‘Novy Svet Ware’, an Exceptional Cargo of Glazed Wares from a 13th-Century Shipwreck near Sudak (Crimea, Ukraine)—Morphological Typology and Laboratory Investigations

Abstract

Excavation of a medieval shipwreck at Novy Svet, Crimea, Ukraine, revealed an exceptional quantity of glazed ceramics with sgraffito decoration which, according to chemical analysis, correspond to a single production provisionally named 'Novy Svet Ware'. Typological and analytical definitions are given. Its diffusion in the Crimea and extending to Turkey and the Levant, points to a main, as yet unlocated, workshop. The Novy Svet shipwreck suggests the persistence of large-scale diffusion of ceramics in the late-13th century, and demonstrates connections with the Black Sea, the Byzantine capital and territories, the Mediterranean and possibly the spice roads.

The Main ‘Middle Byzantine Production’ and Pottery Manufacture in Thebes and Chalcis

“…They all belong to the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries with no earlier specimens. One of the finished samples, whose thin walls, shiny brown glaze and external tongues of slip remind one of the so-called ‘Novy Svet Ware’ (Waksman and François 2004–5; Waksman and Teslenko 2010), is in fact part of the Thebes chemical group (catalogue no. 9 BZY504, Fig.…”

“…51–2, BZY546, 549 Figs. 12 h , 13 d from Chalcis) which recall the ‘Novy Svet Ware’ (Waksman and François 2004–5; Waksman and Teslenko 2010). This category also includes an example of Ottoman Sgraffito dating from the fifteenth–sixteenth century (catalogue no.…”

Colouring Agents in the Pottery Glazes of Western Anatolia: New Evidence for the Use of Naples Yellow Pigment Variations During The Late Byzantine Period

“…; Waksman and François ; Sauer and Waksman ; Waksman and Von Wartburg ; Waksman and Romanchuk ; Waksman et al . , ; Waksman and Teslenko ; Damjanovic et al . ).…”

“…There are two aspects of these archaeometric studies: the identification of pottery production centres based on raw material sources (provenance analysis) and the technology used in the production of these pottery types. Determination of the pottery production centres in the Byzantine Empire has been the primary focus of archaeometric research until now, since these centres are as yet ill-defined due to the absence of literary sources and incomplete archaeological evidence (e.g., Megaw et al 2003;Waksman and François 2004-5;Sauer and Waksman 2005;Waksman and Von Wartburg 2006;Waksman and Romanchuk 2007;Waksman et al , 2009Waksman and Teslenko 2010;Damjanovic et al 2011). Furthermore, the production technology of Byzantine pottery has been studied to a lesser extent when compared to provenance studies (e.g., Demirci et al 2004;Tanevska et al 2009;Charalambous et al 2010;Raskovska et al 2010;Holclajtner-Antunovic et al 2012).…”

Technology issues of Byzantine glazed pottery from Corinth, Greece

“…It is generally accepted that several 12th-13th c. classes, such as 'Green and Brown Painted', 'Slip Painted', 'Fine Sgraffito', 'Incised Sgraffito' and 'Champlevé', were produced by a few specialized workshops and then distributed in the entire Mediterranean region. Indeed, large quantities of table wares belonging to these classes have been found in numerous sites in Italy, France, Serbia, Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Israel, Lebanon etc., but also in various shipwrecks in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea [5,6].…”