Thrace through the Ages. Pottery as Evidence for Commerce and Culture from Prehistoric Times to the Islamic Period

Thrace through the Ages highlights the crucial role that ceramic evidence plays in evaluating archaeological material from Thrace. The volume considers the informative value of pottery in tracing cultural and political phases, by providing us with important data about production centres, commercial relations, daily life, religious rituals, and burial customs.
Divided into five sections, this volume first gives a historical overview of Thracian pottery research in relation to its methodological development, before exploring the ways in which ceramic data can be used as evidence of interregional commercial relations and cultural interaction. The third section considers the use of ceramics found in ritual contexts from several sites in Thrace. The fourth section looks at the retrieval and understanding of ceramics from survey and excavated contexts. Chapters in the fifth section focus on specific ceramic wares, which are evaluated by considering both their qualitative and quantitative characteristics.