Ceramic production in the plain of Paestum

Aim of this project is the archaeometric study of pottery production in the plain of Paestum from the Archaic Period until the Roman conquest. The area represents one of the most important archaeological regions of Southern Italy and comprises Etrusco-Italic sites, like Pontecagnano and Fratte in the north, and the Greek colony of Poseidonia/Paestum in the south. The study of the material culture of these sites, in particular of pottery, allows important insights into the intercultural and socio-economic system of this region as it makes it possible to follow the circulation of products and thus to study trading and other contacts in the considered area. As the production centres of pottery rarely can be identified by archaeological methods, like typology of vessel-forms, only, an interdisciplinary approach including petrographic, mineralogical and physical analyses is intended to succeed in identifying the production sites of pottery in this region and the definition of their peculiarities. Only the interplay of archaeological and archaeometric methods will provide useful information of trading, connectivity, and production technology. In the course of the project more than 300 pottery samples will be selected from the major productive sites (Paestum, Pontecagnano, and Fratte) and from minor sites in the territory (e.g., sacred areas). They will be characterised via mineralogical, petrographic and physical methods in order to define local productions by comparing composition of ceramics with the geological features of the territory. Besides, the analysis of pottery production indicators (e.g., kiln wastes) collected in workshop areas will be a strong basis of comparison for other ceramic finds. A geological survey will be performed in order to find possible clay resources exploited in antiquity in the plain of Paestum and surrounding area. The analyses of raw materials will offer us further information on provenance and production technology of ceramics. The project will be carried out at the Department of Classical Archaeology of Vienna, while analyses will be performed at the Institute for Applied Geology, Universität für Bodenkultur of Vienna. The application of archaeometric methods, previously only used in a limited way in Austria for pottery and clayey raw materials analyses, will represent an important element for developing archaeological research in this country. The project also envisages the dissemination of results by publishing on international journals, presentation to workshops and conferences. Finally, data of ceramic fabrics and clays will be stored in the existing web-based database FACEM (www.facem.at), developed at the Vienna University, which represents an open-access platform for dialogue and discussion for identifying regions of origin of pottery in the Southern Central Mediterranean.

The Lise Meitner project Ceramic production in the plain of Paestum aimed at investigating the production of ceramics in one of the most important archaeological regions of the Mediterranean area from the Archaic period to the Roman conquest. The area, located in the plain of the Sele River, was characterized by intense intercultural and socio-economic exchanges between the Greek colony of Poseidonia, later known with the Roman name of Paestum, in the south and the Etrusco-Italic sites of Pontecagnano and Fratte in the north. However, until recently, our knowledge of pottery production sites and exchange activities in this area remained limited. This project aimed at answering these questions via an interdisciplinary approach between geologists and archaeologists of institutions from Austria and Italy. More than 370 samples of different ceramic classes like coarse ware, figural terracottas, glazed and miniature pottery, from major urban sites and cult-places in the territory, were analysed via mineralogical-petrographic techniques. This approach represents a useful tool for investigating provenance and technology of ceramics. We also analysed local clays in order to locate the exploited raw materials sources in the territory and production indicators, represented by remains of craft activities, for defining the compositional features of local products. The investigation was supported by the macroscopic examination of ceramic fabrics according to the standards of FACEM (www.facem.at), the web-based information system developed at the University of Vienna. The compositional features of pottery from the different production sites are related to the raw materials available in the two sectors north (Pontecagnano and Fratte) and south (Paestum) of the plain. The comparison of local clays and production indicators, allowed for the definition of the peculiarities of local products and also for pointing out the possibility of exchange from Poseidonia to the Etruscan settlements located north of the Sele River. The study also proved the circulation of ceramic products from the Attic region of Greece to the plain of Paestum. We were able to create a broader basis for the application of mineralogical and petrographic methods, previously only used in a limited way for the examination of ancient pottery in Austria. This was only possible thanks to the good cooperation with Austrian laboratories and support of local archaeological institutions (Parco Archeologico di Paestum, Museo Archeologico di Pontecagnano), but also thanks to the contribution of people and potters, who helped us find sources of raw materials. This had positive implications for preserving the cultural identity of local people.