Pottery fabrics from Malta : characterising late punic/early Roman fabrics from the Zejtun villa and the sanctuary at Tas-Silġ

Abstract

Characterisation studies of pottery fabric are carried out to understand how pottery vessels are made. Combined with typological analysis, techniques such as Polarised Light Microscopy (PLM) or chemical techniques, including X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF), offer an insight into the stages of the chaîne opératoires of vessels. In Malta, Late Punic and Roman vessels have not been characterised widely, and assumptions about the techniques and raw materials used have only rarely been tested with these methods. This research aims to compile a fabric classification for four stratigraphic assemblages from the Tas-Silġ sanctuary and the Zejtun villa. This study takes an interdisciplinary approach to assess the differences and similarities of fabric groups in regards to their chaîne opératoire and provenance of raw materials. A total of 70 sherds were recorded macroscopically and microscopically. Using PLM and XRF, a subset was then characterised. Sherds were compared to clays from the Maltese islands to assess the claim that the vessels could have been manufactured locally. Seven fabric groups were identified. Two main fabric groups, Fabrics 1 and 2, were established for the plates and bowls; Fabric 1 compared well with the characteristics of the Maltese Blue Clays. One additional group, Fabric 5, was found to be associated with specific cooking vessel forms, and local Terra Rossa is proposed as a possible raw material. Differences between these fabric groups reveal variations in the raw material types and treatment, possibly including clay mixing. It is suggested that some distinctions between the raw materials could be explained by a procurement strategy based on the vessels’ function. This research additionally opens the questions of when and how the savoir-faire of working Terra Rossa could have appeared in Malta. In the future, the fabric classification proposed could be expanded with vessels from other archaeological contexts and chronological periods and serve as a basis for future characterisation studies.