Hellenistic and Roman fine wares from ancient Elis, Greece: Α preliminary technological study using SEM/EDS analysis

Abstract

This paper focuses on the archaeometric analysis of a pottery assemblage from the West Stoa (the so-called Stoa of the Hellanodikai) in ancient Elis, Greece. The Stoa was in use from the Archaic to the Roman times. Between the 6th and the 4th century BC, it served as the seat of the officials (the Hellanodikai) who oversaw the Olympic Games. Excavations revealed rich findings, such as fragments of glass and metal objects, murex shells, pottery fragments and a plethora of animal bones. The assemblage under examination consists of sixty-one (61) black slipped, red slipped and terra sigillata drinking pots and other forms of table wares, dated between the 3rd and the late 1st century BC. All samples were first classified based on their typological traits and then examined both macroscopically and microscopically. Based on their visual traits, five fabric groups were determined and 44 samples, representative of each fabric group, were selected for further chemical examination. SEM/EDS was used to characterize chemically and technologically the fabric groups. The combined use of LED and SEM/EDS revealed that the majority of the vessels presents a hard, non-porous, calcareous clay fabric (CaO > 10 wt%), which led to the production of high quality, durable vessels. In general, the fabrics and the chemical groups are not correlated, with the exception of the terra sigillata samples which present homogeneity, both microscopical and chemical. The examination of the microstructure showed that the pots were fired at a temperature between 850 and 1050 °C, which is typical for Hellenistic and Roman pottery production. The homogeneity and the thickness of the slip in most of the samples are indications of its high quality. Overall, the current combined typological and analytical study of a pottery assemblage from a recently excavated archaeological site significantly contributes to the acquisition of new data about western Peloponnesian pottery fabrics.