LRCW 4

Late Roman Coarse Wares,

Cooking Wares and Amphorae
in the Mediterranean
Archaeology and archaeometry
The Mediterranean: a market without frontiers
Edited by

Natalia Poulou-Papadimitriou,
Eleni Nodarou and Vassilis Kilikoglou

Volume I

BAR International Series 2616 (I)

2014


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BAR S2616 (I)

LRCW 4 Late Roman Coarse Wares, Cooking Wares and Amphorae in the Mediterranean: Archaeology and
archaeometry. The Mediterranean: a market without frontiers. Volume I.

Archaeopress and the individual authors 2014

Cover illustrastration: Early Byzantine amphora from Pseira, Crete (photo by C. Papanikolopoulos; graphic design by K. Peppas).

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A CERAMIC WORKSHOP OF THE EARLY BYZANTINE PERIOD ON THE ISLAND OF LIPSI IN THE
DODECANESE (GREECE): A PRELIMINARY APPROACH
ELENI PAPAVASSILIOU, KONSTANTINOS SARANTIDIS, EIRINI PAPANIKOLAOU
Archaeological Service of Dodecanese, Ippoton Str, Rhodes, Greece; 4eba@culture.gr
At Lipsi, in the Dodecanese Islands, archaeological excavation on the Colombini property brought to light a pottery
workshop with four kilns, four storage areas, intact amphorae and large quantities of potsherds. Twenty complete
amphorae of uniform type (5 intact and 15 in pieces) constitute an important discovery. They have a cylindrical body,
decorated with grooves, and imitate the commonest Protobyzantine amphora type LRA1, generally used to transport
wine and oil.
Conclusions: 1) The potters of the provincial workshop were familiar with the standard utility forms of the period,
copying its models with considerable clumsiness, so suggesting a late dating for their manufacture, around the 7th
century. 2) The coastal location of the workshop would facilitate transport of its output, since the island lies on the
shipping lane linking Constantinople with Egypt and Syria. 3) The incised monograms (, , ) on plugs or amphora
shoulders are of doubtful significance; they could be the marks of potters, workshops, merchants, contents or
indications of customs control. 4) The cause of the workshop's destruction remains unclear, as does its workingduration.
KEYWORDS: DODECANESE, LIPSI, CERAMIC WORKSHOP, KILNS, LRA1 AMPHORAE, WINE TRADE,
7TH CENTURY.
Four rectangular kilns were unearthed at a depth
varying from 1 to 2m. They were constructed with
limestone and mortar; their foundations depth in most
cases corresponds to the modern sea level. The kilns
whose entrance is located to the south, share a common
northwest-southeast orientation. Four rectangular
buildings complement the workshops facilities. These
structures served most likely to house the production
process (storerooms, dryers etc.), as indicated by the in
situ discovery of a pile of clay in the south-west corner
of the northeastern one (Fig. 3).

The island of Lipsi belongs to the Dodecanese complex

and lies between Leros and Patmos, opposite the coast
of Ionia in Asia Minor (Fig. 1). According to the
inscriptions discovered, it was known in Antiquity as
Lepsia (Manganaro 1963-4, 317-329; Volanakis
2002, 21) and belonged to the Ionian or Milesian
islands (Triantafillidis 2006, 178, note 15, with
relevant bibliography), forming along with Agathonisi,
Farmakonisi, Patmos, Arkioi, Marathi and Leros, a
string of outposts for ancient Miletus. The early
Byzantine period lacks written testimonies on the
island, which followed a common historical course
with Patmos from the 11th century onwards.

Kiln 1 (dimensions: 5.30x5.20m). The walls, preserved

to a height of 1-1.50m, are constructed of medium and
small-sized rubble bound together with pebbles, pottery
sherds and clay mortar. Benches along the long sides
and a central pillar would have supported the grid. The
clay floor was traced at a depth of 2.30m, having a
slight inclination towards its centre. Six layers of
landfill were removed, containing a multitude of
sherds, ash and burnt earth. Ten amphorae were
discovered at the entrance, nine of which were broken
and one still intact (Fig. 3, 4).

Research on the D. Colombini building plot began in

the summer of 2008 as a rescue excavation, with trial
trenches conducted by the 22nd Ephorate of Prehistoric
and Classical Antiquities: work was initiated by the
presence of surface pottery fragments in large
quantities and of a visible kiln. The plot has a surface
area of 5000m2, and lies at the site of Kambos, northwest of the port of Lipsi (Fig. 2). Pottery found in the
trenches was dated to the Byzantine period. Therefore,
the 4th Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities undertook
the impending systematic excavation (December 2008May 2010).

Kiln 2 (dimensions: 4.20x2.80m). The kiln founded on

the natural argillaceous landfill is preserved to an
approximate height of 0.50m. Its masonry was
constructed as the above example. The kilns
excavation revealed traces of a destroyed grid resting
upon benches along the long sides and on a rectangular
pillar (0.42x0.28m) discovered underneath it. The grid
was constructed of clay plaques and of rectangular
blocks coated with clay. The floor was made of clay
and pumice stone, obviously in order to maintain the
high levels of heat. The landfill was dominated by
burnt soil and a considerable quantity of ash. Two

Since the venture of fully presenting the archaeological

material requires the working through of a vast amount
of sherds, it becomes clear that only a preliminary
approach is attainable at the moment. This paper will
therefore deal solely with the study of the kilns and the
intact amphorae, thus conducting a rough classification
of these products and moreover enabling a chronology
for the workshop to be formed.

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LRCW4
were discovered at the entrance of kiln 1, under a fill of
1-1.50m depth; amphorae no. 14-16 were found
scattered in the landfill and finally, amphorae no. 17-20
come from the entrance of kiln 4 (see table of
amphorae).

fragments of amphora shoulders ( 230, 2155)

bear graffitos of an incised , another disc-shaped clay
object ( 2460) bears an incised (?), while an
incised occurs in the exterior surface of a firing ring
(AE 2427) (Fig. 6).
Kiln 3 (dimensions: 2.10x1.20m). The walls,
constructed as those above, rest on the natural rock and
are preserved to a height of up to 0.40m. Underneath
the destroyed (due to the roof collapse) grid, the clay
floor was revealed, partially constituted of the natural
rock. The kilns investigation revealed also a deposit
composed of burnt red soil, some amphora wasters,
unpainted pottery fragments and trefoil rims deriving
mostly from oenochoai and an intact small oinochoe as
well (AE 1389) (Fig. 8). Among the significant finds of
the landfill are listed clay lids (for parallels see PoulouPapadimitriou and Didioumi 2010, 742, fig. 6h.), one
of which preserves the incised letters ( 1215)
(Fig. 5), potters wheels, firing rings, one of which
bears the incised letters ( 1175) and numerous
malformed and distorted sherds, witnesses to
unsuccessful firings. The furnaces limited dimensions
(almost half the size of its counterparts) and the
multitude of oinochoai sherds indicate that this specific
kiln served mostly for the firing of small vessels.

Features-Typology-Dating
The five intact amphorae from the excavations at Lipsi
share some common features concerning their
decoration. They slightly differ in height and maximum
diameter of the body (Fig. 9). The neck is cylindrical
and stumpy and rims are marked by a thick convex
band (0.015m wide). The interior of the rim, whose
external diameter ranges between 0.07-0.08m,
preserves wheel ridges. The unbalanced -shaped
handles commence exactly below the rim. They are
0.03-0.04m wide, with a rounded light ridge running
down them at the centre. The body displays parallel
grooves (0.005-0.01m wide), which are light and
indiscernible from the base of the neck to the base of
the handles, but then become denser, more visible and
finally fade out at a small distance from the foot. The
foot is convex and rounded with no buttons. The clay is
reddish- yellow, mediocre, clean, incorporating whitish
small inclusions and abundant golden mica (Munsell
5YR, 6/6 or 6/4). From the aforementioned typological
features, the Lipsi amphorae can be classified among
the imitations of the LRA1b type (Bonifay and Piri
1995, 108-9, fig. 49-51, with relevant bibliography;
Piri 2005, 69-84, fig.25, 30; Piri 2007, 615, 616-7,
fig.15,1 about the Egyptian imitations of the LRA1
type).

Kiln 4 (dimensions: 4.80x3.90m). The kiln is founded

on the natural argillaceous landfill. The masonry,
coated with mortar, is preserved to a height of 1.10m: it
is constructed with medium and small-sized rubble
held together by pebbles, pottery fragments and lime
mortar. No grid was found. The clay floor, with a slight
inclination towards its centre, was revealed at a depth
of 2.20m.The stratigraphy displayed four layers: the
first with clay masses, the second with yellow soil
(kaolinitic clay) and sherds, the third with burnt soil
and sherds, and the fourth with ash, charcoal and
sherds. The destruction layer contained numerous
sherds from broken amphorae and four intact amphorae
( 3031-3034) (Fig. 7). Among the sherds were
fragments up to 0.02m thick, probably from pithoi, as
well as lekanides and pots.

The prevailing amphora type, LRA1, which has been

systematically and thoroughly studied, occurs par
excellence in the Aegean and on coastal sites of the
Mediterranean basin (Empereur and Picon 1989, 239,
fig. 18) and was traded from the 5th to the 7th
centuries. Having as place of origin Cilicia and Cyprus
(Hayes 1992, vol. 2, 64, 434, notes 8-9; Piri 2005,
614-6; Reynolds 2005, 565-6), this particular amphora
type was distributed in Syria, Egypt, Spain, France, on
the Greek mainland (Athens, Corinth, Argos, Olympia)
and the Aegean islands (Crete, Rhodes, Cos, Samos,
Chios, Thasos), the coast of Asia Minor,
Constantinople and reached the Black Sea and Lower
Danube (Diamanti 2010a, 50-1 with further
bibliography).

The landfill of the rest of the excavation plot consisted

of a deposit of ashes and burnt soil containing bases,
rims, vessel walls, large numbers of handles, as well as
parts of clay potters wheels, firing rings and covers.
Individual finds comprise approximately 3060 objects,
according to the excavation diaries. The multitude of
sherds discovered were placed in almost 730 bags and
stored at a storage house of the Municipality of Lipsi,
forming a pottery mountain. Moreover, various
sections of floors were discovered, providing evidence
for different construction techniques (beaten soil, clay
plaques, stone plaques and pebbles with traces of
plaster), as well as four charcoal pits containing burnt
masses of clay and charcoal too.

The Lipsi amphorae are not well made nor

symmetrical: they are not high-quality vases, nor do
they present any typological variety. The exterior
surface is coarse with protruding grains of clay; visible
irregularities slightly differentiate their component
parts. In particular, the handles are placed askew; the
rim of amphora 8 is not circular but of ellipsoid form,
while that of amphora 20 is not horizontal, but slanted
in section. On amphora 8, the base of the handles bears
a finger imprint, presumably the potters. Grooves
manifest a certain degree of offhandedness in their

This paper deals with the five intact amphorae and the
other
fifteen
fragmentarily
preserved,
but
demonstrating their shape nevertheless. In detail,
amphorae no. 1-3 were found inside the deposit, at a
depth of approximately 0.60m; amphorae no. 4-13

160

PAPAVASSILIOU-SARANTIDIS-PAPANIKOLAOU
outside the settlement (Theocharidou 1985-6, 98, 99,
note 12). Moreover, the information mentioned in the
Exabiblos by Armenopoulos about the distance that
should be left between kilns is approximately correct,
as measured. Thus and particularly, kiln 2 at the north
has a distance of 44 slats () from kiln 1 (meaning
28.16m), while kiln 4 which is more to the south of
kiln 1 is located at a distance of 35 slats (22.4m), and
kiln 3 west of kiln 1, is located at a distance of 9.5 slats
(6.08m); c) because one could procure clay from the
landfills on the banks of the torrent that according to
information from the local inhabitants used to cut
through the site (we cannot yet endorse this opinion
without laboratory analysis of the amphorae and the
raw materials) (on the digging and manipulation of the
clay, see Giannopoulou 2010, 68-71, with relevant
bibliography).

execution, except for those of amphorae 18 and 19,

where they are well-made and distinct.
As for their dimensions (height, diameter of body and
rim), amphorae from the pottery workshop at Lipsi
resemble not only the domestic LRA1b amphorae from
Kos (Diamanti 2010a, 61; Poulou-Papadimitriou and
Didioumi 2010, 742, fig. 8), but also the V-type
amphorae discovered in the Yassi Ada shipwreck
(625/6 AD) (Bass 1982, I, 155-7, 161-3). The domestic
amphorae from Kos (which are 0.40-0.45m in height,
with a body diameter of 0.22-0.25m and rim diameter
0.075-0.085m) are dated at the beginning of the 7th
century (Diamanti 2010a, 68). The Lipsi amphorae also
resemble an amphora discovered in Thessaloniki
(Papanikola-Bakirtzi 2010, 269-271, fig. 5, type III),
one recovered in Chios-Emporio (Boardman 1989,
114, fig.43, pl. 25, no 280) and one from Paphos dated
probably to the 8th-9th centuries (Hayes 2003, 506,
fig.32, no 241). It should be mentioned at this point
that Bakirtzis notes that the mass production of LRA
type I and their irregular shape constitutes the basic
difference between Early Byzantine and Megarian
amphorae: this is a problematic remark as regards
chronology, because type from Cherson (9th10th
centuries) bears many similarities to the Lipsi
amphorae, eg. in the asymmetry of the rim and handles
(Ivaschenko 1997, 77, fig. 10b). Nevertheless such a
late dating cannot apply in the case of Lipsi, since the
oinochoai trefoil rims and the intact small oinochoe
found in the wasters deposit of kiln 3, are securely
dated in the 7th century (fig. 8), based on wellstratified parallels from Eleutherna and Boeotia
(Yangaki 2004, 122, 144, fig. 36a-b and 123, fig. 37ab; Chamilaki 2010, 597-8, fig. 5, no 3527).

3. The twenty amphorae, intact and broken, share

homogenous features and are classified typologically
as among the imitations of the widespread LRA1 type
(concerning the analysis of the type, the clay, the
distribution and dating of the type, see Diamanti 2010a,
49-72, with previous bibliography). In terms of
chronology and due to the lack of other finds, they are
probably dated from the middle 7th century onwards.
4. Many different opinions have been expressed on the
incised letters/graffiti found on amphora plugs or
shoulders (Alfen 1996, 201-2). These provide
information on proprietors, names of potters,
workshops, regions, merchants, the vessel content.
May they be interpreted as numerical indications or
customs controls, in the context of annona militaris?
(Diamanti 2010a, 61-2; Didioumi 2010, 811).
5. The lifespan of the workshop, as well as the cause of
its destruction or abandonment, remain unknown
(earthquake, flood or enemy invasion?). Whatever the
case, it seems that even such a small island (of just 16
square kilometers) was not only inhabited during the
early Byzantine period, but also displayed commercial
activity in the domain of pottery. The small, rough but
rugged amphorae, with a capacity of 9.5 litres,
probably: a) conveyed the wine of Lipsi to areas
lacking such produce, even to rich centres, even to
Constantinople, remembering that limited local
production of a fine product is the more coveted in the
market and commands a higher price when compared
with mass produced quantities. It should be noted that,
given the limited nature of oil production on the island,
these amphorae are most likely linked with the wine
trade. Their capacity is compatible with this
suggestion, according to research (for viniculture and
its importance in the Byzantine period, see Lefort
2006, 403-4, 410-3; Alfen 1996, 208); b) were
requested by the state, as a form of tax, that required
amphorae with or without wine in order to cover the
armys needs, at a time when the large production
centres of the Levant had been lost and when small,
local workshops were established in their stead and c)
catered for the everyday needs of the islands
population. The renown brusco-like wine of Lipsi (i.e.

Conclusions
1. The presence of a workshop at the coastal site of
Kambos at Lipsi is attested by: a) the discovery of
four rectangular kilns, of which only the outline of the
combustion chamber is preserved (for the kilns
typology, see Hasaki 2002, 139-177; Theocharidou
1985-6, 106, fig. 15; Le Ny 1988, 39-45, 22a-23;
Cuomo di Caprio 2007, 524, fig. 169, II. For the
operation of the kilns, see Theocharidou, loc.cit. 100-4;
Le Ny, loc.cit. 19-36), b) the discovery of five almost
identical amphorae of the same type and numerous
warped, malformed and badly fired sherds.
2. The location of the workshop is noteworthy: a) from
its closeness to the sea, which is an important factor for
the immediate and relatively low-cost transportation of
amphorae; b) because of its considerable distance from
the settlement which during the early Byzantine period
was located on the opposite side of the island bay, at
Kouselio, where remains of a basilica and baths have
been discovered (Volanakis 2002, 27-8; 2007, 68-72).
It should be noted that according to the rules governing
the construction of a tile workshop of the 14th century,
a necessary condition for the erection of a ceramic
workshop was that the chosen spot ought to be located

161

LRCW4
a varietal of wine known as Phokiano deriving from
Phocea and cultivated until nowadays on the nearby
islands of Samos and Ikaria), hitherto mentioned only
in oral tradition and folk poetry (Volanakis 2002, 193),
now becomes a palpable reality through the discovery
of this pottery workshop. Production dates probably to
the 7th-8th centuries, a time when the countryside
acquired a primary role because cities were smaller and
less numerous and society relied more upon the
peasant. One should note that archival documents
reveal that during the Italian rule in the Dodecanese
islands, the Vatican was procuring for its Holy
Communion the red semi-sweet wine from Lipsi,
which comes from sun-dried red grapes. Over the last
decades, the cultivation of this specific grape has been
restarted: today the island is a member of the
viniculture association of European cities.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
van Alfen, P.G. 1996. New light on the 7th-c. Yassi
Ada shipwreck: capacities and standard sizes of
LRA1 amphora. Journal of Roman Archaeology 9,
189-213.
Bass, G.F. 1982. The pottery. In Bass G. F. and
Doornick F. H. Van, Yassi Ada, A seventh century
byzantine shipwreck I. Texas, Texas University
Press.
Boardman, J. 1989. The Finds. In M. Ballance, J.
Boardman, S. Corbett, S. Hood, Excavations in
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School at Athens, Supplement 20 (1989), 86-142.
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Bonifay, M. and Piri, D. 1995. Amphores du Ve au
VIIe s. Marseille: nouvelles donnes sur la
typologie et le contenu. Journal of Roman
Archaeology 8, 94-120.

6. Finally, the workshops discovery, even though only

partially excavated, is considered a fortunate incident,
given the fact that the continuous agricultural activity
in the plot has destroyed most of the constructions. The
foundations of the four kilns combustion chambers
alone remain almost intact. The excavation at Lipsi
provides important evidence for a new peripheral place
of pottery production thus this small island is added
to the topographic map of the insular pottery
workshops of LRA1 in the Aegean during the early
Byzantine period, well located on the shipping route to
and from Constantinople (Diamanti 2008, 11-37;
2010a, 164-5; 2010b, 143-152; Didioumi 2010, 795828; Poulou-Papadimitriou and Didioumi 2010, 741-9).

Cuomo di Caprio, N. 2007. Ceramica in Archeologia

2. Antiche tecniche di lavorazione e moderni metodi
di indagine. Roma.
Chamilaki, K. 2010.
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Archaeological Institute of Macedonian and
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Acknowledgments

Diamanti, Ch. 2008.

/ 1
(=LRA1).

, Deltion of the Centre for

Asia Minor Studies 15, 11-37. Athens.

We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to

Professor Natalia Poulou-Papadimitriou (Aristotle
University of Thessaloniki) who instigated the study of
these amphorae from Lipsi. Also, we owe the
completion of this paper to two colleagues who work
on the early Byzantine pottery of Cos par excellence,
to Sophia Didioumi and Charikleia Diamanti: they
have communicated the results of their lengthy
research in the pottery field to the scientific
community. Moreover, we would like to extend our
thanks to the photographer M. Mitton and the artist .
Katsouri, as well as to the Director of the Ephorate,
Mrs Michailidou for granting us the permission to
study and publish the excavation material.

Diamanti, Ch. 2010a.

(5-7 .), S.
Saripolos Library 115. Athens.
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Papanikola-Bakirtzi and Kousoulakou 2010, 143152.
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:
. In Papanikola-Bakirtzi
and Kousoulakou 2010, 795-828.

The costs of the excavation and conservation of the

architectural finds were undertaken in full by the plot
owner, to whom we owe thanks for his patience and
understanding during the entire research, as well as for
the interest he displayed in the archaeological remains
discovered in his building plot. Therefore, we
dedicated the poster to the owner Mr D. Colombini.
The fieldwork begun, on behalf of the 22nd Ephorate
of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities, by the
archaeologist K. Sarantidis and the excavation project
was undertaken by the archaeologists E. Papanikolaou
and K. Sarantidis alternately.

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Gaza: a typology and analysis of regional
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TABLE OF AMPHORAE
no
1

Type (cat. no.)

Amphora (273)

Height
38 cm

Max.
24 cm

Outer rim
------

2
3
4

Amphora (697)
Amphora (698)
Amphora (855)

23 cm
38 cm
37 cm

28 cm
26 cm
------

-----8 cm
------

5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13

Amphora (858)
Amphora (859)
Amphora (860)
mphora (861)
Amphora (862)
Amphora (930)
Amphora (929)
Amphora (931)
Amphora (932)

12 cm
14 cm
20 cm
42 cm
25 cm
28 cm
32 cm
28 cm
19 cm

---------------23 cm
21 cm
---------------22 cm

7.5 cm
----------8 cm
7.5 cm
7.5 cm
----------------

14

Amphora (1894)

43 cm

23 cm

------

15
16
17
18
19
20

Amphora (2551)
Amphora (2929)
Amphora (3031)
Amphora (3032)
Amphora (3033)
Amphora (3034)

30 cm
30 cm
42 cm
42 cm
42 cm
42 cm

-----25 cm
25 cm
25 cm
25 cm
25 cm

----------7 cm
7 cm
7 cm
7 cm

Comments-Location
Incomplete, in pieces. Found in a
pit deposit.
Ditto
Ditto
Incomplete, in pieces. Found at
the opening of kiln no. 1
Ditto
Ditto
Ditto
Almost intact. Same location.
Ditto
Ditto
Ditto
Ditto
Ditto. Possibly the same as no.
12.
Incomplete, in pieces. Found in
the earth-fill.
Ditto
Ditto
Intact. Found in kiln no. 4.
Ditto
Ditto
Ditto

Fig. 1. Map of the Dodecanese Islands and Lipsi

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Fig. 2. General view of the excavation site

Fig. 3. Plan of the excavation

Fig. 4. Aspect of kiln 1 with its amphorae

165

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Fig. 5. Amphorae lids

Fig. 6. Potsherds bearing graffiti

Fig. 7. Aspect of kiln 4 with its amphorae

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PAPAVASSILIOU-SARANTIDIS-PAPANIKOLAOU

Fig. 8. Intact small oinochoe from the deposit of kiln 3

Fig. 9. a) Comparative photos of the five intact amphorae

167

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Fig. 9. b) Comparative drawings of the five intact amphorae

168