The Production and Consumption of Islamic Ceramics in Lisbon

Abstract

This paper presents the findings a recent program of archaeological study, carried out in Lisbon, of two excavated ceramic kilns dating to the Islamic period. The aims of this program, entitled “Pottery Production in Lisbon in the Islamic Period” or POILIX project, were to further understanding of the production of ceramics in Lisbon, based on a typological, formal, technological and archaeometric analyses of remains from these kiln sites. The project also sought to assess the importance of these manufacturing sites within the context of ceramic production and consumption in Lisbon and its surrounding area. In relation to the study of the individual kilns, it was concluded that they produced primarily earthenware ceramic vessels for domestic use, namely common ware ceramics but also vessels decorated with white paint or glaze. In terms of the wider context, the POILIX project concluded that Islamic Lisbon had diverse patterns of ceramic consumption, as noted elsewhere in Mediterranean Muslim contexts. These patterns incorporated the use of locally or regionally produced vessels, decorated with red paint or with partial cuerda seca techniques, as well as the consumption of imported artefacts, such as those decorated with green glaze and manganese and those with partial or total cuerda seca designs.