STUDIA HERCYNIA XXII/1, 77–95
La e I on Age Ce amic Manu ac u ing along he Ma i sa
Ri e in he No hwes e n Rhodope Moun ains.
ACha ac e iza ion om Empo ion Pis i os
Ashlee B. Ha
ABSTRACT
In he his o y o a chaeology o ancien Th ace, he analysis o indigenous ce amics has e‑
cei ed less a en ion han o he a chaeological ma e ial, especially impo ed G eek wa es. In
ecen yea s howe e , mo e a chaeologis s ha e begun in ensi ely analyzing hese ce amics in
an a emp o u he unde s and ex e nal in luences on he manu ac u ing and consump ion
p ac ices o ancien Th acians. The pu pose o his a icle is o desc ibe ecen ly exca a ed,
locally made ce amics om an inland ma ke si e known as empo ion Pis i os. Al hough his
si e has along his o y o a chaeological exca a ion, his a icle u ilizes diagnos ic she ds ex‑
ca a ed du ing he ield school campaigns o he Balkan He i age Founda ion be ween 2013
and 2016, which a e hi he o unanalyzed. Th ough he use o asys ema ic ca aloguing and
analysis sys em his a icle a emp s o p esen cha ac e iza ions abou hese ce amics om
he La e I on Age in he No hwes e n Rhodope Moun ains, which will esul in a ypological
sys em o use a he si e as well as c oss ‑si e compa isons.
KEYWORDS
Bulga ian Th ace; La e I on Age; indigenous ce amics; echnological choices.
INTRODUCTION
Ce amics a e one o he mos common objec s ound a a chaeological si es due o hei
abili y o b eak easily and be eplaced o en, bu hey a e also i ually e e las ing h ough
ime, making hem impo an o e alua ions o s ylis ic and echnological choices ha we e
in luenced by indi iduals and g oups wi hin he socie y (Quinn 2013). In he esea ch p e‑
sen ed he e ce amics a e unde s ood and used as impo an indica o s o cul u al iden i y
and cul u al change.
In he his o y o a chaeology, ce amics ha e se ed as ap ima y medium o s udying
a chaeological g oups (Biehl– Glese 2003). Th oughou a chaeological in es iga ions o
ancien Th ace, impo ed G eek ce amics ha e been commonly analyzed and un il now he
di e en aspec s o he local ce amics, especially hand made ce amics, om si es in Sou h‑
wes e n Bulga ia du ing he La e I on Age (ci ca 7
h
–2
nd
cen u y BC) ha e only been discussed
in limi ed publica ions. Al hough he e ha e been egional su eys and documen a ions
o a chaeological si es in he egion (Sliwa– Doma adzki 1983; Chankowski– Go ze –
Neh izo 2004), Bouzek (2007) no ed ha he e has ne e been asys ema ic analysis o hand
made ce amics om he egion du ing his ime pe iod. In he case o ancien Th ace, some o
he la ge empe ed, poo ly i ed, hand made, and undeco a ed she ds ha e been se aside in
a o o s udying he mo e ine wa es, impo ed G eek wa es, o wheel made pieces c ea ed
in G eek colonies by G eek immig an s o he a ea.
78 STUDIA HERCYNIA XXII/1
This pape p esen s an o e iew o an impo an La e I on Age si e in Bulga ia and de ails
p elimina y cha ac e iza ions o he locally p oduced ce amics. The si e, known as Pis i os,1 is
loca ed a he no he n base o he Rhodope Moun ains in wes e n Bulga ia. The si e is da ed
o he La e I on Age and has been in e p e ed as he loca ion o an empo ion o ma ke cen e
whe e G eeks and local Th acians li ed oge he . As an inland exchange cen e wi h amixed
popula ion, he si e p esen s in e es ing possibili ies o he s udy o ce amic manu ac u ing
in he egion and he impac s o c oss ‑cul u al in e ac ions du ing he La e I on Age.
F om o e hi y yea s o exca a ion a his si e he e ha e been se e al a emp s o cha ‑
ac e ize he local ce amics including se e al publica ions abou he wheel made g ey wa e
o monoch ome po e y (Doma adzki 2002; Bouzek– Doma adzka 2008b), bu he hand
made essels ha e ecei ed less a en ion. This will be he i s a emp o ca alogue, analyze,
and da e a ep esen a i e sample o he ce amic assemblage o bo h hand made and wheel
made essels o e eal pa e ns and possibly show he esul s o in e ac ion wi h G eeks.
THE SITE OF PISTIROS
The Polish a chaeologis Mieczysław Doma adzki led he i s a chaeological exca a ions con‑
duc ed a he si e o Pis i os om 1988 un il his p ema u e dea h in 1998. The in e na ional
cha ac e o he p ojec has been ca ied on, he exca a ions a e s ill ongoing and en e ed
1 Be o e he disco e y o he Ve en insc ip ion, which lis s he igh s and p i ileges gua an eed by
he Th acian King o G eeks li ing a he si e in 1990 (see e.g. Chankowski 1999), he si e, mos
commonly e e ed o as Pis i os, was called Adzhiyska Vodeni sa. Al hough he name o he si e
emains deba able, h ough his a icle i will be e e ed o as ‘Pis i os’.
Fig. 1: Map o mode n Bulga ia wi h he loca ion o Pis i os labeled.
79ASHLEE B. HART
hei 30 h yea wi h he 2018 ield season. The esul s om he a chaeological in es iga ions
om he in e na ional eams a e combined in o si e epo publica ions.2 Beyond hese edi ed
si e epo s he e a e also publica ions in nume ous con e ence olumes and jou nals.
The loca ion o Pis i os is in he sou he n cen al po ion o he mode n ‑day Bulga ia
nea he own o Ve en in he Paza dzhik p o ince (Fig. 1). The si e is loca ed abou 150 km
om he No h Aegean coas and sepa a ed om i by he Rhodope Moun ains (Chi e ‑
ell– A chibald 2009). Pis i os is loca ed along he Ma i sa Ri e , o ancien Heb os Ri e ,
which uns om he no heas e n edge o he Aegean Sea, a he di ide o mode n G eece
and Tu key, in o wes e n Bulga ia.
The si e has been da ed o ci ca 450 BC o 278 BC (Bouzek– Doma adzka 2008a), and i
is impo an o no e ha i was c ea ed unde he u elage o Th acian kings based on he
Ve en Insc ip ion (G aninge 2012) (Tab.1). I is he only known si e ha was c ea ed wi h
he will o an Od ysian king in Od ysian e i o y (Bouzek– Doma adzka 2008a). The si e
was a acked by he Cel s in 279/278 BC as shown by acoin hoa d, which had 552 sil e and
gold coins min ed by Philip II, Alexande III, and he diadochs including he las issue by Ly‑
simachus (Bouzek– Doma adzka 2008a). Pis i os was modes ly ebuil and con inued o
unc ion as asmall scale smel ing wo kshop be o e i was abandoned in he i s hal o he
second cen u y BC a e ana u al disas e (Tse skhladze 2000).
Tab.1: Ch onological able depic ing he es ima ed pe iod o he Ea ly I on Age and he La e I on
Age in Th ace wi h he ch onological posi ion o Pis i os no ed.
2 The i s , called Pis i os IExca a ions and S udies, was published in 1996 and he olumes ha e con‑
inued h ough he cu en olume, Pis i os VI p oduced in 2016.
80 STUDIA HERCYNIA XXII/1
CERAMIC ANALYSIS OF LATE IRON AGE THRACE
ABRIEF REVIEW OF CERAMIC ANALYSIS STUDIES OF ANCIENT THRACE
The s a e o a chaeological ce amic analysis in Bulga ia is inconsis en ac oss he coun y and
be ween di e en his o ical g oups p oducing he ce amics. Fo example, he G eek colonies
along he Black Sea ecei e ag ea deal o a en ion, which esul s in publica ions, con e ence
p esen a ions, and la ge scale compa isons o local and o eign ma e ials (e.g. Bouzek 1990;
Tse skhladze 1998; de Boe 2002). Ma e ials om cen al and eas e n Bulga ia a e usually
mo e highly published han he ma e ial om wes e n Bulga ia, which may be due o less
a chaeological exca a ions in he a ea o lack o published s udies om pas yea s.
The mos commonly analyzed ce amics om Bulga ia a e G eek impo s and wha has
been e med Th acian G ey Wa e. The G eek ma e ials a e o en p i ileged a a chaeological
si es as hey es i y o G eeks li ing in he a ea o he impo a ion o G eek ideas, and possibly
p esen an easie sys em o da ing due o he massi e co pus o a ailable compa isons om
he G eek mainland and islands (e.g. Bouzek 1994; Bozko a 2014). Wheel made ce amics
ound in colo s anging om g eys o ligh b owns ha e been e med g ey wa e, monoch ome
wa e, o Th acian G ey Wa e. This Th acian G ey Wa e has been highly heo ized and linked
o Ana olian and Aegean in luences bo h in e ms o design and manu ac u ing (e.g. Niko
1999; Bouzek– Doma adzka 2008b; Madzha o 2006).
The hand made ce amic ma e ial om he I on Age gene ally, has been he subjec o analysis
in e ms o deco a ion, which is usually ocused on he much mo e iden i iable cha ac e is ics
o incised lines and s amped pa e ns cha ac e is ic o he Ea ly I on Age (ci ca 13 h–9 h cen u‑
ies BC). The compa isons o designs ac oss di e en egions in cen al and eas e n Bulga ia
has been analyzed se e al imes (e.g. Niko 2001; 2011). Finally, he hand made ce amics o he
La e I on Age has been he opic o a leas one disse a ion om So ia Uni e si y S . Klimen
Oh idski by Vene a Hanzhiyska in 2006. This disse a ion p esen s he only la ge ‑scale a emp
o classi y and c ea e a ypology o Th acian hand made ce amics om he La e I on Age bu
ocuses on sou heas e n Bulga ia. Hanzhiyska published asupplemen o he disse a ion, wi h
ypology d awings (Hanzhiyska 2007) and an analysis o hand made ce amics om exca a‑
ions a Kozi G amadi Peak (Hanzhiyska 2012). In addi ion, Hanzhiyska published a e iew
o Th acian La e I on Age hand making echniques and ma e ial usage analysis (Hanzhiyska
2010). In his e iew she poin s ou o he limi ed analysis o La e I on Age ce amics beyond
ypological compa isons. She no ed ha he mos common addi i es o clay we e qua z sand
and mica. Vessels a e o en made using apinch ‑po me hod wi h seconda y shaping ha may
ha e aken place on awheel a e i s in oduc ion. Mos impo an ly, she no ed changes in
clay o mula, inishing, and shape, which occu ed some ime du ing he second hal o he
ou h cen u y BC ollowing ends owa d u banism in Th ace, he c ea ion o c a cen e s in
u ban a eas, and he use o he po e y wheel o inc ease p oduc ion a es (Hanzhiyska 2010).
A Pis i os speci ically, he e ha e been se e al publica ions abou he ce amic ma e ials,
bu hey end o ocus on he wheel made g ey wa e o Th acian G ey Wa e (e.g. Doma adzki
2002; Bouzek 2007; Bouzek– Doma adzka 2008b), impo ed G eek ce amics (e.g. A chi‑
bald 1996; Bouzek 2007; Bouzeke al. 2007; Pe o a 2018), and o he speci ic essel o ms
and unc ions ou side he u ili a ian hand made essels a he si e (e.g. ex iles– Bouzek
1996; Ma ys, A. 2013 o lamps– Boháč 2002; Ma ys, M. 2013). The cu en esea ch p esen s
a emp s o combine he analysis o wheel made g ey wa e essels and he u ili a ian hand‑
made essels o show he way ha essel o ms, unc ions, and manu ac u ing may ha e been
bo owed o con as ed wi h he di e en echniques.
81ASHLEE B. HART
Al hough he e ha e been se e al publica ions abou ce amics om Pis i os (e.g. Do‑
ma adzki 2002; Bouzek 2007; Bouzek– Doma adzka 2008b), a ew abou he hand‑
made essels o La e I on Age Th ace (e.g. Hanzhiyska 2007; 2010), and some analyses o
indigenous ‑G eek ela ionships (e.g. A chibald 1998; Doma adzka 2005; Bouzeke al.
2009) asys ema ic analysis o hese ce amics in ela ion o in e ac ion has no been ully
explo ed. The inal goal o his esea ch will be o ill in he gap be ween manu ac u ing
p ocesses o en di ided by hand and wheel echniques in an a emp o be e unde s and
he consump ion o ce amics and in luence on ce amic echnological choices du ing he La e
I on Age in Bulga ia.
THE CURRENT CERAMIC PROJECT AT PISTIROS
The ma e ial analyzed in his esea ch comes om collabo a ion wi h he Balkan He i age
Founda ion in coo dina ion wi h he Bulga ian Si e Di ec o A. Go se and his eam. The Balkan
He i age Founda ion has been o ganizing a chaeological ield schools o in e na ional s u‑
Fig. 2: Pis i os si e map wi h he numbe ed g id sys em and known exca a ed s uc u es. The a ea
o in e es o his pape is ou lined in g ey (adap ed by he au ho om amap om he A chae‑
ological Museum “P o .M. Doma adzki”).

82 STUDIA HERCYNIA XXII/1
den s a Pis i os since 2012 (Annual Repo s in “A chaeological Disco e ies and Exca a ions”:
Go se – Pe o a 2013; 2014; 2015; Go se – Pe o a– Tane a 2016; 2017). The exca a ed
a ea includes uni s Б23, Б24, Б’3, and Б’4, which a e loca ed inside o , and adjacen o, he
o i ica ion wall on he eas e n side o he se lemen (Fig. 2). The uni s a e es ablished on
a10×10 m g id wi h baulks be ween uni s and se e al uni s such as Б’3 di ided in o smalle
sec ions. The exca a ions a e ca ied ou sys ema ically ollowing ei he a bi a y o na u al
le els based on he cha ac e iza ion o he soils and hei con en s. Ma e ial cul u e is collec ‑
ed sepe a ely om di e en le els and ea u es while special inds such as coins o spindle
who ls a e bagged sepa a ely. Ma e ial is washed on si e, agmen s di ided in o ca ego ies,
and eco ded. Finally, only he diagnos ic ma e ial is anspo ed o he A chaeological Mu‑
seum “P o .M. Doma adzki” in Sep em i, Bulga ia whe e i is s o ed.
Un il 2016 he local ce amics om hese exca a ions ha e only been ca alogued based on
he numbe o agmen s pe aining o di e en wa e ypes and diagnos ic ea u e. Al hough
use ul, his in o ma ion does no allow o he c ea ion o ypological compa isons o de ailed
s a is ics abou in o ma ion such as im shape and deco a ion. Du ing he 2016 ield season
asmall pilo p ojec was conduc ed using 116 exca a ed agmen s om he 2014 season. The
goal was o ca alogue, pho og aph, and d aw all o he agmen s o show i a ypological com‑
pa ison was possible and o demons a e he exis ence o local ce amics. The esul s showed
he need o u he analysis.
The i s phase o esea ch in he 2017 s udy was he sys ema ic ca aloguing o all o he
collec ed diagnos ic ce amic agmen s. Based on a isual analysis o each ce amic she d he e
a e 15 c i e ia subsequen ly illed ou . The ca ego ies include essel po ion, possible essel
o m, manu ac u ing echnique, clay colo (in e io , ex e io , empe ), empe size, i ing
empe a u e, pos ‑manu ac u ing bu ning, measu emen ( hickes a loca ion, hinnes a
loca ion), diame e o im o base, and gene al commen s.
METHODOLOGY AND PRELIMINARY CHARACTERIZATION OF CERAMICS
The ollowing sec ion p esen s p elimina y cha ac e iza ions o he ce amics based on s a‑
is ical e alua ions o di e en aspec s such as clay colo , composi ion, essel o m, and
deco a ion. The p ima y s a is ics p esen ed he e ep esen desc ip i e s a is ics based on
measu es o equency, a ia ion, and endency. These esul s we e hen used o conduc
co ela ion es s be ween a iables, which a e called a ibu e analysis (e.g. Biehl– Glese
2003). Fu u e esea ch will u he include mul i a ia e s a is ical analysis, and ho izon al
and e ical dispe sion analysis. The ypology o essels, con ex ual analysis, and ch ono‑
logical cha ac e iza ions a e o hcoming, bu he cha ac e iza ions he e a e impo an o
unde s anding he collec ion as awhole.
To da e, he e a e 2,947 ca alogue en ies in he da abase. The ma e ial comes om ou
10×10 m uni s– Б23, Б24, Б’3, and Б’4 (Fig. 2) exca a ed om he ea lies yea in 2013 h ough
he mos ecen a ailable ma e ial om 2016. These ou uni s accoun o asmall po ion o
he en i e si e, bu he ma e ial was a ailable o analysis, ecen ly exca a ed, and gene ally
well ‑documen ed, which made his ini ial analysis iable o ala e compa ison wi h p e i‑
ously exca a ed ma e ials in o he a eas o he si e. The numbe o ca alogue en ies does no
e lec all o he ma e ial exca a ed om hese uni s. The non ‑diagnos ic agmen s, such as
undeco a ed body she ds, we e no ed o colo , manu ac u ing echnique, and possible es‑
sel o m; hen se aside. Only he diagnos ic pieces we e s o ed a he local museum. Finally,
he ca alogue ep esen s mo e han 2,947 indi idual she ds because agmen s ha could be
83ASHLEE B. HART
econs uc ed we e ca alogued oge he as asingle en y in he da abase. Thus, i he e we e
h ee im agmen s ha i oge he and ep esen ed asingle essel hey we e ca alogued
oge he wi h acommen abou how many agmen s we e ep esen ed.
MANUFACTURING TECHNIQUE
The i s ca ego y p esen ed he e dis inguishes ce amics based on whe he hey a e hand made
o wheel made, which p o ide wo majo g oupings o u he analysis and each o he ol‑
lowing ca ego ies will be subdi ided in o he hand made and wheel made. The p ima y means
o essel manu ac u ing a e hand making and wheel h owing al hough he e is a a ia ion,
which combines he wo me hods– hand made essels ha a e hen wheel inished. Based on
he de elopmen o ce ain s yles wi hin ce amics du ing he I on Age i has been hypo hesized
ha he po e ’swheel was in oduced in Th ace du ing his ime and was likely he esul
o G eek o Ana olian in e ac ion (Niko 2001). Du ing he La e I on Age, he po e y wheel
became inco po a ed in o manu ac u ing echniques ac oss Th ace.
Pis i os is an example o aLa e I on Age si e ha accep ed he in en ion o he po e y wheel
and used i o ei he inish hand made essels o o c ea e wheel made essels wi h new com‑
plica ed p o iles and hinne , mo e uni o m walls. The majo i y o ce amics exca a ed a he
empo ion appea s o i in o he ca ego ies o hand made o wheel made wi h se e al limi ed
excep ions ha combine he echniques. These usually a e she ds om hand made essels
ha ha e been smoo hed on awheel o ha e had slip applied on awheel. In o al, he e we e
1,392 wheel made ce amics she ds (47%) and 1555 hand made ce amic she ds (53%) (Tab.2).
A his poin i has been impossible o iden i y he exac hand making me hod u ilized bu i
is likely ha he coil me hod used elsewhe e in ancien Th ace was also p ac iced a he em‑
po ion. The wheel made ce amics on he o he hand included impo ed ampho ae, black slip,
and ed igu e A ic po e y ha was easily dis inguished om local po e y and no included
in he e alua ion o locally p oduced po e y.
Tab.2: Dis ibu ion o diagnos ic essel pieces ( ims, bases, handles, and body agmen s wi h
deco a ion) ha ha e been g ouped wi hin hand made and wheel made manu ac u ing ech‑
niques.
84 STUDIA HERCYNIA XXII/1
CLAY COLOR
In e ms o clay colo , he ma e ial has awide ange o di e si y. The clay colo s a e compa ed
and eco ded based on he uni e sal Munsell Soil Colo Cha s. The colo s ange om e y da k
g ey o ligh g ey and om da k ed b own o ligh yellow b own. Fo he sake o s a is ical
analysis o ends simila colo s wi h he same names, bu om di e en ca ego ies, such
as 7.5YR 4/1 (Da k G ay) and 10YR 4/1 (Da k G ay) we e g ouped based on he colo . In his
a icle he ce amics we e ca ego ized in o six di e en ca ego ies o colo – black (BL), da k
g ey (DK G), ligh g ey (LT G), g ey (G), yellow b own (Y BRN), and ed b own (R BRN) (Pl. 1/1).
Based on hese colo ca ego ies i is sel ‑explana o y ha mos o he ce amics om Pis i os
all wi hin ag ey ca ego y (Tab.3), which co ela es di ec ly wi h wheel made ce amics as
p e iously iden i ied as ‘g ey wa e’ (Doma adzki 2002). Howe e , he colo o he clay was
calcula ed o he in e io , ex e io , and clay pas e o each sha d o show di e ences in colo
based on i ing echniques. The seconda y ac o wo king on he clay colo ing is he condi‑
ions o he i ing including he empe a u e, du a ion, and amoun o oxygen allowed in o
he i ing chambe . The esul o he i ing empe a u e is much mo e ob ious on he hand‑
made essels used o u ili a ian pu poses. Many show he esul s o quick, low empe a u e
i ings ha lea e he ex e io o he ce amic ligh e in colo wi h ada k co e. The o he main
me hod shows alack o oxygen ha esul s in ada kened ex e io wi h asligh ly ligh e co e.
Howe e , a ia ion in empe ma e ials, pos p oduc ion use, and disposal may also a ec he
clay colo . Fu he analysis o he ce amic clay makeup h ough hin sec ioning will allow o
de ini e ep esen a ions o he di e en i ing echniques om he si e.
Tab.3: Dis ibu ion o clay colo s (da k g ey– DK G, ligh g ey– LT G, g ey– G, yellow b own– Y
BRN, ed b own– R BRN, and black– BL) om he ex e nal po ion o he agmen s ha ha e
been g ouped wi hin hand made and wheel made manu ac u ing echniques.
The ce amics we e hus i s di ided based on he manu ac u ing echnique in an a emp
o e eal changes in clay acquisi ion, p epa a ion, and i ing be ween he di e en manu‑
ac u ing echniques. O e all 1,886 agmen s o all ce amics ca alogued a e g ey (64%), 501
agmen s a e yellow b own (17%), 530 agmen s a e ed b own (18%), and 30 agmen s a e
black (1%) (usually bu n and he o iginal colo is un ecognizable).
85ASHLEE B. HART
The hand made ce amics showed he g ea es di e si y o colo s showing adi e si y o
ac o s in ol ed in he manu ac u ing as well as alack o speci ied p ac ices o uncon ollable
i ing, esul ing o en in he so ‑called sandwich e ec . The desc ip ions o clay colo we e
hus subdi ided based on he in e io , ex e io , and clay pas e o show he ac o s in ol ed in
i ing, pos ‑manu ac u ing use, and deposi ion. The in e io o hand made ce amics included
9% black, 20% da k g ey, 2% ligh g ey, 19% g ey, 4% yellow b own, and 46% ed b own.
The ex e io o he hand made ce amics was simila wi h 9% black, 20% da k g ey, 2% ligh
g ey, 18% g ey, 4% yellow b own, and 47% ed b own. The in e io clay showed sligh ly mo e
consis ency wi h he main colo s being g ey and ed b own– 2% black, 9% da k g ey, 3%
ligh g ey, 35% g ey, 5% yellow b own, and 46% ed b own (Tab.4).
Tab.4: Dis ibu ion o clay colo ca ego ies o hand made essels base on he in e io , ex e io ,
and clay pas e o each she d analyzed.
The di e ences be ween in e io and ex e io o clay pas e and ex e io a e e idence o he
i ing en i onmen . When clay pas e is g ey i e eals ha ca bon o ganics we e bu n c e‑
a ing a educed oxygen en i onmen . The eason o ligh o da k ex e io s also depends on
he amoun o oxygen o lack he eo . An equal colo ing shows aquick i ing o aslow equally
hea ed bu ning and di e ences be ween in e io and ex e io may show ha essels we e
s acked oge he obscu ing he access o oxygen and hea o he inside o he essel (O on–
Hughes 2013).
In con as o he hand made ce amics, he wheel made ce amics show much o consis ‑
ency usually o g ey clays. As i will be discussed la e , he clay empe was also ine leading
o he compa isons wi h p e ious desc ip ions o Th acian G ey Wa e (e.g. Doma adzki
2002; Bouzek 2008b) possibly linked o G eek and Ana olian ce amic manu ac u ing ech‑
niques (Niko 1999). Again, he wheel made ce amics we e di ided in o obse a ions abou
he in e io , ex e io , and clay pas e al hough he di isions we e much mo e uni o m and
p edic able han he hand made ce amics. The in e io s consis ed o 5% black, 19% da k g ey,
17% ligh g ey, 36% g ey, 23% yellow b own, and no applicable o ed b own (less han 1%).
The ex e io s consis ed o 1% black, 21% da k g ey, 15% ligh g ey, 36% g ey, 27% yellow
b own, and no applicable o ed b own (less han 1%). Finally, he clay pas e included 1%
92 STUDIA HERCYNIA XXII/1
g ey wa e ce amics (Bouzek 2007) while indi iduals p oducing hand made ce amics o he
household, bu his analysis will come wi h u he esea ch o he da a.
In e ms o he hand made ce amics, he e is much less consis ency in all aspec s o he
manu ac u ing. The empe o hese essels anges om small bi s o qui e la ge inclusions
ha na u ally lead o hicke p o iled essels. The shapes o essels become mo e simplis ic
in he shape o di e en sized po s used speci ically o cooking pu poses and showing hei
use h ough pos ‑manu ac u ing i ing and al e a ion. Howe e , he e was main enance o
adi ion in e ms o he aised plas ic band deco a ions because hey a e seen h oughou
he en i e assemblage and appea as common applica ions o hand made essels elsewhe e in
Th ace (e.g. Handzhiyska 2007). The analysis o he hand made and wheel made assemblages
oge he begins o p esen apic u e o how and why di e en ce amics we e made and used
a Pis i os.
These cha ac e iza ions e eal awide ange o di e si y in he manu ac u ing echniques
employed by po e s du ing he pe iod. The conclusions o his p elimina y esea ch e eal
ha he Th acian po e s wo king du ing he La e I on Age con inued some adi ions such
as segmen ed plas ic band deco a ions while also adop ing new echnology. Al hough only
hypo hesized p io o a chaeome ic analysis i is likely ha adi ional me hods o clay
p epa a ion and essel shaping coexis ed wi h new de elopmen such as he po e ’swheel.
While he di e si y o essel shapes and unc ions also e eals he in luence o o eign in e ‑
ac ions in he a ea.
RESEARCH OUTLOOK
The opic o esea ch ocuses mo e b oadly on changes in manu ac u ing and consump ion o
ce amics du ing he I on Age, which co ela es wi h in ense in e ac ion wi h G eek peoples
in ancien Th ace. A his poin in his esea ch, Pis i os was selec ed o se e as he i s case
s udy. The si e is aunique inland exchange si e, ins ead o he colonies along he no h Aegean
coas and Black Sea, which also expe ienced in ense in e ac ion be ween indigenous Th acians
and G eeks. Ch onologically, he si e p esen s ape iod in which he changes ha ma ked he
ansi ion om he Ea ly o La e I on Age including G eek in e ac ion and he po e y wheel
we e no longe new wi hin Th acian socie y. The demise o he si e was also be o e he ise
o he Roman Empi e, which allows i o ep esen ap is ine La e I on Age si e wi hou la e
in luences and makes i agood compa ison o u u e analysis o he ansi ion be ween he
Ea ly and La e I on Age. I was also in iguing due o he a ailabili y o newly exca a ed, unde
s udied ma e ial, alongside he long his o y o p e ious exca a ion and in e p e a ion, which
allowed o he selec ion o asi e wi h such in e ac ion.
A his poin i is possible o make dis inc ions be ween he manu ac u ing s yles b oadly
ca ego ized in o wheel made and hand made essels. The di e ences in manu ac u ing ech‑
nique e eal also di e ences in clay p epa a ion, i ing pa ame e s, o m and unc ion o
essels. Al hough his may seem like di e en echniques can be easily g ouped, he esul s
show di e ences in inishes and deco a ions bu also c ossed o e be ween echniques. These
di e ences and simila i ies show ha some adi ional elemen s con inued while new ideas
abou manu ac u ing also impac ed p oduc ion. The esul s p esen ed in he p e ious sec‑
ion only p esen apo ion o his si e, bu he esul s show ha u he s udy including pas
exca a ion ma e ials by in e na ional eams emains o key impo ance o bo h in e p e ing
he ce amics a Pis i os as well as he b oade egion o Th ace.

93ASHLEE B. HART
The u u e o his esea ch aims o u he documen and analyze he di e si y o ce amics
om I on Age Th ace and how such de elopmen s, h ough ime, we e a ec ed by cul u al
ela ionships wi h non ‑Th acian g oups. The nex phase o his esea ch a emp s o c ea e
a ypology and ch onology o he ce amics om Pis i os and beyond, which may be used o
compa e changes in he ansi ion o he La e I on Age and du ing he La e I on Age based on
c oss ‑cul u al in e ac ion in inland Th ace.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This esea ch was conduc ed as pa o my PhD disse a ion and was made possible by he
gene ous suppo o he Fulb igh ‑Hays P og am, he Ame ican Resea ch Cen e in So ia,
Lambda Alpha, and he Ma k Diamond Resea ch Fund a he Uni e si y a Bu alo. Thank
you o Pis i os Si e Di ec o Ass P o D Alexey Go se , Balkan He i age P og am Di ec o D
Angela Penche a, and he A chaeological Museum “P o .M. Doma adzki”. Iam g a e ul o my
colleagues a he Uni e si y a Bu alo and my amily o hei c i iques, edi s, and commen s
along he way.
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Ashlee B. Ha
An h opology Depa men
Uni e si y a Bu alo, S a e Uni e si y o New Yo k
380 Milla d Fillmo e Academic Cen e
Bu alo, NY 14261 USA
aha 3@bu alo.edu
223PLATES
Pl. 1/1: Empo ion Pis i os she ds ep esen ing he colo scale, om le o igh – G ey, Red B own,
and Yellow B own.
Pl. 2/1: Fea u es e i ied du ing he i s ‑yea ield wo k, combined wi h he ou e o Via Egna ia
and he o iginal i e bed o he Sa eska Ri e (map by B. Weisso á, Via Egna ia acco ding o
he Ba ing on A las).