Exploring Matt-Painted Pottery at Incoronata, Basilicata, Italy. Craft and contexts of consumption Cover Image

Exploring Matt-Painted Pottery at Incoronata, Basilicata, Italy. Craft and contexts of consumption
Exploring Matt-Painted Pottery at Incoronata, Basilicata, Italy. Craft and contexts of consumption

Author(s): Cesare Vita
Subject(s): Anthropology, Archaeology, Cultural history, Social history, History of Religion, Prehistory
Published by: Univerzita Karlova v Praze - Filozofická fakulta, Vydavatelství
Keywords: Matt-painted pottery; Greek-Indigenous interaction; Incoronata; ritual activities; craftsmanship and iconography

Summary/Abstract: This paper aims to discuss the craft-related issues of matt-painted pottery, along with their function and patterns of consumption within the contexts uncovered at Incoronata in Southern Italy. This Oenotrian site, under archaeological investigation since 1971 and located only 7 km from the Ionian coast in present-day Basilicata, has been occupied since the 9th century BC. While its earliest phase was marked solely by indigenous presence, by the early 7th century BC, it became a place of interaction with Aegean communities, making Incoronata a crucial site for understanding Greek-Indigenous relations prior to the founding of the Greek colony of Metaponto. Starting with an examination of the indigenous contexts and then moving to the Greek-Indigenous mixed contexts, this paper will highlight the use of matt-painted pottery as prestigious items in ritual activities. Observations on the pottery’s craftsmanship, including details on the quality and execution of the vessel production, will also be examined to provide a better understanding of these artifacts.

  • Issue Year: 29/2025
  • Issue No: 2
  • Page Range: 100-117
  • Page Count: 18
  • Language: English
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