potsherd - Roman pottery

Ware	Class	Summary
Aoste mortaria	Mortaria	Mortaria manufactured at Aoste (Isère/FR) during 1st century AD; most common in western Switzerland and Rhône valley, but small numbers throughout Gaul, the Rhineland and Britain.
Argonne ware	Fine wares	Red-slipped wares, most characteristically bowls with roller-stamped decoration, produced in the Argonne region (Ardennes/FR) and widely distributed across north-east Gaul and Britain. 3rd and 4th centuries AD.
Central Gaulish black-slipped ware	Fine wares	A fine black-slipped ware, commonly beakers and cups with rouletted or barbotine decoration, produced in Central Gaul and widely distributed across Gaul and Britain during the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD.
Central Gaulish coarse micaceous ware	Coarse wares	Jars and bowls in coarse micaceous red-brown or dark-brown wares abundantly tempered with crushed granite, produced in Central France and with wide but thin distribution across central and northern Gaul and southern Britain during 1st century BC and early 1st century AD.
Central Gaulish colour-coated wares	Fine wares	Colour-coated cups and beakers with pale brown or white fabrics, darker red-brown or brown slips and barbotine or rough-cast decoration, produced in Central Gaul and widely distributed across Gaul and Britain during the 1st and 2nd centuries AD.
Central Gaulish fine micaceous wares	Fine wares	Platters, jars and flagons in fine textured micaceous wares, red, white or mica-slipped, produced in Central Gaul and distributed there and occasionally in northern Gaul and southern Britain during the late 1st century BC and early 1st century AD.
Central Gaulish glazed ware	Fine wares	Green-glazed cups and beakers with pale brown or white fabrics, and barbotine or relief decoration, produced in Central Gaul and widely distributed across Gaul and Britain during the 1st and 2nd centuries AD.
Central Gaulish terra sigillata	Terra Sigillata	Terra sigillata manufacture commenced in Central Gaul from the Augustan period and during the 1st century AD the distinctive micaceous products of Lezoux are distributed across central and western Gaul, and occasionally to southern Britain. The height of the industry was during the 2nd century AD. when the products of Les Martres-de-Veyre and Lezoux (Puy-de-Dôme/FR) had a wide distribution across Gaul, Germany, Britain and the Danube provinces.
Céramique à l'éponge	Fine wares	A range of fine slipped wares decorated with darker marbled or sponged patterns, produced in western France and distributed across western and northern Gaul and southern Britain during the 3rd and 4th centuries AD.
Dressel 2-4 amphoras	Amphoras	A tall cylindrical amphora with angular shoulders, characteristic bifid handles and a beaded rim. This is the most important wine amphora of the early imperial period, both produced in many regions (notably Italy, Gaul, Spain and the Eastern Mediterranean, but also southern Britain) and exported widely.
East Gaulish terra sigillata	Terra Sigillata	Terra sigillata kiln sites were founded in eastern Gaul from the mid-1st century AD, but production for a wider market is only significant during the 2nd and early-mid 3rd centuries AD. There is evidence from the study of stamps and moulds for the movement of potters between production centres, and craftsmen from Sinzig and Trier (Rheinland-Pfalz/DE) were probably responsible for the small Colchester (Essex/GB) sigillata industry during the mid-late 2nd century AD.
Eggshell terra nigra	Fine wares	Beakers in very thin fine black-slipped wares produced in northern Gaul and distributed across north-east Gaul and south-east Britain during the 1st century AD.
Gallo-Belgic mortaria	Mortaria	Mortaria manufactured in Gallia Belgica, principally near Bavay (Nord/FR) during 1st and 2nd centuries AD; distributed across northern Gaul and southern Britain.
Gauloise 12 amphoras	Amphoras	A flat-based two-handled amphora with a thick projecting rim with multiple grooves on the uppers surface. Produced in Normandy (FR) with a largely local distribution but some specimens in Britain.
Gauloise flat-based amphoras	Amphoras	Flat-based two-handled amphoras typically in a fine-textured micaceous fabric. Produced at a large number of sites across southern France (Languedoc and Provence/FR), and very common in the north-west provinces during the 2nd and 3rd centuries.
Italian-type (Arretine) sigillata	Terra Sigillata	Classic terra sigillata (`arretine') production commenced at Arezzo (Toscana/IT) during the early Augustan period. Additional workshops were set up in Italy, at Pisa (IT) and elsewhere, and also in southern Gaul, particularly at Lyon (Rhône/FR). Study of stamps and moulds suggests the movement of potters between workshops.
Lyon ware	Fine wares	Cups and beakers in a fine pale colour-coated ware with darker colour-coated, decorated with barbotine or rough cast, produced at Lyon (Rhône/FR) and widely distributed across Gaul, the Rhineland and Britain during the 1st century AD.
North Gaulish grey wares	Coarse wares	Jars, beakers, jugs and bowls in grey wares produced in the Picardy, Nord and Pas-de-Calais (FR) and distributed across northern Gaul and south and east England during the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD.
North Gaulish mortaria	Mortaria	Mortaria manufactured in northern France during 1st and 2nd centuries AD; distributed across northern Gaul and Britain.
Pompeian-Red ware fabric 3	Coarse wares	Platters (and accompanying lids) in a fine-textured brown micaceous fabric with red-slipped internal surface, produced in Central Gaul (FR) and widely distributed across Gaul and Britain during the 1st and 2nd centuries AD.

Introduction