Byzantine finewares in Italy (10th to 14th Centuries AD) : social and economic contexts in the Mediterranean world
This study is an investigation of the Byzantine glazed pottery of the 10th to 14th centuries recovered within the Italian peninsula. The aim is to establish the nature of the relationship between the material culture, represented here by Byzantine tablewares, and its consumers. An interdisciplinary approach is used to develop our understanding of how pottery vessels arrived in the households of the sites being considered, and how they were used within the interior rooms of the different contexts (such as urban, religious, rural, magnate residencies). Byzantine glazed pottery from excavated archaeological sites, surveys and chance finds have been recorded and examined. Historical evidence, history of art and architectural sources have also been used in support of the archaeological evidence, to add weight to the hypotheses and to place the pottery within a wider social context. The results demonstrate that Byzantine glazed pottery was similarly used in a very varied range of site types within the Italian peninsula, and that these were mostly wealthy groups. There is little evidence to suggest that these vessels were consciously used by medieval people as a display of cultural identity, except perhaps in first
D'Amico, Erica
Byzantine finewares in Italy (10th to 14th Centuries AD) : social and economic contexts in the Mediterranean world. This study is an investigation of the Byzantine glazed pottery of the 10th to 14th centuries recovered within the Italian peninsula. The aim is to establish the nature of the relationship between the material culture, represented here by Byzantine tablewares, and its consumers. An interdisciplinary approach is used to develop our understanding of how pottery vessels arrived in the households of the sites being considered, and how they were used within the interior rooms of the different contexts (such as urban, religious, rural, magnate residencies). Byzantine glazed pottery from excavated archaeological sites, surveys and chance finds have been recorded and examined. Historical evidence, history of art and architectural sources have also been used in support of the archaeological evidence, to add weight to the hypotheses and to place the pottery within a wider social context. The results demonstrate that Byzantine glazed pottery was similarly used in a very varied range of site types within the Italian peninsula, and that these were mostly wealthy groups. There is little evidence to suggest that these vessels were consciously used by medieval people as a display of cultural identity, except perhaps in first
byzantine italy social_economic context mediterranean_world study investigation byzantine glaze pottery recover within italian_peninsula aim_establish nature_relationship material_culture represent byzantine tableware consumer interdisciplinary use develop pottery vessel arrive household site consider use within interior room different_context urban religious rural magnate byzantine glaze pottery excavated archaeological_site survey chance find record examine historical_evidence history art architectural source also use_support archaeological_evidence add weight hypothesis place pottery within_wide social_context byzantine glaze pottery similarly use varied range site_type within italian_peninsula mostly wealthy group little_evidence suggest vessel consciously use medieval people display cultural_identity except perhaps first