Terra SigillataTerra SigillataSamian ware

Emily RyleySession 511th July 2010

CharacteristicsCharacteristics Produced from around

40AD - 223 AD. Fine, red pottery Decorated with

mouldings, etching or left plain.

Prestige object; indication of wealth. Initially very expensive but became cheaper and much more widespread with the use of moulds.

Initially produced in Italy but quickly copied and spread to other areas.

Derived from Greek tradition of red and black vases, called campanian ware.

Items produced include; dishes, bowls, plates, jars, cups, jugs, candelsticks and inkwells.

Production- Production- Manufacturing Manufacturing processprocess Changing styles allow dating. Wide spread, industrial scale production.

1. Clay dug and allowed to weather

2. Levigating

3. Puddled

4. Simple designs hand thrown, decorated with rouletting. More complex designs made in a mould which may or may not have carried a decoration.

5. Rim and foot added by hand.

6. Fired in special sophisticated kilns. Firing in an oxygen rich environment gave a rich red colour. Black colour from oxygen starvation.

Areas of production Areas of production Italian type: ‘Arrentine’ sigillataStarted in Arezzo, later had branch work shops (Lyon). Orange brown colour with a hard smooth texture.From 45 BC

Southern Gaul;Production started here from the early 1st centre but later shifted to central

Gaul.Pinkish brown colour, hard, fine textureBig exporters from 40 AD to 100 AD.C. 600 potters known in this area from stamps etc.

Central Gaul:Major exporters to Britain.Bright orange-red colour.

Colchester:Very difficult to distinguish from Eastern Gaul TS (both a red-brown colour

with a brown/yellow slip).3 distinctive styles that mark some items as undoubtedly Colchester

products.

Main centers of production in other areas:

France: Granfasenque

Spain: Andujar (south)

Tricio (north)

Also made in North Africa (here called red-slip ware).

Distribution of roman Terra sigillata

Timeline of different formsTimeline of different forms

Value and Trade Value and Trade British finds of TS probably came

from Arrezo and Lyon. While Central Gaul was the major

producer and supplier of goods, Eastern Gaul also traded in Germany and Britain (at least until it was being produced locally).

Classification and common Classification and common designsdesignsInitially done by Dragendorff in

the 19th century; allow a short hand version of describing common pottery forms.

Common designs include animal motifs as well as other patterns.

Standard forms; classified by Dragendorff, Dechelette, Knorr, Walters.

Potters names stamps, mould marker’s mark some times.

Stamps advertising the workshop. e.g. OF/OFC/OFFIC = officina =

workshop

F/FE/FEC = Fecit = made (this)

M/MA/MAN = Manu = by the hand of...

Colchester Terra Sigillata