A 3rd to 4th century AD pottery assemblage from Apamea and some further considerations on pottery production and distribution in Roman Syria (original) (raw)
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Archaeometry, 2005
This work deals with the archaeometric study of the Bronze Age and Iron Age pottery from Tell Mishrifeh/Qatna (central-western Syria), where the complete cycle of ceramic production is well documented. Petrographic, chemical and diffractometric analyses were carried out on both potsherds and a clayey material found in a separation basin within the area of the workshops. Petrographic groups were defined and maximum firing temperatures and redox firing conditions were estimated, providing constraints on identifying the production technology and its evolution with time. The studied potsherds turned out to be locally produced, with only a few cases of possible similarities with those described for other localities along the Orontes Valley, and in a couple of cases with evidence of pottery exchange.
Ancient ceramics play a significant role in monitoring change, adaption and interaction in ancient cultures. This collection of essays concerns pottery from the homeland sites of Beirut and Tyre, and Phoenician settlements in the west at Carthage, Utica, Lixus and Malta. The contributions reflect a wide range of approaches to the study of ceramics, from the fundamental characteristics of the clay from which vessels were built, the range of ware types in a given location, and the hybridity forged through cultural contact between indigenous and foreign groups. Domestic needs as well as the supply and demand of the market place were driving forces in ancient pottery production.