Early Byzantine Pottery from Limyra’s West and East Gate Excavations

Abstract

This article presents and discusses Early Byzantine pottery that was excavated at and around Limyra’s East and West Gates in 2011 and 2012. Not all excavated contexts were relevant to the aim of the study, which focuses on the Early Byzantine period. Pottery that pre- and postdates this period also occurred frequently. The pottery from selected contexts was sorted and quantified using fabric, shape and surface treatment as classificatory principles. It is noteworthy that pottery datable between the 2nd century BCE and the 3rd, perhaps the 4th century CE was not found in stratigraphic context: it was only identified in the form of residual fragments. Early Byzantine pottery occurs in large numbers, and especially around the West Gate there is a strong signal for contexts datable to the 5th and early/first half of the 6th century CE. All amphorae were imported, mostly from various parts of the Eastern Mediterranean; small quantities originated in the Western Mediterranean and the Black Sea. Most cooking vessels and part of the utilitarian and tableware repertoire, however, was obtained from local/regional workshops, pottery now partly better understood in terms of fabric and typological repertoire.