| Class |
Summary |
| Amphoras |
Amphoras were the transport containers of the Graeco-Roman
world, are are usually large pottery vessels, with handles, for the
storage and transportation of liquids, especially wine, olive
oil and other foodstuffs. The study of the production, distribution
and dating of amphoras (and indirectly the products they originally
contained) is one of the most important sources for the analysis of
the the Roman economy. Amphoras are commonly found in shipwrecks of
the Roman period, particularly in the western Mediterranean. |
| Coarse wares |
Coarse wares, for cooking or food preparation or storage, are the most
common wares on most sites. In most cases they will be from local
sources but some coarse wares are transported over long distances. |
| Fine wares |
In addition to terra sigillata, other traditions of fine pottery were
current during the Roman period. Many of these vessels can be classed
as table wares, and were used as drinking vessels (cups and beakers)
or for the service of food (plates and dishes). Common decorative
techniques include slipped (or more rarely glazed) surfaces. |
| Mortaria |
Mortaria are hemispherical or conical bowls commonly with
heavy flanges and coarse grits embedded into the internal surface.
They were used for pounding or mixing foods and are an important
indicator of the spread of romanised food preparation methods. Stamps
on some early Roman mortaria record the name of the potter, from which
it is possible to trace their movement between workshops. Some
vessels produced in Italy and Gaul are transported long distances but
local factories dominate at most periods. |
| Terra Sigillata |
A tradition of red-gloss table wares current in Western Europe from the
first century BC until the third century AD. Probably the most widely
distributed and intensively studied class of Roman ceramics. The
products of the largest sigillata industries, such as those based at
Arezzo (Italy) or near Millau (France) are found throught the
Mediterranean basin and across the northern Roman provinces and are an
important source of dating evidence on many archaeological sites. |
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