“Shifting intra- and inter-regional foci of artisanal ceramic production in the region of Sagalassos (SW Turkey) from the Archaic to Byzantine period”

The analysis of the occurrence of mineral raw materials for ceramic production in the region of Sagalassos is already well advanced, and three main areas of pottery production were identified from archaeometrical analysis. This project will develop a better understanding of intra-regional patterns of ceramic exchange in the wider geographical area, e.g. in relation to Seleucia Sidera and Perge, and will reconstruct ceramic production organization and craft technology in the long-term, from Roman imperial to late Byzantine times, taking into account the concept of ceramic koinè. The project will comprise archaeometrical (geochemical, petrographical) characterisation of ceramics from all areas investigated, and the conceptual framework of ceramic koinè will be used to examine the distinct characteristics of the local ceramic repertoires which at the same time formed part of a larger shared ceramic vocabulary. Following this approach, it will be possible to better understand the socioeconomic and political mechanisms behind the circulation of ceramics both within and outside the territory of Sagalassos, as well as investigate whether this common vocabulary continues to function even beyond the 7th c. AD.