Papers by William Gilstrap
Δωδώνη, Παράρτημα 84, 2021
This article examines the social implications of pottery circulation in the southern Andes during... more This article examines the social implications of pottery circulation in the southern Andes during the Late pre-Hispanic periods (ca. A.D. 1000-1550). In particular, its goal is to understand the role of Yavi-Chicha pottery in the dynamics of interaction between two regions: the Chicha valleys in the border of Bolivia and Argentina and the Atacama in Chile. We do so through exploring the life history of Yavi-Chicha pottery: where and how it was manufactured, how it circulated, and the possible consumers, building on new ceramic analysis combined with previous results and discussed in relation to available research. Based on mineralogical and chemical data, we argue that Yavi-Chicha vessels that circulated in Chile, mostly polished jars, were manufactured somewhere in the Talina Valley, in Bolivia, ruling out the possibility that this pottery was produced in the Atacama. This indicates social interaction between the Chicha Region and the Atacama. In the context of a consistent relationship between the two regions, the circulation of Yavi-Chicha vessels could have involved a variety of practices, agents and motivations as two main types of traffic (embedded and specialized) seemed to have coexisted in the routes that connect both regions. This leads us to consider different possible scenarios of Yavi-Chicha ceramic consumption, implying different processes of negotiation and interaction between both regions. These vessels would have circulated as inalienable possessions (or identity markers), as trade items or as politically charged gifts under Inca State auspices (as gifts and political marker). Overall, we suggest that the presence of Yavi-Chicha ceramics in the Atacama would have been the result of an effort to maintain and consolidate preexisting interregional social relations between the Chicha Region and the Atacama.
MInerals, 2021
The final stage in the life history of prehistoric pottery prior to archaeological recovery is us... more The final stage in the life history of prehistoric pottery prior to archaeological recovery is usually the longest, and frequently the most dynamic. The remains of archaeological ceramics spend hundreds to thousands of years deposited within the upper layers of the earth's crust where they encounter the same diagenetic environmental processes as the surrounding natural materials. Harsh conditions of subterranean environments induce physical stresses and chemical reactions, causing alterations of ceramic structure and composition. This is especially true of carbonate-rich ceramics, as carbonate phases are soluble when deposited within acidic environments. This paper examines common carbonate depletion and accretion effects of post-depositional environments on ancient ceramics from two rather different geological and archaeological contexts: Mesoamerica and the Mediterranean. Potters in both regions produce vessels with carbonate-rich materials-clays, calcite, limestone-that alter due to long exposure to low-pH sediments and continual water table fluctuations. Ceramic petrography is employed to identify traces of carbonate alterations within ceramic microstructure and to characterize fabrics. Elemental compositions of the same sherds are characterized through either scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDS), inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and optical emission spectrometry (ICP-MS/OES) or neutron activation analysis (NAA). This method enabled comparison of the differing effects of post-depositional alteration of carbonate phases on bulk composition signatures commonly used to determine provenance.
Latin American Antiquity, 2020
Ceramics of the Indigenous Cultures of South America, 2019
In exploring ceramic production technology and exchange during the Late Helladic IIIB-Late Hellad... more In exploring ceramic production technology and exchange during the Late Helladic IIIB-Late Helladic IIIC Phase 1 periods in the area of the Saronic Gulf, pottery from several archaeological sites has been analysed, characterising compositional groups and tracing their movement around the region. This investigation has highlighted and characterised a number of production centres, of which the two highlighted here produce similar vessel types, including painted finewares, cooking vessels and large tubs. Although the range of pottery in these centres is similar and certain technical features are near identical, each centre features distinctive 'ways of doing' and apparent contrasts in their organisation. This paper examines the choices made in pottery production for coarse and fine vessels, especially in terms of raw material choice and manipulation, as well as in firing procedures. It contrasts pottery production at this time on the island of Aegina with that at Kontopigado Alimou in Attica, only c. 22 km distant on the mainland to the Northeast. While the workshop at Kontopigado used the same raw materials in varying proportions to produce different vessel types, Aegina hosted production which varied more markedly according to the type of vessel produced. In Aegina, fineware vessels are produced in an entirely different fashion from their coarseware counterparts. These contrasting, contemporary technological practices are considered within the broader Mycenaean social landscape and the historical circumstances of their development. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
In exploring ceramic production technology and exchange during the Late Helladic IIIB-Late Hellad... more In exploring ceramic production technology and exchange during the Late Helladic IIIB-Late Helladic IIIC Phase 1 periods in the area of the Saronic Gulf, pottery from several archaeological sites has been analysed, characterising compositional groups and tracing their movement around the region. This investigation has highlighted and characterised a number of production centres, of which the two highlighted here produce similar vessel types, including painted finewares, cooking vessels and large tubs. Although the range of pottery in these centres is similar and certain technical features are near identical, each centre features distinctive 'ways of doing' and apparent contrasts in their organisation. This paper examines the choices made in pottery production for coarse and fine vessels, especially in terms of raw material choice and manipulation, as well as in firing procedures. It contrasts pottery production at this time on the island of Aegina with that at Kontopigado Alimou in Attica, only c. 22 km distant on the mainland to the Northeast. While the workshop at Kontopigado used the same raw materials in varying proportions to produce different vessel types, Aegina hosted production which varied more markedly according to the type of vessel produced. In Aegina, fineware vessels are produced in an entirely different fashion from their coarseware counterparts. These contrasting, contemporary technological practices are considered within the broader Mycenaean social landscape and the historical circumstances of their development. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Obsidian is an effective material for the study of prehistoric raw material use and exchange due ... more Obsidian is an effective material for the study of prehistoric raw material use and exchange due to the high degree of homogeneity and redundancy of obsidian materials and manufactured objects in the archaeological record. The destructive nature of many analytical techniques often impedes compositional research because of the damage that may occur to priceless artifacts. The combination of time-of-flight (TOF) ICP-MS with a laser ablation sample introduction systems provides a highly efficient means of chemically characterizing obsidian. This study shows that sample size limit capabilities of TOF-ICP-MS analysis of obsidian can reach less than 100 microns. Sampling and analysis of microartifacts enables researchers to overcome problems of sampling bias with very little damage to the valuable existing materials within the archaeological record and expands the potential for chemical compositional analyses in archaeology.
In V. Kassianidou and M. Dikomitou-Eliadou (eds.). The NARNIA Project: Integrating Approaches to Ancient Material Studies. Nicosia, University of Cyprus Press.
This project explores ceramic technology and exchange during the transitional LH IIIB-LH IIIC ear... more This project explores ceramic technology and exchange during the transitional LH IIIB-LH IIIC early period in the area of the Saronic Gulf through a multi-technique analysis. Pottery from twelve archaeological sites within the study region has been analysed by combined thin section petrography and chemical analyses, in order to identify and characterise the ceramic fabrics being produced and exchanged in this period. This paper presents a selected case study from the wider research project, in order to highlight how the production origins of three unknown ceramic fabrics were identified through petrographic analysis of complete assemblages in a regional pottery study from a bottom-up perspective.
The results presented in this paper indirectly identify the production of fine tablewares, in addition to coarse cooking pottery and large vessels, including tubs and pithoi, in the northern half of the island of Aegina during the Late Mycenaean period. Tracing the vessels manufactured in these ceramic fabrics from their place of deposition back to the island of Aegina raises several new questions about the island's political centre of Kolonna, a site which presents very little information about the activities that occurred here during this time. Moreover, the patterns reflected through this bottom up approach suggest that studies of pottery, be it production technology or provenance, are better used in the investigations of everyday events rather than for reconstructing generalities about political economies in the Mycenaean world.
Recent excavations at Kanakia on the island of Salamis have revealed a major Mycenaean harbour-si... more Recent excavations at Kanakia on the island of Salamis have revealed a major Mycenaean harbour-side town with impressive architectural and ceramic remains chiefly of the LHIIIB period (ca. 1300-1200 BCE). Detailed study of the ceramics has revealed a varied assemblage, from fine, high-quality pottery to large scale storage jars and bathtubs.
The ceramic assemblage, grouped by detailed macroscopic study, was analysed by INAA, thin section petrography and SEM in order to reconstruct the technology of various pottery groups and, where possible, to address questions of provenance. There is clear evidence for the large scale importation of pottery to the site, from surrounding areas, primary amongst which are the volcanic cooking and kitchen wares from the island of Aegina. New developments include the large scale movement of painted wares, not just the finest vessels which have epitomised previous provenance work on Mycenaean ceramics. Comparison with a contemporary deposit from Plaka, Athens has proved invaluable in reconstructing the movement of ceramic groups.
The illumination of production and exchange patterns within the Saronic Gulf has much to add to the current debate over the social and political status of Kanakia. Moving beyond a narrow reading of the movement of prestige ceramics allows increasingly detailed comment on craft, consumption and everyday interactions in this important period.
Talks by William Gilstrap
Recent excavations at the site of Kontopigado in Alimos, Attica have uncovered a craft production... more Recent excavations at the site of Kontopigado in Alimos, Attica have uncovered a craft production site on a grand scale, five km from the Mycenaean settlement around the Acropolis of Athens. Dating to the end of the Mycenaean period in Attica, Late Helladic IIIB to Late Helladic IIIC early, the industrial installation at Alimos is one of the largest of its kind. In addition to an area of rock cut features, which may represent the processing of flax, the area of the settlement contains highly vitrified, over-fired ceramic kiln wasters, part of a potter’s wheel and perhaps the fragment from kiln lining, indicating the presence of ceramic manufacture.
The repertoire of pottery produced at the site has been characterised in terms of its shape, style and surface modification, along with its choice and manipulation of raw material, forming and firing. A range of plain and painted wares was produced, including table wares and a range of cooking and kitchen ware. In addition, a study of pottery consumed at the site brought to light imports from the nearby island of Aegina and Crete.
Study by thin section petrography and SEM have allowed a reconstruction of the technology used in the pottery’s production. Fabric for table wares, storage and cooking are all characterised by different technological choices and, primarily, different clay recipes from a range available raw materials. The nature of the Alimos cooking pottery is of interest not only as it co-exists at the site with the familiar cooking vessels produced at Aegina, but also because it perhaps reflects a difference in the type of cuisine it serves.
A comparative study according to macroscopic fabric and thin-section petrography has indicated that the ceramics produced at Alimos are distributed widely in Attica and around the Saronic Gulf. By observing patterns of distribution, we may be able to witness different choices made in the consumption of ceramics in varying social contexts and thus illuminating the scale of production at Alimos.
Such a synthesis of production, patterns of distribution and consumption enables us to start examining the character of everyday acts of craft production, as well the relationship between a large-scale production centre, those who use its vessels and the politico-economic landscape in which they exist.
Mycenaean Palatial society has often been seen as characterised by a controlled and centralised e... more Mycenaean Palatial society has often been seen as characterised by a controlled and centralised economy, primarily on account of the Linear B inscribed clay tablets which recorded economic transactions of goods that occurred between the palace and its hinterland. However, recent research has started to indicate the extent of the economy that was beyond the grasp of the central bureaucracy.
Whitelaw has highlighted the substantial proportion of pottery production which was beyond that needed to supply the palace, an example which should warn against some of the recent attempts to read political boundaries from selected pottery distributions. This paper takes those insights further, eschewing a top-down approach, by examining a number of contemporary assemblages, belonging to the mature Mycenaean period, LHIIIB, in the Saronic Gulf. The identification of a totally imported assemblage at the harbour site of Kanakia on the island of Salamis is used as the starting point for a reassessment of pottery production and distribution in the area.
Exploiting a combination of chemical and petrographic analysis, applied to total assemblages from fine to coarse pottery, this innovative bottom-up approach provides a window on a complex world of ceramic consumption in an area characterised by dynamic early states.
"Recent analyses of ceramic material from Kanakia on the island of Salamis have shown that the en... more "Recent analyses of ceramic material from Kanakia on the island of Salamis have shown that the entirety of the pottery assemblage from the acropolis has been imported. Through a direct comparison of material from excavations at Plaka, part of a larger Mycenaean settlement surrounding the Athenian Acropolis, we were able to discern that much of the Kanakia assemblage likely has an origin within the region of Attica, while the rest appear to have been brought in from Aegina, the Argolid and Corinthia. With none of the pottery assemblage being unequivocally produced on the island, we can suggest that there is some likelihood that Kanakia, with its two natural harbors, may have played a role as a commerce depot within the Saronic Gulf in LHIIIB.
Subsequently, the discovery of a craft production installation at the site of Alimos, just 4 kilometers south of the Athenian Acropolis, has provided a wealth of new evidence, including kiln wasters, suggesting the manufacture of a range of ceramic vessel types similar to those identified to be of an Attic origin. Preliminary examination through thin-section petrography coupled with traditional typological fabric analysis indicates that the pottery produced at Alimos includes specialized vessel types such as fine tablewares, quality cooking vessels and tubs in a range of sizes with a wide distribution of entire assemblages reaching at least as far as Thorikos in southeast Attica, Kanakia in the west and perhaps farther into the Aegean world during the LH IIIB period.
The scope of this paper is to illuminate that the distribution of pottery in Attica and parts of the Saronic Gulf during the LH IIIB period through characterizations of the ceramic material that we have identified to have been manufactured at Alimos through the use of thin-section petrography. Consumption patterns of ceramics in and around the gulf supply new and exciting information that provides key insight about the inter- and intra-regional relationships during a period of prehistory where craft production and distribution is usually considered to have been centrally controlled by local palatial centers. Finally, by concentrating on the production and movement of entire assemblages, we attempt to locate the place of the potter’s craft within the palatially centered Mycenaean society.
"
Ceramics and Palatial Power: The identification and characterisation of a ceramic production inst... more Ceramics and Palatial Power: The identification and characterisation of a ceramic production installation in Late Bronze Age Attica through thin-section petrography
William Gilstrap1, Peter M. Day1, Noemi Müller2, Elina Kardamaki3, Konstantina Kaza3, Christina Marabea4 and Yannos Lolos4
1-Department of Archaeology, University of Sheffield; 2- Institute of Material Science, N.C.S.R “Demokritos”, Athens, Greece; 3- Alimos Excavations, Greece; 4- Kanakia Excavations, Greece.
[email protected]
Previous petrographic study of Late Helladic IIIB (c. 1200-1100 BCE) ceramics from Kanakia, Salamis have revealed an entirely imported assemblage, with kitchenware fabrics from Aegina and other vessel shapes assumed to be brought in from Attica. Intriguingly, these sources are shared by contemporary material from Greek Archaeological Service excavations at the site of Plaka, below the eastern face of the Athenian Acropolis. These wide links and large-scale movement of pottery have provided a catalyst for the investigation of specific centres of ceramic production in the area of the Saronic Gulf, specifically coastal Attica.
This paper investigates pottery from the site of Alimos located south of Athens on the Saronic coast. Material evidence at Alimos suggests several craft production installations, including pottery manufacture, were present at the pinnacle of the Late Bronze Age, a time epitomised by early state organisations, with a degree of centralised control over the production and movement of material and other goods by Mycenaean palatial centres. Ceramics from Alimos, including over-fired kiln wasters, were sampled for analysis by a combination of a multi-technique chemical analytical protocol and thin-section petrography with the aims of testing the hypothesis that identifies Alimos as the producer of ceramics found in the neighbouring sites of Plaka and Kanakia, a statement that is strongly supported by macroscopic fabric analysis. This paper focuses on the results of analysis by thin-section petrography, in order to locate ceramic production centres, and to interrogate inter- and intra-regional movement of products during the Mycenaean period in Attica. Results from this study are used to synthesise technologies of local pottery production, patterns of movement and consumption and regional evidence of political economies within an area where controversy centres around the way in which the exchange and distribution of craft goods, most significantly pottery, can be taken to reflect political boundaries and economic power.
The Developing role of Thin Section Petrography in Aegean Archaeological Ceramic Analysis.
Gilstr... more The Developing role of Thin Section Petrography in Aegean Archaeological Ceramic Analysis.
Gilstrap, William.D., Clare T. Burke Davies, Peter M. Day, Heather Graybehl and Roberta Mentesana
Recent ceramic research in the Aegean has laid major emphasis on the petrography of archaeological materials. Increasingly this is dove-tailed with macroscopic fabric classification for questions of both technology and provenance. As petrographic studies become a routine part of ceramic study, notably in prehistoric sites, we examine developments in application of the technique, and its integration with chemical and micro-structural analysis. While petrography has much to offer in terms of the reconstruction of patterns of exchange, clay recipes and social approaches to technology, its increase in popularity raises questions of training priorities and the publication of resultant data.
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Papers by William Gilstrap
The results presented in this paper indirectly identify the production of fine tablewares, in addition to coarse cooking pottery and large vessels, including tubs and pithoi, in the northern half of the island of Aegina during the Late Mycenaean period. Tracing the vessels manufactured in these ceramic fabrics from their place of deposition back to the island of Aegina raises several new questions about the island's political centre of Kolonna, a site which presents very little information about the activities that occurred here during this time. Moreover, the patterns reflected through this bottom up approach suggest that studies of pottery, be it production technology or provenance, are better used in the investigations of everyday events rather than for reconstructing generalities about political economies in the Mycenaean world.
The ceramic assemblage, grouped by detailed macroscopic study, was analysed by INAA, thin section petrography and SEM in order to reconstruct the technology of various pottery groups and, where possible, to address questions of provenance. There is clear evidence for the large scale importation of pottery to the site, from surrounding areas, primary amongst which are the volcanic cooking and kitchen wares from the island of Aegina. New developments include the large scale movement of painted wares, not just the finest vessels which have epitomised previous provenance work on Mycenaean ceramics. Comparison with a contemporary deposit from Plaka, Athens has proved invaluable in reconstructing the movement of ceramic groups.
The illumination of production and exchange patterns within the Saronic Gulf has much to add to the current debate over the social and political status of Kanakia. Moving beyond a narrow reading of the movement of prestige ceramics allows increasingly detailed comment on craft, consumption and everyday interactions in this important period.
Talks by William Gilstrap
The repertoire of pottery produced at the site has been characterised in terms of its shape, style and surface modification, along with its choice and manipulation of raw material, forming and firing. A range of plain and painted wares was produced, including table wares and a range of cooking and kitchen ware. In addition, a study of pottery consumed at the site brought to light imports from the nearby island of Aegina and Crete.
Study by thin section petrography and SEM have allowed a reconstruction of the technology used in the pottery’s production. Fabric for table wares, storage and cooking are all characterised by different technological choices and, primarily, different clay recipes from a range available raw materials. The nature of the Alimos cooking pottery is of interest not only as it co-exists at the site with the familiar cooking vessels produced at Aegina, but also because it perhaps reflects a difference in the type of cuisine it serves.
A comparative study according to macroscopic fabric and thin-section petrography has indicated that the ceramics produced at Alimos are distributed widely in Attica and around the Saronic Gulf. By observing patterns of distribution, we may be able to witness different choices made in the consumption of ceramics in varying social contexts and thus illuminating the scale of production at Alimos.
Such a synthesis of production, patterns of distribution and consumption enables us to start examining the character of everyday acts of craft production, as well the relationship between a large-scale production centre, those who use its vessels and the politico-economic landscape in which they exist.
Whitelaw has highlighted the substantial proportion of pottery production which was beyond that needed to supply the palace, an example which should warn against some of the recent attempts to read political boundaries from selected pottery distributions. This paper takes those insights further, eschewing a top-down approach, by examining a number of contemporary assemblages, belonging to the mature Mycenaean period, LHIIIB, in the Saronic Gulf. The identification of a totally imported assemblage at the harbour site of Kanakia on the island of Salamis is used as the starting point for a reassessment of pottery production and distribution in the area.
Exploiting a combination of chemical and petrographic analysis, applied to total assemblages from fine to coarse pottery, this innovative bottom-up approach provides a window on a complex world of ceramic consumption in an area characterised by dynamic early states.
Subsequently, the discovery of a craft production installation at the site of Alimos, just 4 kilometers south of the Athenian Acropolis, has provided a wealth of new evidence, including kiln wasters, suggesting the manufacture of a range of ceramic vessel types similar to those identified to be of an Attic origin. Preliminary examination through thin-section petrography coupled with traditional typological fabric analysis indicates that the pottery produced at Alimos includes specialized vessel types such as fine tablewares, quality cooking vessels and tubs in a range of sizes with a wide distribution of entire assemblages reaching at least as far as Thorikos in southeast Attica, Kanakia in the west and perhaps farther into the Aegean world during the LH IIIB period.
The scope of this paper is to illuminate that the distribution of pottery in Attica and parts of the Saronic Gulf during the LH IIIB period through characterizations of the ceramic material that we have identified to have been manufactured at Alimos through the use of thin-section petrography. Consumption patterns of ceramics in and around the gulf supply new and exciting information that provides key insight about the inter- and intra-regional relationships during a period of prehistory where craft production and distribution is usually considered to have been centrally controlled by local palatial centers. Finally, by concentrating on the production and movement of entire assemblages, we attempt to locate the place of the potter’s craft within the palatially centered Mycenaean society.
"
William Gilstrap1, Peter M. Day1, Noemi Müller2, Elina Kardamaki3, Konstantina Kaza3, Christina Marabea4 and Yannos Lolos4
1-Department of Archaeology, University of Sheffield; 2- Institute of Material Science, N.C.S.R “Demokritos”, Athens, Greece; 3- Alimos Excavations, Greece; 4- Kanakia Excavations, Greece.
[email protected]
Previous petrographic study of Late Helladic IIIB (c. 1200-1100 BCE) ceramics from Kanakia, Salamis have revealed an entirely imported assemblage, with kitchenware fabrics from Aegina and other vessel shapes assumed to be brought in from Attica. Intriguingly, these sources are shared by contemporary material from Greek Archaeological Service excavations at the site of Plaka, below the eastern face of the Athenian Acropolis. These wide links and large-scale movement of pottery have provided a catalyst for the investigation of specific centres of ceramic production in the area of the Saronic Gulf, specifically coastal Attica.
This paper investigates pottery from the site of Alimos located south of Athens on the Saronic coast. Material evidence at Alimos suggests several craft production installations, including pottery manufacture, were present at the pinnacle of the Late Bronze Age, a time epitomised by early state organisations, with a degree of centralised control over the production and movement of material and other goods by Mycenaean palatial centres. Ceramics from Alimos, including over-fired kiln wasters, were sampled for analysis by a combination of a multi-technique chemical analytical protocol and thin-section petrography with the aims of testing the hypothesis that identifies Alimos as the producer of ceramics found in the neighbouring sites of Plaka and Kanakia, a statement that is strongly supported by macroscopic fabric analysis. This paper focuses on the results of analysis by thin-section petrography, in order to locate ceramic production centres, and to interrogate inter- and intra-regional movement of products during the Mycenaean period in Attica. Results from this study are used to synthesise technologies of local pottery production, patterns of movement and consumption and regional evidence of political economies within an area where controversy centres around the way in which the exchange and distribution of craft goods, most significantly pottery, can be taken to reflect political boundaries and economic power.
Gilstrap, William.D., Clare T. Burke Davies, Peter M. Day, Heather Graybehl and Roberta Mentesana
Recent ceramic research in the Aegean has laid major emphasis on the petrography of archaeological materials. Increasingly this is dove-tailed with macroscopic fabric classification for questions of both technology and provenance. As petrographic studies become a routine part of ceramic study, notably in prehistoric sites, we examine developments in application of the technique, and its integration with chemical and micro-structural analysis. While petrography has much to offer in terms of the reconstruction of patterns of exchange, clay recipes and social approaches to technology, its increase in popularity raises questions of training priorities and the publication of resultant data.
The results presented in this paper indirectly identify the production of fine tablewares, in addition to coarse cooking pottery and large vessels, including tubs and pithoi, in the northern half of the island of Aegina during the Late Mycenaean period. Tracing the vessels manufactured in these ceramic fabrics from their place of deposition back to the island of Aegina raises several new questions about the island's political centre of Kolonna, a site which presents very little information about the activities that occurred here during this time. Moreover, the patterns reflected through this bottom up approach suggest that studies of pottery, be it production technology or provenance, are better used in the investigations of everyday events rather than for reconstructing generalities about political economies in the Mycenaean world.
The ceramic assemblage, grouped by detailed macroscopic study, was analysed by INAA, thin section petrography and SEM in order to reconstruct the technology of various pottery groups and, where possible, to address questions of provenance. There is clear evidence for the large scale importation of pottery to the site, from surrounding areas, primary amongst which are the volcanic cooking and kitchen wares from the island of Aegina. New developments include the large scale movement of painted wares, not just the finest vessels which have epitomised previous provenance work on Mycenaean ceramics. Comparison with a contemporary deposit from Plaka, Athens has proved invaluable in reconstructing the movement of ceramic groups.
The illumination of production and exchange patterns within the Saronic Gulf has much to add to the current debate over the social and political status of Kanakia. Moving beyond a narrow reading of the movement of prestige ceramics allows increasingly detailed comment on craft, consumption and everyday interactions in this important period.
The repertoire of pottery produced at the site has been characterised in terms of its shape, style and surface modification, along with its choice and manipulation of raw material, forming and firing. A range of plain and painted wares was produced, including table wares and a range of cooking and kitchen ware. In addition, a study of pottery consumed at the site brought to light imports from the nearby island of Aegina and Crete.
Study by thin section petrography and SEM have allowed a reconstruction of the technology used in the pottery’s production. Fabric for table wares, storage and cooking are all characterised by different technological choices and, primarily, different clay recipes from a range available raw materials. The nature of the Alimos cooking pottery is of interest not only as it co-exists at the site with the familiar cooking vessels produced at Aegina, but also because it perhaps reflects a difference in the type of cuisine it serves.
A comparative study according to macroscopic fabric and thin-section petrography has indicated that the ceramics produced at Alimos are distributed widely in Attica and around the Saronic Gulf. By observing patterns of distribution, we may be able to witness different choices made in the consumption of ceramics in varying social contexts and thus illuminating the scale of production at Alimos.
Such a synthesis of production, patterns of distribution and consumption enables us to start examining the character of everyday acts of craft production, as well the relationship between a large-scale production centre, those who use its vessels and the politico-economic landscape in which they exist.
Whitelaw has highlighted the substantial proportion of pottery production which was beyond that needed to supply the palace, an example which should warn against some of the recent attempts to read political boundaries from selected pottery distributions. This paper takes those insights further, eschewing a top-down approach, by examining a number of contemporary assemblages, belonging to the mature Mycenaean period, LHIIIB, in the Saronic Gulf. The identification of a totally imported assemblage at the harbour site of Kanakia on the island of Salamis is used as the starting point for a reassessment of pottery production and distribution in the area.
Exploiting a combination of chemical and petrographic analysis, applied to total assemblages from fine to coarse pottery, this innovative bottom-up approach provides a window on a complex world of ceramic consumption in an area characterised by dynamic early states.
Subsequently, the discovery of a craft production installation at the site of Alimos, just 4 kilometers south of the Athenian Acropolis, has provided a wealth of new evidence, including kiln wasters, suggesting the manufacture of a range of ceramic vessel types similar to those identified to be of an Attic origin. Preliminary examination through thin-section petrography coupled with traditional typological fabric analysis indicates that the pottery produced at Alimos includes specialized vessel types such as fine tablewares, quality cooking vessels and tubs in a range of sizes with a wide distribution of entire assemblages reaching at least as far as Thorikos in southeast Attica, Kanakia in the west and perhaps farther into the Aegean world during the LH IIIB period.
The scope of this paper is to illuminate that the distribution of pottery in Attica and parts of the Saronic Gulf during the LH IIIB period through characterizations of the ceramic material that we have identified to have been manufactured at Alimos through the use of thin-section petrography. Consumption patterns of ceramics in and around the gulf supply new and exciting information that provides key insight about the inter- and intra-regional relationships during a period of prehistory where craft production and distribution is usually considered to have been centrally controlled by local palatial centers. Finally, by concentrating on the production and movement of entire assemblages, we attempt to locate the place of the potter’s craft within the palatially centered Mycenaean society.
"
William Gilstrap1, Peter M. Day1, Noemi Müller2, Elina Kardamaki3, Konstantina Kaza3, Christina Marabea4 and Yannos Lolos4
1-Department of Archaeology, University of Sheffield; 2- Institute of Material Science, N.C.S.R “Demokritos”, Athens, Greece; 3- Alimos Excavations, Greece; 4- Kanakia Excavations, Greece.
[email protected]
Previous petrographic study of Late Helladic IIIB (c. 1200-1100 BCE) ceramics from Kanakia, Salamis have revealed an entirely imported assemblage, with kitchenware fabrics from Aegina and other vessel shapes assumed to be brought in from Attica. Intriguingly, these sources are shared by contemporary material from Greek Archaeological Service excavations at the site of Plaka, below the eastern face of the Athenian Acropolis. These wide links and large-scale movement of pottery have provided a catalyst for the investigation of specific centres of ceramic production in the area of the Saronic Gulf, specifically coastal Attica.
This paper investigates pottery from the site of Alimos located south of Athens on the Saronic coast. Material evidence at Alimos suggests several craft production installations, including pottery manufacture, were present at the pinnacle of the Late Bronze Age, a time epitomised by early state organisations, with a degree of centralised control over the production and movement of material and other goods by Mycenaean palatial centres. Ceramics from Alimos, including over-fired kiln wasters, were sampled for analysis by a combination of a multi-technique chemical analytical protocol and thin-section petrography with the aims of testing the hypothesis that identifies Alimos as the producer of ceramics found in the neighbouring sites of Plaka and Kanakia, a statement that is strongly supported by macroscopic fabric analysis. This paper focuses on the results of analysis by thin-section petrography, in order to locate ceramic production centres, and to interrogate inter- and intra-regional movement of products during the Mycenaean period in Attica. Results from this study are used to synthesise technologies of local pottery production, patterns of movement and consumption and regional evidence of political economies within an area where controversy centres around the way in which the exchange and distribution of craft goods, most significantly pottery, can be taken to reflect political boundaries and economic power.
Gilstrap, William.D., Clare T. Burke Davies, Peter M. Day, Heather Graybehl and Roberta Mentesana
Recent ceramic research in the Aegean has laid major emphasis on the petrography of archaeological materials. Increasingly this is dove-tailed with macroscopic fabric classification for questions of both technology and provenance. As petrographic studies become a routine part of ceramic study, notably in prehistoric sites, we examine developments in application of the technique, and its integration with chemical and micro-structural analysis. While petrography has much to offer in terms of the reconstruction of patterns of exchange, clay recipes and social approaches to technology, its increase in popularity raises questions of training priorities and the publication of resultant data.
William Gilstrap1, Peter M. Day1, Noémi S. Müller2, Vassilis Kilikoglou2, Yannos G. Lolos4, Christina Marabea4 and Apostolos Papadimitriou3
1 Department of Archaeology, University of Sheffield, Northgate House, West Street, Sheffield S1 4ET, UK
2 Institute of Materials Science, NCSR Demokritos, Aghia Paraskevi 153 10, Attika, Greece
3 1st Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities, Odos Makrygianni 2-4, Athens 117 42, Greece
4 Department of History and Archaeology, University of Ioannina, P.O. Box 1186, 45110 Ioannina, Greece
Recent excavations at Kanakia on the island of Salamis have revealed a major Mycenaean harbour-side town with impressive architectural and ceramic remains chiefly of the LHIIIB period (ca. 1300-1200 BCE). Detailed study of the ceramics has revealed a varied assemblage, from fine, high-quality pottery to large scale storage jars and bathtubs.
The ceramic assemblage, grouped by detailed macroscopic study, was analysed by INAA, thin section petrography and SEM in order to reconstruct the technology of various pottery groups and, where possible, to address questions of provenance. There is clear evidence for the large scale importation of pottery to the site, from surrounding areas, primary amongst which are the volcanic cooking and kitchen wares from the island of Aegina. New developments include the large scale movement of painted wares, not just the finest vessels which have epitomised previous provenance work on Mycenaean ceramics. Comparison with a contemporary deposit from Plaka, Athens has proved invaluable in reconstructing the movement of ceramic groups. Additionally, further typological evidence from the Attic coastal town of Alimos may indicate the location of the production centre for the Attic painted wares.
This paper highlights the petrographic and typological studies conducted on the material from Kanakia, Plaka and Alimos in order to illuminate production and exchange patterns within the Saronic Gulf. Here we argue that the resulting data adds much to the current debate over the social and political status of Kanakia and Athens in Late Helladic IIIB. Moving beyond a narrow reading of the movement of prestige ceramics allows increasingly detailed comment on craft, consumption and everyday interactions in this important period.
Preclassic-period Maya Lowlands. The sample consists of 2028 sherds of Mars Orange Paste Ware from Holtun, Guatemala, and 4105 sherds reported from sites in Central Belize and Peten Guatemala. The combined data suggest Mars Orange Paste Ware was a “short-distance” trade ware produced in the northeastern Maya Lowlands and distributed from Central Belize to the west.