Analysing Roman pottery workshops in the Civitas Viromanduorum (France, Picardy)

Abstract

Pottery kilns in the Vermandois territory were discovered in the north of the Roman province Gallia Belgica (covering present-day Picardy in northern France) during various excavation campaigns, conducted from the end of the 19th century until 2020. Archaeologists from the French Institut National de Recherches Archéologiques Préventives (INRAP) excavated 28 pottery kilns from the Roman period, dated between the Tiberian period (14–37 AD) and the beginning of the 4th century AD. These were located in three main areas: Muille-Villette, Montescourt-Lizerolles, Vermand, and Saint-Quentin. Several others were excavated overlying earlier kilns and craft production at Beuvraignes and near Noyon. The pottery waste included fine ware (terra nigra, micaceous tableware), coarse ware (dishes, jars, pots, dolia, flagons, bottles) amphorae and pipes. During the archaeological operations, we systematically questioned our excavation methods according to the preservation of the remains and aimed for an exhaustive study of the ceramics. Building upon the excavation data, this study examined the pottery waste from the workshops at Muille-Villette, Montescourt-Lizerolles, and Saint-Quentin compositionally, adopting archaeometric analysis (OM and WD-XRF) to reconstruct the production technology, and using archaeomagnetic analysis to date the kiln structures. The results offer a first insight into the pottery craft in the Vermandois area, including specific features and technological traditions of the potters, as well as the specialisation of ceramic production and distribution.