Greek, Roman and Byzantine Pottery at Ilion (Troia):
Sebastian Heath and Billur Tekkök, Editors
Late Roman West Asia Minor 'Light Colored' Ware
Please note that this is a public draft of work in progress
introduction - bibliography
Variations on the term "Late Roman Light Coloured-Ware" have been suggested by Hayes (Martin et al:211, Hayes 1972:408-410, 1980:lxviii, 1992:7) in reference to a late roman fine ware that appears at Aegean and Western Anatolian sites as well as farther afield. Vessels are distinguished by a clean, compact fabric with thin, warmly-toned light brown slip. This slip can a have a very slightly glossy appearance when held in direct light. Later products take on a more reddish tone. Decoration consists of interior and exterior rouletting and stamps. Rims are sometimes notched. Although examples decorated in a champlevé technique appear elsewhere, these are not known at Ilion, perhaps because they come later in the series when there is only limited activity at the site.
1. Late Roman Light-Colored Ware Rim
P. H. .029. Est. diam. rim .15 (1/8 preserved). Th. .0036.
A07.0158:1. SC13-4j. Very fine pale (7.5YR 8/3, towards 8/4) fabric with no inclusions individually discernible by eye and only tiny darker specs at 10x mag. Surface thinly slipped, brushed smoothed. Mostly fired to pale light brown (5YR 6/6) with darker patches under rim. Preserved rim has nine notches at outer edge.
Line drawing of a ceramic vessel profile
Ancient pottery fragment with orange-brown slip decoration, featuring a serrated or toothed edge pattern along one side. The sherd shows weathering and appears to be part of a larger vessel rim or decorated body section.
2. Late Roman Light-Colored Ware Rim
P. H. .021. Est. diam. rim .15 (1/8 preserved). Th. .0036.
K17.0736:1. SC13-4f. Very fine pale (7.5YR 8/3, towards 8/4) fabric with no inclusions individually discernible by eye and only tiny darker specs at 10x mag. Surface thinly slipped, brushed smoothed. Slip is light brown (5YR 6/6), though darker where thickest.
Near Abadie-Reynal and Sodini (1992) CF183.
Line drawing of a ceramic vessel profile
A curved pottery fragment or sherd made of reddish-brown terracotta, showing a simple rounded form with weathered surfaces and a visible scale bar below it.
3. Late Roman Light-Colored Ware Profile
Est. diam. rim .16 (1/2 preserved).
P18.0090:1. Five joining sherds. Compact pale brown (7.5YR 6/6) fabric. Thinly applied slip is predominantly red (2.5YR 6/6) with darker areas. Areas of the outer face of the rim have the "warm brown" tone characteristic of many vessels of this ware. Concentric circles around center of interior floor. Extant exterior wall bears smoothing marks that vary in depth and width.
Line drawing of a ceramic vessel profile
Ancient pottery bowl fragment or sherd with orange-brown coloration, featuring a triangular cutout or missing section and visible surface markings. The ceramic piece shows weathering and has an identification label "P18.90.1" below it.
Fragmented semi-circular terracotta pottery piece with incised linear decorations, broken into several segments that have been reassembled, showing geometric patterns etched into the reddish-brown clay surface.
4. Bowl, West Asia Minor Pale Ware
C/D20/21.0413:13. Ph. 3.9; est. D.rim 20; Th. 0.5. Preserving 1/6 of rim. 15 fragments, 5 mendable. Broad horizontal rim, flat underside, two deep grooves, impressed rouletting on upper rim and interior on wall. Pale yellow fabric (7.5YR 8/6) with bright orange/red slip (between 2.5YR 5/8 and 6/8), finger marks on exterior wall. NOTE: (Correct drawing page :13 and :14 reverse)
Sardis, Courtyard Well Rautman 1997? AASOR 53; Hayes 1968, 211, n.75; same in Hayes 1992, 94, Deposit 11, n.10.
Line drawing of a ceramic vessel profile
5. Bowl, West Asia Minor Pale Ware
C/D20/21.0413:14. Ph. 3.9; est. D.rim 20.5;base 9; Th. 0.5. Preserving 1/10 of rim. Unjoining two fragments. Broad rim with flat underside, two grooves and impressed rouletting on upper rim and interior on wall. Pale buff fabric (7.5YR 8/6) with thin orange slip (between 2.5YR 6/6 and 6/8).
Line drawing of a ceramic vessel profile
6. Late Roman Light-Colored Ware Base
Th. .0031.
K13.0001:19. SC13-4h. Very fine pale fabric. Surface thinly slipped, light brown. Rouletting on base.
A brown pottery fragment with parallel curved ridges across its surface, labeled with catalog numbers. The ceramic sherd shows distinct combed or incised linear decoration patterns typical of ancient pottery surface treatment.
7. Late Roman Light-Colored Ware Base
Th. .0026.
R01.0026:1. SC13-4m. Very fine pale fabric. Surface thinly slipped, light brown. Rouletting on base.
Ancient pottery fragment with stamped or impressed decorative patterns, including rows of chevrons and linear designs on a reddish-brown terracotta surface.
General Bibliography
Abadie-Reynal, Catherine and Jean-Paul Sodini. 1992. La Céramique Paléochretienne de Thasos (Aliki, Delkos, Fouilles Anciennes) Études Thasiennes XIII. Athens. [worldcat.org]
Hayes, John. 1972. Late Roman Pottery. Rome. [worldcat.org]
Hayes, John. 1992. Excavations at Saraçane in Istanbul. Vol.2. The Pottery. Princeton. [worldcat.org]
Opait, Andrei. 2004. Local and Imported Ceramics in the Roman Province of Scythia British Archaeological Reports International Series 1274. Oxford. [worldcat.org]