Local Potter’s reactions. Three case studies from southern Italy and Sicily

Abstract

This paper presents the results of three NAA sample series from Ascoli Satriano (Apulia), Ripacandida (Basilicata) and Monte Iato (western Sicily). Based on the identification of the chemical patterns of each site, the study aimed to outline the range of local pottery production, as seen against the backdrop of cultural contacts in the course of the so-called Greek colonization. For this purpose, colonial and imported Greek vessels, supplemented by kitchen and coarse wares, were sampled alongside traditional indigenous pottery. The chronological framework covered the 8th/7th to the 4th c. BCE. The results revealed that a highly diverse pottery production existed from early on in areas of intensive cultural contacts and wide-ranging networks, as at Monte Iato. More remote areas, on the other hand, tended to remain integrated into networks of lesser scope; in these areas, local production was primarily limited to traditional wares and external stimuli were taken up rather late, if at all. In this context, the results are understood as reflecting potters’ reactions to local demand defined by social differentiation.