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Class : Fine wares
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Source : Africa
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Distribution in Britain
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| Distribution summary |
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Illustration
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Source of ware
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Roman Pottery in Britain (Tyers 1996)
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This ware is discussed on p.152-154 of Roman Pottery in Britain (1996).
Fabric code : NARS
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National Roman Fabric Reference Collection (Tomber & Dore 1998)
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Cross-reference from this group to fabric descriptions published in
The National Roman Fabric Reference Collection (1998):
- NOA RS
- North African Red-slipped ware p.61
Illustrations of these fabrics are available only in the printed catalogue: R. Tomber & J. Dore,
The national Roman fabric reference collection. A handbook
Museum of London Archaeology Service, London. MOLAS monograph 2. (1998). |
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| Summary |
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A wide range of fine red-slipped table wares and coarser cooking wares
produced in Tunisia and widely distributed around the Mediterranean
and across the north-west provinces during the 2nd to 6th centuries
AD. |
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Fabric and technology
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North African wares comprise a series of related fabrics which
share some common characteristics. The main variants are:
Early fabrics: Hard granular fabrics with pimply surfaces;
brick-red or orange-red with fine quartz, sand and rare mica,
with a fine polished glossy slip over all surfaces, similar in
colour to the body. A related cooking-ware has a similar body,
but traces of a dull slip (or unslipped) and is frequently blackened
near the rim (late 1st-2nd cent).
Later thin fine fabric: A very thin, smooth-textured ware
which tends to splinter in the break; thin slip, which may be
glossy or matt (3rd cent.).
Later coarser ware: A series of granular ware with pimply
surfaces; usually a matt slip, which does not cover all the surfaces
(4th-5th cent).
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Forms
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The full range of forms in North African red slip ware is immense.
Some of the earlier plates, cups and bowls (late 1st to mid-2nd
cent.) follow Italian and Gaulish sigillata prototypes, but with
barbotined or rouletted decoration. The later assemblage includes
a variety large shallow plates or small bowls and coarse-ware
bowls with sagging bases.
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Chronology
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Production commences in the period c. AD 80/100 and continues
until Arab invasions of 7th cent. In Britain, a scatter through
the 2nd-4th cent. Some importation to western Britain with other
Mediterranean imports, c. AD 475-550.
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Source
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Tunisia.
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Distribution
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Widespread around the western Mediterranean from 2nd to 6th centuries,
forming a significant part of assemblages in Provence and the
Rhône valley during 3rd-5th cent. AD. Uncommon in northern provinces,
although there are an increasing number of identifications from
Britain.
Influence from African coarse ware styles can be seen in Gaulish
and British industries of the 3rd cent (e.g. Swan 1994).
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Aliases
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Carlisle fabric 146. JRPS bibliography fabric ars.
Kent fine fabric 1. British (Tintagel) class Aii.
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Bibliography
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The fundamental study is Hayes 1972, with supplement (Hayes 1980).
British distribution catalogued by Bird (1977) and Thomas (1981,
15-6); see also Rahtz et al. 1992, 162-5.
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References
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Bird 1977.
Bird, J., 'African Red Slip ware in Roman Britain' in Roman
pottery studies in Britain and beyond Papers presented to J. P.
Gillam, July 1977, ed. J. Dore and K. T. Greene, British archaeological
reports. International series, 30, BAR, Oxford, (1977),
pp. 269-78.
Hayes 1972.
Hayes, J. W., Late Roman pottery, British School at Rome,
London, (1972).
Hayes 1980.
Hayes, J. W., A supplement to Late Roman Pottery, British
School at Rome, London, (1980).
Rahtz et al. 1992.
Rahtz, P. A., Woodward, A., Burrow, I., Everton, A., Watts, L.,
Leach, P., Hirst, S., Fowler, P. and Gardner, K., Cadbury Congresbury
1968-73. A late/post-Roman hilltop settlement in Somerset,
British archaeological reports. British series, 223, Tempus
Reparatum, Oxford, (1992).
Swan 1994.
Swan, V. G., 'Legio VI and its Men: African Legionaries in Britain',
JRPS, 5, (1994), pp. 1-34.
Thomas 1981.
Thomas, C., A provisional list of imported pottery in Post-Roman
Britain and Ireland, Special report, 7, Institute of
Cornish Studies, Redruth, (1981).
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