Petrological Examination of Later Middle Bronze Age Pottery from Ayia Irini, Keos

Abstract

S INCE EARLY in the course of excavations at Ayia Irini, it has seemed likely that the reddish brown, micaceous ceramic fabric found in all: prehistoric levels is locaL It is characteristic of most terracotta small finds (e.g., loomnweights and spindle whorls), artifacts which are likely to have been made from local Keian materials, and is also by far the most common pottery fabric. Members of the excavation team, therefore, have felt that they can with confidence distinguish this local fabric from non-local fabrics and, in many cases, also assign certain non-local fabrics to specific areas of the Aegean on the basis of characteristics apparent to the unaided eye.'