Sarmatian kiln from Szentes–Schweidel József street site

Abstract

In the Carpathian Basin, according to our current knowledge, there are only a few sites where traces of Sarmatian pottery production can be found. The clearest and most direct evidence of local pottery production is the presence of pottery kilns, which are relatively rare in the Sarmatian age Barbaricum. In total, there are 28 settlements where pottery firing kilns have been excavated, the vast majority of which were found during excavations before the turn of the millennium. This paper deals with the processing and analysis of a welldocumented Sarmatian pottery kiln excavated in Szentes–Schweidel József Street in 2006. Based on the structural design of the kiln, it can be identified as a Celtic-type of pottery kiln which was popular and widespread at the time. By comparing the pottery kiln with its parallels, we can gain an insight into the potterymaking practices of the Sarmatians living in the Southern Great Plain in the 2nd–4 th centuries AD.