A typology of the late Roman and Byzantine pottery of Jerusalem

Abstract

This study represents an attempt to establish a ceramic typology for the coarse wares of Jerusalem from the fourth through seventh centuries C.E. The typology is based on the study of unpublished ceramic material from the excavations of the late Y. Shiloh in the City of David and of N. Avigad in the Jewish Quarter. Two main bodies of ceramic types can be distinguished during the period of time studied. The first corpus, for which the term late Roman is suggested, is characteristic of the fourth to sixth centuries C.E. These types were replaced in about the middle of the sixth century C.E. by a new ceramic repertoire that remained current through the seventh century C.E. The term Byzantine is suggested for the mid-sixth through seventh century C.E. corpus of types. This typology is then applied to an examination and re-evaluation of the stratigraphic and ceramic sequences published from the excavations of Saller at Bethany, Crowfoot and Fitzgerald in the Tyropoeon Valley, Hamilton against the north wall of Jerusalem, Aharoni at Ramat Rahel, and Tushingham in the Armenian Garden. The application of the typology to the material published from these excavations confirms the validity of the suggested ceramic sequence and clarifies the chronology of the occupation of these sites. A strong degree of regionalism is apparent in the corpus of late Roman and Byzantine ceramic types characteristic of Jerusalem, which appears to be indicative of a strong and vigorous local economy. After the legalization of Christianity by Constantine, Jerusalem benefited both from imperial favor and from Christian pilgrimage. This had an impact on all aspects of the local economy, including the ceramics industry. The Christian community in Jerusalem continued to prosper after the conquest of Jerusalem by the Moslems in 638 C.E. through the Omayyad period, while the city benefited from the attention of the Omayyad caliphs