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Roman Decorated Red-glazed Ware of the Late First Century B.C. and the Early First Century A.D.
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 24 September 2012
Extract
The pottery under consideration was produced in Italy and the Roman provinces, almost entirely in South Gaul. Its period is that of the principates of Augustus, Tiberius, Gaius and Claudius, and it may be ascribed to the years 30 B.C.-A.D. 50. Some slight initial or terminal overlap cannot, however, be altogether excluded.
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- Copyright © T. Davies Pryce 1942. Exclusive Licence to Publish: The Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies
References
2 The following works are referred to in the text by abbreviations:
BMC: H. B. Walters, Catalogue of Roman Pottery in the British Museum, 1908.
Haltern: Loeschcke, S., ‘Keramische Funde in Haltern,’ Mitt. d. Altertumskommission f. Westfalen, v, 103, 1909.Google Scholar
Knorr, 1919: R. Knorr, Töpfer und Fabriken verzierter Terra-Sigillata des ersten Jahrhunderts, 1919.
O & P: F. Oswald and T. D. Pryce, An Introduction to the Study of Terra Sigillata, 1920.
Oxé, A: A. Oxé, Arretinische Reliefgefässe vom Rhein, 1933.
Oxé, F-G: A. Oxé, Frühgallische Reliefgefgefässe vom Rhein, 1934.
3 The terminal date of the exporting activity of the Italian potteries is not quite certain, but A.D. 30 appears to mark its extreme limit so far as decorated fabric and the western provinces of the Empire are concerned.
4 Tivoli was almost certainly a seat of manufacture, for here one complete mould and eight fragments of moulds have been found (Notizie d. Scavi, 1927, Tivoli, 374 ff.). Two ‘Megarian’ bowls, now in the British Museum, one of which is signed by LAPPIVS, carry decoration closely similar to that of the Tivoli moulds and it is probable that they were made at that site. Together with the Tivoli moulds there was found a lamp (cf. CIL xv, 2, pl. 111, ·22) of early Haltern type (no. 34), with broad, rectangular nozzle. This association suggests a date in the first century B.C. Notwithstanding the fact that some of the ornamental details of the Italian ‘Megarian’ potters were copied by their Arretine successors, their decoration is stylistically earlier, for they frequently depict the Greek fret, and Vitruvian wave, motifs extremely rare or unknown in Arretine ornamentation. For further evidence in support of the view that Italian ‘Megarian’ ware was made in the first century B.C., see Oxé ‘Römisch-Italische Beziehungen der früh-arretinischen Reliefgefässe,’ Banner Jahrbücher (= BJ) 138, 81 ff.
5 Note the occurrence of stamps of provincial potters at Haltern during its latest phase, A.D. 14-16 (Oxé, F-G, p. 1).
6 The early South Gaulish pottery centres were those of Montans (cf. Oxé, Die ältesten Terra-Sigillata Fabriken in Montans-am-Tarn) and La Graufesenque (cf. Hermet, La Graufesenque, 1934). Teh early character of some of the products of Lezoux indicates an activity which closely followed that of South Gaul (cf. Oswald, F., ‘Carinated bowls from Lezoux,’ JRS xxvii, 210Google Scholar).
7 Thus at Aislingen (Knorr, Aislitigen, 5, 16), which was first occupied soon after A.D. 20, provincial Sigillata has almost completely supplanted Italian ware which is only represented by three fragments, See also Oxé, F-G, 25, pl. xii.
8 See the early examples of form 29 in the S. Francesca Romana and Nazionale Museums, Rome.
9 Le iscrizioni degli antichi vasi fittili aretini, 1859.
10 There appears to be no evidence of a pre-conquest commercial penetration of Italian ceramic products into Germany. In contrast, such a penetration is highly probable in the case of Britain, i.e. prior to the Claudian conquest.
11 Thus, the work of the early slaves of M. PERENNIVS, viz. CERDO, NICEPHORVS, PHILEMO, and PILADES, is only represented by one signed bowl in Oxé's latest book (cf. Oxé, A, v, 12Google Scholar).
12 Cf. U. Viviani, I vasi Aretini, 1921, 38, and A. del Vita, ‘Dissertazione s. vasi Aretini,’ Boll. Assoc. Arch. Rom., 1913-14, 227.
13 See Zur älteren Nomenklatur der röm. Sklaven, 1904, where Oxé bases his argument on the manner in which the names of the masters and slaves were combined and their similarity to formulae in vogue during the early years of the Empire.
14 The work of the early potters frequently reflects the naturalism of the Augustan age. See the vine scrolls of PERENNI NICEPHOR and PERENNI TIGRANI (Chase, Catal. of Arretine Pottery in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1917, xii, xiii, 34; ix, 21).
15 The assignment of Italian potters to the categories of Augustan and early Tiberian is somewhat arbitrary, although generally correct. Thus the activity of the early slaves of PERENNIVS ante-dated the Christian era in the main. It is further probable that some of the potters classed as early Tiberian began work in the last decade of the Augustan age and that some of them were still active down to c. A.D. 30.
16 Oxé, A 7, 38Google Scholar; F-G, p. 2.
17 Oxé, A x, 33Google Scholar; xix, 89; xx, 93, 94.
18 See Oxé, A lxx, 319Google Scholar, N. NAVI/HILAR, 313 PRIM(VS), 316, 322 N.N.H. In the National Museum at Naples there are two craters (nos. 16451, 110387) with very decadent decoration, signed N.N.H. on ansate labels, i.e. with the initials of N. NAEVIVS HILARVS.
19 Note the evidence from Haltern, p. 14, n. 5. In this context it may be pointed out that the forum at Mont Beuvray continued to be used as late as the early Christian era and that here were found the stamps of the Italic potter XANTHI/ATEI and of the South Gaulish potter OFFICIN/ACVTI.
20 See Aislingen, p. 15, n. 7.
21 One point which has a bearing on the early development of provincial Sarman needs emphasis. It has been pointed out (O & P, 8, 9; Dragendorff, Gnomon 1934, 360) that the Gaulish crater was a direct copy of the early or Augustan Italic type, i.e. that with out-curved rim, and not of the later or Tiberian crater, i.e. that with nearly upright and usually rouletted rim. This circumstance suggests the early materialisation of the Gaulish crater and at least a Tiberian date for some of the oldest examples (cf. Knorr 1919, Taf. IC; Taf. 2D, E, F, J; Taf. 3M, N, O, P).
22 Cf. Déchelette, Vases ornés 114, 115, fig. 74; see also fig. 75, SEX.M.F. See BMC, L 138, pi. ix, imitation of form 29, stamped RASIN.PIS.
23 This statement applies to Italy and the western provinces. There is, however, some evidence to show that Italy continued to export some of its wares to the East Mediterranean littoral in the reign of Claudius.
24 The above conclusions apply more particularly to decorated ware.
25 Cf. Pryce, and Oswald, , ‘Roman London,’ Archaeologia lxxviii, 77Google Scholar, figs. 8, 14; Chase, , Catalogue of Arretine Pottery, Boston, xxx, 141Google Scholar.
26 F. Hauser, Die neuattischen Reliefs 1889, 37 ff.
27 Oxé, ‘Römisch-italische Beziehungen der früharretinischen Reliefgefässe,’ BJ 138, 95Google Scholar. and Dragendorff, ‘Darstellungen aus der augusteischen Geschichte auf arretinischen Kelchen,’ Germania 1935, 305 ff.
28 This question is more fully treated by Dr. F. Matz in Festschrift für A. Oxé 9.
29 The naturalism so frequently displayed on these Augustan bowls should not be regarded as wholly Roman: the scrolls are but the reflection of known Hellenistic prototypes. Cf. P. Gardner, Sculptured Tombs of Hellas fig. 32; also the vine-scroll on a Campanian vase, third-second centuries B.C., in the British Museum; and see below, note 31.
30 See also Johansen, K. Friis in Acta Archaeologica i, 272Google Scholar.
31 For the treatment of garlands in the Augustan period, see Rodenwaldt, Der Sarkophag Caffarelli (83. Winckelmanns-programm, 1925) 19, 21 ff.