Study of Sociological Components on the Evolution of Pottery in the Seljuk Period (5th to 6th Century AH)

Abstract

The Seljuks, with their important role in Islamic civilization, spent two periods in their lives, which paved the way for many changes and innovations in their art, especially pottery. The first period is the era of their authority, which appeared in the Islamic world as an empire, and the second period is the era of their disintegration, which paved the way for their downfall. The purpose of this study is to investigate the developments of Seljuk society and how the social structure influences the evolution of pottery in these two periods. With a sociological approach and basic research and based on the nature and method of historical and descriptive-analytical, this research discusses the general and comprehensive knowledge of the influential elements of society on the pottery art of Seljuk period by using historical data through the collection of library documents to enable the social conditions, innovations and trends of this art in the time frame. The result of the research shows that artistic developments are always related to their social environment. The results indicate that public access to art and the tendency to depict everyday and realistic subjects after the growth of the middle class and factors such as urbanization, trade, economic status, religious orientation of rulers, imposing their tastes on artists, and the emergence of realistic and popular art among the middle class is one of the most important factors influencing the development and evolution of pottery in the studied period.