Events Calendar – British School at Athens
Conference
Roman Pottery in the South-Eastern Balkans: From Production to Distribution
The conference focuses on local pottery production during the Roman period in the southern and south-eastern regions of the Balkan Peninsula, particularly within the Roman provinces of Thrace, Moesia Inferior, Dacia, and Macedonia. Across these regions, numerous pottery workshops have already been identified, producing substantial quantities of wheel-made tableware, cooking vessels, and storage containers, often alongside traditional handmade pottery. The scale and variability of local production must have been considerable; in inland Thrace, for instance, the majority of pottery found in rural contexts was locally produced, while imports were virtually negligible.
However, despite the prevalence of local pottery on many archaeological sites, the number of dedicated studies on the subject remains disproportionately low. Even fewer comprehensive studies or specialized conferences address the production and distribution of local pottery. This conference therefore aims to provide an open forum for sharing and discussing various aspects of Roman pottery production in the southern and south-eastern Balkan Peninsula, focusing on direct or indirect evidence of production as well as on investigating circulation patterns, consumer preferences and patterns of consumption.
The chronological framework of the conference spans the Late Republic to the Imperial period, approximately from the 2nd century BC to the 4th century AD.
The main topics are:
- Typology and chronology of various regional pottery groups
- Production centres and their organization
- Technological aspects of ceramic production
- Pottery function and utilization
- Patterns and mechanisms of distribution
- Economic, social, and cultural significance of pottery production and consumption
- The application of scientific analyses to address any of the above issues
The submission for abstracts has now closed. Stay tuned for further information and the detailed programme.
When: 22 October - 23 October
Where: British School at Athens, Upper House – Athens – 52 Souedias Street