Ancient pottery offers a glimpse at early branding

Researchers writing in PLOS One traced a pottery style once called 'Midianite Pottery' to the oasis of Qurayyah in northwestern Arabia, where it was first produced about 3,600 years ago despite scarce clay, water, and fuel. By roughly 3,200 years ago the ware featured distinctive animal and ritual imagery that traveled hundreds of kilometers to the southern Levant and northern Arabia, and was even copied elsewhere.

Study lead Marta Luciani and co-author Doralice Klainscek say the tradition met criteria for branding — recognizable appearance, centralized production, imitation, and trade beyond the local area — and persisted for roughly 1,000 years into the end of the Iron Age.

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