Revising the Chronology and Typology of Gaza Ware, a Hallmark of Late Islamic Palestinian Pottery

Abstract

Gaza Ware, one of the hallmarks of Palestinian pottery in Late Islamic/Ottoman times, was produced in the southern Coastal Plain and is characterised by dark-coloured fabric and a large variety of vessel forms. Although most scholars agree that Gaza Ware was already in use in the 18th century and continued into the 20th century, the earliest appearance of this pottery is still under debate. This article offers new insights into Gaza Ware typology and chronology, based on published and unpublished ceramic assemblages from excavated contexts in southern and central Palestine. More specifically, it is suggested here that the advent of Gaza Ware can be traced back to the 17th, if not the 16th, century, and morphological and fabric criteria to discern between ‘early’ and ‘late’ variants of certain vessel types are presented. This fresh look at Gaza Ware will hopefully assist archaeologists and ceramic specialists dealing with Late Islamic Southern Levantine contexts to fine-tune the chronology of contemporaneous ceramics and excavated remains.