Still discoverable: A reconsideration of Eastern Sigillata B

This project focuses on a Roman pottery group that was one of the most popular tableware in the eastern Mediterranean from the middle of the 1st century BCE onwards. Although the so-called Eastern Sigillata B (ESB) is known since 1904 and a basic typo-chronology exists, there are still large research gaps. They mainly concern the production and manufacturing techniques as well as the sales markets. The aim of this project is to clarify the still open questions by a comprehensive (re)investigation of the ESB finds. In the hinterland of Ephesos (Western Turkey), the production of ESB was started in Augustan times (30 BCE 14 CE), developing into mass production during the Roman Imperial period. The precursors of these industrially produced sets of various vessel forms are already found in the late Hellenistic period. However, the production of these "prototypes" has never been analyzed comprehensively. Two different production series can be distinguished in the Roman mass production based on quality, vessel shape and decorative elements. The difference in quality, especially between the fabrics and the slips, has often been used to chronologically distinguish between the two ESB series. However, ESB finds from Ephesos show that quality played a minor role or is most likely due to workshop- specific differences. The ancient city of Tralleis in the hinterland of Ephesos is considered the main production site, where several workshops with regional production patterns can be assumed. The aim of this project is to investigate how exactly the differences between the production series and qualities can be evaluated. With the help of archaeometric analyses (NAA and SEM), applied for the first time on a large number of samples, production processes and individual workshops will be identified. Since the start of production, the demand for ESB products increased continuously and Ephesos developed from a sales market to an important trading hub. Through the Ephesian port, ESB vessels reached the entire eastern Mediterranean region and beyond. A research gap in the export radius is the Adriatic region. Shipwrecks with import vessels from Asia Minor have been found along the coasts, but a comprehensive study of the ESB from this region is lacking. By including the ESB finds from the Croatian sites of Trogir and Hvar/Soline as well as the shipwreck found off Pakleni/Izmetište, this area will now be covered. This project is the first comprehensive reassessment of the ESB, in conjunction with new archaeometric analyses that will lead to the identification of ESB workshops and the specification of production series. All results will be accessible via open access.