Considerations on the production and distribution of pottery in Dobruja at the beginning of the Middle Ages

Abstract

The paper draws attention to data that confirm the establishment of craft areas and commercial activity providing evidence of the production and diffusion of pottery in the territory of Dobruja (southeastern Romania) in the 10–12th century. So far, local pottery production has been proven by four pottery workshops, two tools used to create decorations, fifteen single- or dual-chamber pottery kilns, a few semi-finished vessels, and production waste. Some clues on the distribution area of pottery made in Dobruja were obtained by analysing the decoration and fabric of vessels with potter’s marks. The data presented can contribute to the reconstruction of the production and distribution of pottery, the most abundant find type present in the record of dwellings from the beginning of the Middle Ages.