araxes culture reflects a convergence in technical knowledge alongside divergence in raw material sourcing. These data suggest not a model of cultural centralization but rather an open, flexible network of technical interactions.