Pottery Vessels Used for Shipping Goods in the Western Mediterranean During the Late Middle Ages and Early Modern Periods

This paper discusses the production and circulation of vessels used for storing and shipping goods in the Western Mediterranean during the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance. As within this area a considerable number of different types of storage vessels has been used for filling vaults, they can be dated with a high degree of precision. For this reason I will discuss the importance of these objects in dating archaeological records, with an eye on their functional aspects and comparing archaeological evidence and documentary sources. The analysis of forms, bodies and marks makes it possible to understand where these objects were made. This data can be used to reconstruct the circulation and trade not only of these vessels, but also of the goods that were shipped inside them.