Technology Transfer at the Periphery of the Mycenaean World: The Cases of Mycenaean Pottery Found in Central Macedonia (Greece) and the Plain of Sybaris (Italy)*

Abstract

The study of technology transfer in pottery production to the periphery of the Mycenaean world has been addressed by considering two different areas, Southern Italy and Central Macedonia. Technological features such as ceramic paste, decoration and firing, have been determined for different ceramic groups established according to provenance criteria. The studies of technology and provenance have been performed following an archaeometric approach using neutron activation analysis, petrographic analysis, x-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy.The results have revealed the existence of two different models. On the one hand, Southern Italy seems to exhibit a more organised pottery production, which follows a Mycenaean-like technology, while in Central Macedonia production is probably more varied, in part based on the technology of the local tradition.

Intraregional Provenancing of Philistine Pottery from Israel

“…The standardization of the pottery is relatively minimal and various sub-wares were all produced in the same place. Influences of a higher mode of production was suggested by Killebrew (7), relating to the large scale industry of Mycenaean IIIB in the Aegean; an example of such an industry is illustrated by compositional analysis (31). While it is not certain that the Mycenaean pottery itself was the result of 'large-scale' production (although it shows high quality and standardization), the production of Philistine Iron I pottery, particularly the Monochrome ware, clearly cannot be viewed as a product of large-scale production, especially, as noted above, due to its low level of standardization.…”

Portable XRF of Archaeological Artifacts: Current Research, Potentials and Limitations

“…This, for example, especially applies in the case of pottery analysis. Here, clay's inhomogeneity, caused either by the presence of non-normally distributed inclusions (Buxeda i Carrigos et al 2003) or simply incomplete refinement processes, results in distribution issues. In pottery studies, it is also the high-or over-firing that can occur on a sub-set of artifacts produced at the same kiln that is responsible for alteration effects in the rare earth element concentrations (Schwedt et al 2004) and therefore severely affects the compositional groups resulting from the chemical analysis (Tite 2008) and, naturally, any comparison between PXRF with other analytical methods.…”

The Mycenaeans in Italy: a minimalist position

“…1 Aegean peoples were not the only ones whose goods reached Italy and the islands. The Mycenaean-style pots made of local Italian clays but closeh mirroring Mycenaean ceramic technology are compelling evidence of direct contact with Mycenaean potters on Italian soil, however (Buxeda i Garrigos et al, 2003). We do not even know for sure if the Mycenaeans brought their material to Italy themselves.…”

“…The forms are mainly Mycenaean, but with some indigenous ones as well, such as the 'Broglio type jar' (Bettelli and Levi, 2003), and southeast Sicily's 'Pantalica' wares (Leighton, 1999: 168). The authors see in the case of southern Italy the hands of Mycenaean potters based at certain discrete locations, such as Broglio di Trebisacce and Termitito, rather than the generalized adoption and modification of Mycenaean styles and techniques by local populations that characterized the Macedonian case (Buxeda i Garrigos et al, 2003). Both the above-mentioned plain-wares and the painted fine-wares are wheel-thrown, a technology unknown in Italy before this period, where the local pottery tradition was one of hand-built pots in dark, low-fired fabrics.…”