Project: Transfer of Technology (TOT). Exploring Pottery Manufacture and Trade in Roman Thrace using the Yurta-Stroyno Case

Duration: February 1st 2025 – January 31st 2027

PR: Dr. Petra Tušlová

The TOT project is hosted at the Fitch Laboratory under the British School at Athens, with scientific supervision by Dr. Evangelia Kiriatzi. As part of its interdisciplinary training, two internships of overall duration of four months will take place at the University of Tübingen’s Competence Center Archaeometry – Baden-Wuerttemberg under the mentorship of Dr. Silvia Amicone.

The project is supported by the European Regional Development Fund “MSCA Fellowships CZ – Charles University 3” (reg. no.: CZ.02.01.01/00/22_010/0008820)

Project Overview

The TOT project investigates pottery production and distribution in Roman Thrace during the 2nd–4th c. AD, focusing on the rural settlement of Yurta-Stroyno and several other contemporary settlements in its hinterland. The case study provides a unique opportunity to integrate archaeological evidence with advanced archaeometric methods, moving beyond traditional typological approaches and addressing long-standing questions about local vs. imported pottery, production technology, and trade networks.

Research Gap

While several Roman pottery workshops in Thrace and Moesia Inferior are already known, current pottery classifications rely almost exclusively on vessel shape. This limits our ability to trace production centres and distribution systems. Ware- and fabric- based typologies, essential for understanding provenance and technology, are almost entirely missing from the Roman period.

Objectives

TOT combines typological and archaeometric analyses to redefine our understanding of pottery manufacture and circulation in the region. Its objectives are:

1. Pottery technology: Characterize Yurta-Stroyno pottery assemblages by ware, fabric and shape; reconstruct raw material selection, forming techniques, and firing practices
2. Provenance:
   • Collect and analyse raw materials (clays) from the extended region of Yurta-Stroyno
   • Compare pottery assemblages from neighbouring sites of Robovo, Karavelovo and Kozarevo with Yurta-Stroyno and with the regionally available raw materials
3. Distribution: Reconstruct regional production and circulation patterns; explore economic, social, and cultural implications of pottery exchange and trade

Methodology

An interdisciplinary, archaeometric approach includes:

• Thin-section petrography & WD-XRF analysis (Fitch Laboratory, Athens)
• XRD for determination of firing temperature (University of Tübingen, VŠCHT in Prague)
• CT scanning & surface topography (University of Hradec Králové)
• Experimental clay briquettes to replication of ancient production technology
• GIS mapping of clay sources and pottery distribution networks

Innovation & Ambition

• First large-scale archaeometric study of Roman pottery in Thrace
• Integration of archaeology and material science
• Establishing a fabric- and ware-based typology for Roman pottery in Thrace
• Provision of a methodological model for further regional studies
• Enhanced understanding of technology transfer, trade, and cultural interaction in Roman Thrace

Expected Impact

• New insights into local production strategies and consumer practices
• Evidence-based reconstruction of regional and supra-regional trade routes
• Establishment of an open-access database and geodatabase linking clay resources, pottery production, and distribution
• Establishing a study collection of pottery and fired clay thin-sections
• Contribution to the broader field of Roman economic history