Post-Roman Pottery Unearthed: Medieval Ceramics and Pottery Research in Greece

In north-western Europe it has long been realised that potsherds should not be used exclusively as a dating tool but also as a means for examining aspects of socio-economic organisation, trade and exchange, dining and drinking habits. In contrast to methodological advances in Europe, medieval and post-medieval archaeology in Greece is still in its dawn. Remains of the post-Roman periods have just begun to be decently excavated and scientifically recorded. On the basis of older and recently published excavations in urban centres (Athens, Corinth and Thessaloniki) and surface surveys in the Greek countryside and other areas in the eastern Mediterranean, this paper offers an overall review of pottery forms and styles found in Greece. Case studies are also used from the late medieval and post-medieval Aegean islands of the Cyclades, examining some first results of the CYREP (Cyclades Research Project) survey research. Medieval pottery research in Greece is discussed in an attempt to examine socio-economic and cultural aspects of post-Roman ceramics in Greece in terms of trade and contacts between East and West, economic and social formation, cultural and/or symbolic meanings and domestic life.