Гончарство тунисского Набёля: древние традиции и современность

Abstract

The article examines the pottery production of the Tunisian city of Nabeul, the administrative center of the province of Cap Bon, located in the north-eastern part of the country, on the Mediterranean coast. Modern Nabeul is situated on the site of the ancient city of Neapolis. A common occupation of local residents — pottery — is due to the large deposits of marl clays available in the district. The origins of this craft originate in the first centuries of our era, when the Romans founded their city on the site of a small Greek trading settlement and brought here their traditions of pottery. Archaeological surveys in Nabeul and its environs have revealed the existence of several pottery workshops engaged in the manufacture of both large ceramic containers — amphorae, and fine tableware imitating the Roman Terra sigillata. From here, Nabeul ceramics spread throughout the Mediterranean and was discovered in archaeological sites in Libya, Egypt, Spain, Britain and other regions. This phenomenon illustrates trade relations between various provinces of the Roman Empire. Nabeul’s modern pottery production, oriented both to the domestic market and tourists, also focuses on the production of large forms and richly ornamented tableware, the decor of which generally reflects the style of Islamic glazed ceramic products, but is more closely related to the style of modern Arabic ceramics of the Maghreb countries, especially Morocco. Also, Tunisian modern ceramics shows similarities in form, ornament and color palette with modern provincial ceramics in Spain, especially Andalusia, and probably has common roots.