Greek, Roman and Byzantine Pottery at Ilion (Troia):
Phocaean Red-Slip
Please note that this is a public draft of work in progress
introduction - bibliography
Also known as "Late Roman C," Phocaean Red-Slip is the most common table ware of the fourth through sixth centuries. Varieties of Hayes forms 1, 2 and 3 are common, with form 3 dominant in fills associated with the late 5th and early sixth centuries. A form 5 is also cataloged below. Later forms are less common with few Hayes forms 8 and 10 having been identified. The Hayes form 10b cataloged below is among the latest well-dated ceramics to indicate that activity continued past the early sixth century earthquake. The main typology of Phocaean Red Slip remains that of Hayes published in his Late Roman Pottery (1972), where the name is "Late Roman C". Hayes adopted "Phocaean Red Slip" in the supplement to this volume (1980). Subsequent publication of chemical analysis and kiln material confirm the attribution (EmpereurPicon 1986 and MayetPicon 1968). Ilion is relatively near the production centers around Phocaea so that many variants on the standard series appear in deposits at the site. This is also the case at Assos (Zelle 2003) and Ephesos (LadstätterSauer 2005), which are important points of comparison; similar variants are also known from Scythia (Opait 2004).
1. Phocaean Red-Slip Hayes Form 1a Rim (late 4th to early 5th century AD)
P.H. .029. Est. diam. rim .12. Th. .003.
I17.0647:4. Single sherd. Fine light red (2.5YR 6/6) fabric with occasional tiny lime inclusions and small elongated gaps. Worn surface is darker (10R 5/6) with thin slip. The slip is thinner and a touch darker above the carination.
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2. Phocaean Red-Slip Hayes Form 1a Rim (late 4th to early 5th century AD)
P.H. .036. Est. diam. rim .16. Th. .004.
I17.0647:5. Single sherd. Light red (2.5YR 6/8) fabric with small lime inclusions, occasional darker bits. Surface is mostly lighter red (10R 5/6) but darker above the carination. Light scratches on lower exterior wall.
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3. Phocaean Red-Slip Hayes Form 1a Base (late 4th to early 5th century AD)
P.H. .028. Est. diam. base .05 (1/5 preserved). Th. .004.
I17.0647:6. Single base sherd. Fine light red (2.5YR 6/8) fabric with occasional tiny lime inclusions. Interior surface is worn away. Exterior is variable but mostly dull red (10R 5/6). Exterior has frequent scratches.
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4. Phocaean Red-Slip Base, cf. Form 1
P.H. .035. Est. diam. base .11 (1/5 preserved). Th. .0045.
K17.0752:7. Single base sherd. Fabric is light red (2.5YR 6/8) without excessive lime. Matte surface is red (10R 5/8).
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5. Phocaean Red-Slip Hayes Form 1b Rim (late 4th to early 5th century AD)
P.H. .037. Est. diam. rim .17. Th. .0035.
I17.0829:1. Single sherd. Fine light red (10R 6/6/) fabric with frequent small and tiny lime inclusions. There is a single extant chuck of lime, .0035 in diameter, exploding on the outer surface. Thin red and unsmoothed (10R 5/8) slip on all surfaces, except outer face of rim where darker (10R 4/2 to 5/3) from stacking. Slight carination on outer face.
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6. Phocaean Red-Slip Hayes Form 1b Rim (late 4th to early 5th century AD)
P.H. .037. Est. diam. rim .21. Th. .0044.
M18.0099:15. Single sherd. Red fabric with occasional sub-angular lime (.003), rare mica, and other tiny bits. Surface slip is fired to essentially the same color as fabric with only slight discoloration on outer rim from stacking.
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7. Phocaean Red-Slip Hayes 1d Profile (last quarter 5th century)
M18.0045:4. Two joining sherds. Dark band under rim from uneven stacking in kiln.
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8. Phocaean Red-Slip Hayes Form 2a Rim
P.H. .05. Est. diam. rim .30. Th. .005.
I17.0647:1. Fine light red (10R 6/8) fabric with very frequent lime inclusions up to .0025 in diameter but mostly smaller. Surface is mostly light red (10R 5/8) but darker near outer edge of rim and on lower face.
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9. Phocaean Red-Slip Rim near Hayes Form 2b
P.H. .015. Est. diam. rim .20 (1/12 preserved). Th. .0047.
K17.0696:15. Single sherd. Frequent tiny lime inclusions. Orange red fabric (2.5YR 6/8). Thick matte slip (10R 6/8).
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10. Phocaean Red-Slip Rim near Opait form XI (AD 450 - 550)
P.H. .03. Est. diam. rim .26 (1/12 preserved). Th. .006.
K17.0736:8. Reddish-brown (2.5YR 6/8) fabric with frequent lime and some voids. Matte slip is generally darker (10R 5/8), particularly on outer face of rim. The underside of the rim is tooled flat.
Cf. Opait 2004 p. 76 and plate 55.
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Opait, Andrei. 2004. Local and Imported Ceramics in the Roman Province of Scythia British Archaeological Reports International Series 1274. Oxford. [worldcat.org]
11. Phocaean Red-Slip Hayes Form 3c Rim
P.H. .033. Est. diam. rim .28 (1/8 preserved). Th. .003.
K18.0032:5. Three joining rim sherds. Fabric pale red (2.5YR 6/8), occasional tiny lime inclusions. Thinly slipped, interior smoothed only in separated bands, other surfaces unsmoothed. Inner rim fired to pale red (2.5YR 6/8), outer rim very pale in part. Two light bands of rouletting on exterior rim, one each at top and bottom of rim.
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12. Phocaean Red-Slip Hayes Form 3c Rim
P.H. .039. Est. diam. rim .21 (1/20 preserved). Th. .003.
K18.0032:14. Single rim sherd. Fabric fired to pale red (2.5YR 8/6) with some small lime inclusions and occasional larger chunks. Slip is only slightly darker than fabric, more so on outer rim. No rouletting. Two exterior grooves.
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13. Phocaean Red-Slip Hayes 3e Rim (AD 475-525)
P.H. .037. Est. diam. rim .21 (1/8 preserved). Th. .0026.
K18.0032:10. Two joining rim sherds. Very frequent lime, 10R 6/8. Slip is 10R 5/8, not darker on outer face. No rouletting.
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14. Phocaean Red-Slip Hayes 3e Rim
K18.0032:12. Single rim sherd. Single sherd. Fabric red (10R 6/6), occasional lime. Inner rim (10R 5/6), outer face darker. Three bands of rouletting.
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15. Phocaean Red-Slip Hayes 3f Rim (AD 500-550)
P.H. .020. Est. diam. rim .15 (1/12 preserved). Th. .005.
K18.0032:20. Single sherd. Fabric pale red (2.5YR 6/8) with some small lime inclusions. No rouletting on rim.
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16. Phocaean Red-Slip Hayes 3f Rim
P.H. .013. Est. diam. rim .11 (1/20 preserved). Th. .0027.
K18.0032:17. Single rim sherd. Fabric fired to pale red (10R 6/8), with some small lime inclusions. Slip slightly darker than fabric (10R 5/8), much darker on outer face. No rouletting, but there are ridges.
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17. Phocaean Red-Slip Hayes form 3f Rim
P.H. .019. Est. diam. rim .14 (1/20 preserved). Th. .0031.
K18.0032:30. Fabric pale red (2.5YR 6/8) with some small lime inclusions. Matte slip is same color as fabric except on outer face of rim where it is fired slightly darker. No rouletting on rim.
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18. Phocaean Red-Slip Rim, variant of Hayes form 3c
P.H. .037. Est. diam. rim .17 (1/8 preserved). Th. .0057.
M18.0099:4. Single rim sherd. Red (near 2.5YR 6/8) fabric with frequent tiny light bits and small elongated voids. Slip is redder (near 10R 6/8) with outer flange overfired in darker and near white patches. The tooling that created the flange left a groove between rim and wall on exterior.
Similar form, though with more flaring wall and rim, published at Wintermeyer 1980 no. 221; see also Zelle 2003, p. 82.
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Wintermeyer, Ulrike. 1980. “Didyma 1975-1979, 5. Katalog ausgewählter Keramik und Kleinfunde,” Istanbuler Mitteilungen 30: 122-160.
Zelle, Michael. 2003. “Funde spätantiker Sigillata in Assos” in Bernd von Liesen and Ulrich Brandl (eds.), Römische Keramik. Herstellung und Handel. Kolloquium Xanten, 15.-17.6.2000: 77-106.
19. Phocaean Red-Slip Hayes form 5b Rim (1st Half Sixth Century AD)
P.H. .013. Est. diam. rim .25 (1/12 preserved). Th. .0084.
K18.0032:6. Single sherd. Matte orange slip. Rouletting on ledge rim. Occasional lime chunks on surfaces.
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20. Phocaean Red-Slip Hayes form 8 Rim
C29.0001:1. Single sherd. Light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) fabric with only occasional small lime bits. Interior surface is dull reddish brown (2.5YR5/4). Upper face of the rim is comparatively brown (5YR 5/3) and the exterior surface is darker (5YR 4/2). Two offset ridges on rim.
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21. Phocaean Red-Slip Hayes form 8 Rim
Est. diam. rim .14 (1/3 preserved). Th. .0028.
G27.0004:1. Single rim sherd. Fabric fired to red (2.5YR 6/8) with small light inclusions. Surface thinly slipped and brushed, same color as fabric.
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22. Phocaean Red-Slip Hayes form 8 Rim
Est. diam. rim .14 (1/4 preserved). Th. .02.
O18.0014:1. Single rim sherd. Fabric fired to red (2.5YR 6/8) with occassional small light inclusions. Surface thinly slipped and brushed, fired to darker red (10R 5/6), darker under rim.
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23. Phocaean Red-Slip Hayes form 10a Rim
P.H. .044. Est. diam. rim .25 (1/10 preserved). Th. .0035.
N18.0020:1. Single rim sherd. Fabric fired to light red (10R 6/6) with frequent calcareous inclusions. Surface coated on all surfaces, brushed smooth, and fired to just darker than fabric (10R 5/6). Elongated voids
Near Abadie-Reynal and Sodini (1992) CF109.
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Abadie-Reynal, Catherine and Jean-Paul Sodini. 1992. La Céramique Paléochretienne de Thasos (Aliki, Delkos, Fouilles Anciennes) Études Thasiennes XIII. Athens. [worldcat.org]
24. Phocaean Red-Slip Hayes form 10a Rim
P.H. .021. Est. diam. rim .25 (1/12 preserved). Th. .0041.
K18.0032:27. The slightly granular red (2.5YR 6/8) fabric has lime inclusions, with two large lime chunks near surface The slip is quite thick and bright (slightly darker than 2.5YR 6/8). The outer face of the rim is darker.
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25. Phocaean Red-Slip Hayes form 10b Rim
P.H. .02. Est. diam. rim .30 (1/20 preserved). Th. .0049.
G27.0001:1. Single rim sherd. Fabric fired to light red (2.5YR 6/6) with frequent calcareous inclusions. Surface coated on all surfaces, brushed smooth, and fired to just darker than fabric (towards 5/6). One large chunk of lime seen just under surface, now visible on surface.
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26. Phocaean Red-Slip Stamped Floor (Sixth Century AD)
I17.0558:1. Single sherd. Stamped cross at center of floor.
Cf. LRP fig. 78j for stamp.
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Hayes, John. 1972. Late Roman Pottery. Rome. [worldcat.org]
27. Phocaean Red-Slip Stamped Floor
I17.0558:3. Two joining sherds. Stamped figure in headdress (mitre?).
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General Bibliography
Ladstätter, Sabine and Roman Sauer. 2005. “Late Roman C-Ware und lokale spätantike Feinware aus Ephesos” in Friedrich Krinzinger (ed.), Spätantike und mittelalterliche Keramik aus Ephesos, Wein: 143-201.
Hayes, John. 1972. Late Roman Pottery. Rome. [worldcat.org]
Hayes, John. 1980. A Supplement to Late Roman Pottery. London. [worldcat.org]
Martin, Archer. 1998. “La sigillata focese (Phocaean Red-Slip/Late Roman C Ware)” in Lucia Sagui (ed.), Ceramica in Italia: VI-VII Secolo. Atti del Convegno in onore John W. Hayes Roma, 11-13 maggio 1995, Florence: 109-122. [online]
Opait, Andrei. 2004. Local and Imported Ceramics in the Roman Province of Scythia British Archaeological Reports International Series 1274. Oxford. [worldcat.org]
Vaag, Leil. 2001. “The stamped decoration on Phocaean red slip ware” in Jens Fleischer, John Lund and Marjetta Nielsen (eds.), Late Antiquity: art in context, Aarhus: 215-232.
Vaag, Leil. 2003. “A closer look at the making of Phocaean Red Slip Ware bowls” in Catherine Abadie-Reynal (ed.), Les Ceramique en Anatolie aux Epoques Hellenistique et Romaine, Paris: 203-207.
Zelle, Michael. 2003. “Funde spätantiker Sigillata in Assos” in Bernd von Liesen and Ulrich Brandl (eds.), Römische Keramik. Herstellung und Handel. Kolloquium Xanten, 15.-17.6.2000: 77-106.