Nabataean Aila from a Ceramic Perspective (Part 5)

N. Panitz-Cohen and A. Mazar (eds), Excavations at Tel Beth-Shean 1989–1996. Vol. III: The 13th–11th Century BCE Strata in Areas N and S , 2009

In this paper I'd like to present the Hellenistic cylindrical and truncated cone clay beakers with a flattened rim, made of rough clay, found in settlements and necropoleis of Tarquinia and Ager Tarquiniensis and to would like to deepen the study of the shape, the class, the provenances, and some special contexts useful to understand what was their real function and their chronology.

SOMA 2009 Proceedings of the XIII Symposium on Mediterranean Archaeology (24-24 April 2009, Konya), 2011

(R. Giunta, ed.) La donazione Pittui. Quaderni delle Collezioni Museali de “L’Orientale” 1. Napoli: Università degli Studi di Napoli “L’Orientale”. ISBN 978-88-6719-128-4., 2016

Entries related to two unprovenenced vessels possibly from protohistoric sites in Iran published in the Catalogue (edited by Roberta Giunta) of the "Collezione Pittui" at the "Museo Orientale Umberto Scerrato" in Naples (Museum of the University of Naples "L'Orientale").

The small handled jar which I should like to talk about came to light in the northwestern cemetery of Aquincum, military town (Bécsi út/Vienna Road). Municipium Aquincum have had two large-spread grave-fields on the northern and northeastern areas of the civil town, nevertheless this cemetery in question has been considered to be the largest and the most crowded one among them so far. The grave-field had been situated on both sides of the Bécsi út (Wiener Landstrasse), mostly, however, on the western side, having occupied a territory of 2,5 kilometres in south-northern direction. Its extension of west-eastern direction has not been exactly known so far but on the base of sporadic datas it may have been about 300-400 metres. In addition to the main Roman road coming from Carnuntum–Brigetio, along the Danube Limes (Ripa Pannonica) there must have been an other Roman road as well coming similarly from Brigetio through the northern Danubian areas, the valleys of the Pilis hills going to the western gate of Aquincum military camp. The existence of this second Roman road has not been exactly proved so far, nevertheless certain archaeological and topographical finds in Pest County and the very surroundings of Budapest are more, than obscure suppositions. This Roman road may have been used throughout the Middle Ages and some of its parts are still in use at present as well. (Magyarország régészeti topográfiája 7. DINNYÉS-KŐVÁRI-LOVAG-TETTAMANTI-TOPÁL-TORMA: Pest megye régészeti topográfiája. A budai és szentendrei járás. XIII/1. Pilisszántó, 17/12 lh. 156 old. and notes; Pilisvörösvár, 21/21 lh. 173-174 old. with detailed notes and literature). There has never been systematic excavation along the Bécsi Road, connected, however, with some building operations several Late Roman tegulae graves and stone sarcophaguses were coming to light during the last two centuries while the humble Early Roman cremation graves were mostly demolished unobservedly. (One exception: In the year 1936 during the construction of a huge lodging-house under the plot Bécsi út 80-82 Lajos Nagy and János Szilágyi carried out a rescue excavation which yielded about 60 moderately well documented graves, most of them proved to be cremation burials). Even my excavation in 1985 was a rescue dig only; we were allowed to work on an area indicated strictly by the investors. The trench in which we could work-on the western side of the Bécsi út-was about 800 meters long and maximum 1,8-2 meter wide at the bottom. The Roman level usually appeared at a depth of 4,8-5 meters. Having worked in an unusually long trench, we could clearly register two separated graveyards (later marked as Graveyard V and VI), surrounded by dry-stone-walls with an empty space of almost 250 meters between them. These separated graveyards contained cremation and inhumation burials as well. The earliest graveyard at the southernmost end of the Bécsi út (later Graveyard II) was opened outside the settlement as early as in the last two decades of the first century A.D., containing mostly cremation burials. Its ceramic material was partly published [É. BÓNIS: A Bécsi úti korarómai temető agyagedényei. (La céramique du cimitiére de Bécsi út del'epoque romaine) Antiquitas Hungarica 1, 1947, pp. 43-48]. That graveyard , in which our handled pot in question came to light, also contained mostly cremation burials (later Graveyard VI). Among the 78 explored burials in there were only six inhumation graves, all of them were found relatively far (about 40-50 metres) to the west from our gutter trench. The pits of the cremation burials were usually oval-shaped, medium-sized, or rather small, shallow holes, mostly with a symbolic amount of cremated bones. This fact means, that the corpses of the deceased had usually been cremated on a common burning place, nevertheless this ustrinum publicum has not been found so far. Several types of graves could be distinguished during the exploration, in most of the pits, however, the ashes, mixed with the remains of the funeral pyre (rogus) were simply scattered over the surface without any container(Brandschüttungsgrab: R. NIERHAUS: Das römische Brand und Körpergräberfeld " Auf der Steig " in Stuttgart-Bad Canstatt, Stuttgart, 1959, his termini technici were accepted in our elaborations). Eight grave-pits were furnished with urn, where the selected calcined bone fragments were put into a pot or a wooden box used as urn or probably textile containers, and only two bustum – a well-distinguishable type of cremation burials, where the body of the deceased was burned right on the spot over or in his/her own grave-pit.

Archaeological Investigations in a Northern Albanian Province: Results of the Projekti Arkeologjik i Shkodrës (PASH): Volume Two: Artifacts and Artifact Analysis, 2023

Table 11.2. Pottery analyzed from surface collection units at Kratul i Madh (Site 001). Categories Slipped Rims Handles Bases Decorated body sherds Body sherds Lids Total % Tiles 12 12 27% Pithoi Storage 1 1 2% Serving wares Without 2 9% Red 2 Black 4 Finewares Red Black Amphoras 10 5 1 8 24 55% Cooking wares Weights Unidentifi ed category 3 3 7% Total 44 100% Table 11.3. Pottery analyzed from tracts associated with Kratul i Madh (Site 001). Categories Slipped Rims Handles Bases Decorated body sherds Body sherds Lids Total % Tiles Pithoi Storage Serving wares Without Red Black Finewares Red Black Amphoras 8 9 3 24 44 49% Cooking wares Weights Unidentifi ed category 2 46 51% Total 90 100% medium, and large sizes with rare distribution/quantity. Inclusions, probably silica, in large sizes with rare distribution/quantity. Quartz (?) inclusions, small in size, with rare distribution/quantity. Clay nr. 6. White inclusions (shells), small in size, with large distribution/quantity; medium and larger sizes with average distribution/quantity. Reddish inclusions, small-and midsized with average distribution/quantity; larger sizes with rare distribution/quantity (mudstone?). Mica with rare distribution/ quantity. Some unidentifiable inclusions in large sizes with rare distribution/quantity. Clay nr. 7. White inclusions (shells), small in size, with large distribution/quantity; medium sized with average distribution/ quantity. Reddish inclusions in small and medium sizes with average distribution/quantity; larger sizes with rare distribution/ quantity. Mica or small quartz inclusions with rare distribution/ quantity. Some unidentifiable inclusions, large in size, with rare distribution/quantity. Clay nr. 8. Dark brown inclusions, small-and mid-sized with rare distribution/quantity. Dark brown inclusions (carbonized shells, probably), mid-sized with rare distribution/quantity. Quartz inclusions, small in size, with average distribution/ quantity; medium-sized with rare distribution/quantity. Some large unidentifiable inclusions with rare distribution/quantity. Clay nr. 9. White inclusions (shells), small-, mid-and largesized, with high distribution/quantity. Dark brown inclusions in the mid-and larger size ranges with rare distribution/quantity. Clay nr. 10. White inclusions (shells), small in size, with wide distribution; medium-sized with average distribution; largesized with rare distribution/quantity. Small, dark brown inclusions with average distribution/quantity; medium-and large-sized with rare distribution/quantity. Mica or small quartz inclusions with rare distribution/quantity. Some large, unidentifiable inclusions with rare distribution/quantity. Clay nr. 11. Clay with large quantity of shells, giving the impression of a porous mixture. Small, reddish inclusions with large distribution/quantity; mid-sized with rare distribution/ quantity. Small, quartz inclusions with average distribution/ quantity; mid-sized with rare distribution/quantity. Clay nr. 12. Small, white inclusions (shells) with large distribution/quantity; mid-sized with average distribution/ quantity; large-sized with rare distribution/quantity. Small quartz inclusions with large distribution/quantity; mid-sized with average distribution/quantity; large-sized with rare distribution/quantity. Dark brown inclusions in small, medium, and large sizes with rare distribution/quantity. Clay nr. 13. Small, white inclusions (shells) with large distribution/quantity; mid-sized with rare distribution/quantity. Dark brown inclusions in medium and larger sizes with rare distribution/quantity. Quartz inclusions, small and medium in size, with rare distribution/quantity. Clay nr. 14. Slightly porous clay. Small, white inclusions (shells) with rare distribution/quantity. Small quartz inclusions with average distribution/quantity; mid-sized with rare distribution/quantity. Silica inclusions (?) in small and medium sizes with rare distribution/quantity. Dark brown inclusions in mid-and larger size with rare distribution/quantity. Clay nr. 15. Small, dark brown inclusions (carbonized shells) with large distribution/quantity. Small quartz inclusions with large distribution/quantity; mid-sized with rare distribution/quantity. Small, gold mica inclusions with large distribution/quantity. Dark brown inclusions, mid-sized with rare distribution/quantity. Clay nr. 16. White inclusions (shells) in small and medium sizes with large distribution/quantity. Small quartz inclusions with large distribution/quantity; mid-sized with rare distribution/ quantity. Medium-and large-sized dark brown inclusions with rare distribution/quantity. Clay nr. 17. Small white inclusions (shells) with large distribution/quantity; mid-sized with average distribution/ quantity; large-sized with rare distribution/quantity. Small quartz inclusions with average distribution/quantity; mid-sized with rare distribution/quantity. Large dark brown inclusions with rare distribution/quantity. Clay nr. 18. White inclusions (limestones?), small-and midsized with rare distribution/quantity. Small quartz inclusions with average distribution/quantity; mid-sized with rare distribution/ quantity. Large and medium dark brown inclusions with rare distribution/quantity. Clay nr. 19. Small white inclusions (limestones) with average distribution/quantity; larger sized with rare distribution/quantity. Black inclusions with average distribution/quantity; large-sized with rare distribution/quantity. Small quartz inclusions with average distribution/quantity; mid-and large-sized with rare distribution/quantity. Reddish inclusions in all sizes with rare distribution/quantity. Clay nr. 20. White inclusions (shells) in small and medium sizes with rare distribution. Small quartz inclusions with large distribution/quantity; medium and larger sizes with rare distribution/ quantity. Reddish inclusions in medium and larger sizes with rare distribution/quantity. Dark brown inclusions in all sizes with rare distribution/quantity. Alternating poorly and well fired vertical layers are visible along the lateral edges of the samples. Clay nr. 21. Small white inclusions (shells) with large distribution/quantity; mid-sized with rare distribution/quantity. Dark brown and reddish inclusions, small and medium in size, with rare distribution/quantity. Small quartz inclusions with average distribution/quantity; mid-sized with rare distribution/quantity. Clay nr. 22. White inclusions (shells) in small and medium sizes with large distribution/quantity; larger sizes with rare distribution/quantity. Dark brown inclusions in all sizes with rare distribution/quantity. Small quartz inclusions with average distribution/quantity; medium-sized with rare distribution/ quantity. Clay nr. 23. White inclusions (shells) in mid-and large sizes with rare distribution/quantity. Small dark brown inclusions (cafe) with average distribution/quantity; mid-and larger sizes with rare distribution/quantity. Small quartz inclusions with large distribution/quantity; mid-sized with rare distribution/quantity. except for the presence of white inclusions (shells), in the middle and larger size ranges, with rare distribution/quantity. It is a very well-prepared clay and has some fine horizontal layers in beige color, which seems not to be a result of problematic firing but rather reflects clay composition. Clay nr. 25. Very well-prepared, uniform clay. Clearly distinguishable from all the others. Small white inclusions (shells) with large distribution/quantity; mid-sized with rare distribution/ quantity; large-sized with average distribution/quantity. Dark brown inclusions in the medium and large size ranges, with average distribution/quantity. Small quartz inclusions in the small and medium size ranges, with rare distribution/quantity; largesized with average distribution/quantity. Clay nr. 26. Small white inclusions (shells) with large distribution/quantity; mid-and large-sized with rare distribution/ quantity. Medium-and large-sized white inclusions (limestones? silica?) with rare distribution/quantity. Dark brown inclusions in the medium-and larger size ranges, with rare distribution/ quantity. Small quartz inclusions with large distribution/quantity; mid-sized with average distribution/quantity; larger size with rare distribution/quantity. Clay nr. 27. White inclusions (limestones) in the small and medium size ranges with large distribution/quantity; larger sizes with rare distribution/quantity. Dark brown inclusions in all sizes with rare distribution/quantity. Small quartz inclusions with large distribution/quantity; mid-sized with average distribution/ quantity; larger sizes with rare distribution/quantity. Clay nr. 28. Small white inclusions (shells) with large distribution/quantity; mid-sized with average distribution/ quantity; large-sized with rare distribution/quantity. Medium and large dark brown inclusions with rare distribution/quantity. Small quartz inclusions with large distribution/quantity; mid-sized with rare distribution/quantity. Clay nr. 29. White inclusions (shells), small-and mid-sized with rare distribution/quantity. Small white inclusions (limestones) with large distribution/quantity; mid-sized with average distribution/quantity; large-sized with rare distribution/quantity. Dark brown inclusions, small and medium, with rare distribution/ quantity. Small quartz inclusions with large distribution/quantity; mid-sized with average distribution/quantity. Clay nr. 30. Small and medium dark brown inclusions with rare distribution/quantity. Small quartz inclusions with large distribution/quantity; mid-sized with rare distribution/quantity. Unclear if small mica or quartz inclusions. Clay nr. 31. Small white inclusions (shells) with large distribution/quantity; mid-sized with average distribution/ quantity; large-sized with rare distribution/quantity. Small brown inclusions (carbonized shells) with large distribution/quantity; medium and large sizes...

2014