A new archaeological study found that Roman pottery discovered in Cyprus came largely from ancient Greek cities in Asia Minor, rather than Italy. Researchers found that workshops in what is now western Turkey supplied much of the thin-walled pottery used in the ancient city of Nea Paphos during the early Roman period.
The research, led by MaĆgorzata Kajzer, examined pottery fragments recovered from two excavation sites in Nea Paphos, an important urban center on Cyprus’s southwestern coast. The findings show that the city maintained strong trade connections with the eastern Aegean, particularly the ancient Greek cities of Knidos and Phocaea.
Pottery reveals trade connections with Greek cities
Researchers studied a type of Roman tableware known as thin-walled pottery. These vessels included drinking cups, mugs and small beakers, often made with walls just a few millimeters thick. The pottery first appeared in Italy during the second century B.C. As Roman influence expanded across the Mediterranean, workshops in other regions began producing similar vessels. To investigate where the pottery found in Cyprus originated, the team examined material excavated from the city’s ancient marketplace, or agora, between 2011 and 2018.
Archaeologists documented 138 identifiable fragments, representing less than 3% of the tableware assemblage. The researchers selected 32 pottery samples from the agora and nearby Fabrika Hill for laboratory testing. They examined the chemical composition of the clay and studied its minerals under a microscope. The analysis identified eight distinct groups of pottery, including one produced locally and seven classified as imports.
Several imported vessels matched pottery manufactured in ancient Greek cities along the western coast of Asia Minor. Some drinking cups originated from Knidos, while mugs and other vessels were traced to Phocaea. The ancient Greek city of Phocaea (Greek: ΊÏÎșαÎčα) also played an important role in Greek settlement across the Mediterranean.
Additional pottery may have come from other workshops in the eastern Aegean, although researchers could not establish their precise locations. The imports appeared during the first century B.C. and continued arriving until at least the end of the second century A.D.
Cyprus also produced its own Roman-style pottery
The study also confirmed that potters in Nea Paphos manufactured thin-walled vessels locally. At Fabrika Hill, archaeologists uncovered a deposit containing more than 2,500 pottery fragments dating to the first half of the first century A.D. The hill has also yielded other important archaeological discoveries from the Hellenistic period. The collection included defective vessels, suggesting that pottery production took place nearby.
Laboratory tests confirmed that the clay matched materials used in locally produced cooking pottery. However, locally manufactured thin-walled pottery was relatively uncommon in the agora. Imported vessels, particularly those associated with Asia Minor, appeared more frequently. The researchers suggest that local production may have been short-lived or intended for a limited group of consumers.
Greek traditions remained influential under Roman rule
The findings also show that eastern Mediterranean potters did not simply copy Italian designs. Workshops in Knidos adapted older Greek pottery shapes, while Cypriot manufacturers developed distinctive vessels influenced by local cooking traditions. One example was a small casserole-shaped vessel found at Fabrika Hill. Researchers believe it may represent a local innovation rather than a direct copy of an Italian design.
The findings add to growing archaeological evidence of extensive pottery trade networks in the ancient Greek world. Despite the spread of Roman products, thin-walled pottery never became especially popular in Cyprus. The researchers suggest that residents largely maintained their established pottery preferences, even as imported goods became available.
The study highlights how ancient Greek manufacturing centers continued to shape Mediterranean trade and everyday life under Roman rule. It also suggests that Roman cultural influence varied considerably between regions, with local communities adopting some foreign practices while preserving others.
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