LATE ROMAN FINE POTTERY FROM GADARA (UMM QAIS), 2011 SEASON OF EXCAVATION

Abstract

This paper presents the late Roman fine potteryi assemblages that have been discovered in summer 2011 at Gadara (Umm Qais) in northern Jordan. Four groups of fine redslipped pottery could be recognized according to their wares and main shapes: The Phocaean Red Slip Wares (LRC), the Cypriot Red Slip Wares (LRD), the African Red Slip Wares (ARS), and the Egyptian Red Slip Wares (ERS). This paper is focused on studying these four groups according to their main characters, types, numbers, and the most frequently occurring types. It is also focused on clarifying the trade relations and export between the city of Gadara, during the Roman and Byzantine periods, and the remote production centers of the fine Roman pottery. This study exposed that some types of fine pottery at Gadara were more common than other types; it also demonstrated the existence of new forms of fine pottery.