South Gallic Terra Sigillata

South Gallic Terra Sigillata Picture Bowl Drag. 29 in the Römerhalle Bad Kreuznach.

False fires from La Graufesenque, mostly sticking together, form Graufesenque E in the Millau Museum.

South Gallic Bowl of Drag. 29, late 1st century AD, found in London.

The drag shape. 30 with vertical walls together with the bowls of the shape Drag. 29 is the most popular vessel shape of the South Gallic TS.

Bowl of the rarer marbled vessels, form Hofheim 8.

In archeology, the southern Gaulish terra sigillata is a type of Roman ceramic ware that was produced from the end of the 1st century BC. In southern Gaul in the area of the Rutener . Terra Sigillata (TS) was used as tableware in the 2nd half of the 1st century BC. Developed in northern Italy and mainly manufactured in the main production site in Arezzo . Around 15 BC The first branches of arretian pottery workshops were established north of the Alps in Lugdunum in Gaul , today's Lyon . Large-scale TS production began in the southern Gaulish region in the 20s of the 1st century AD. TS production later shifted further and further east, closer to the trade routes of the Rhine and Danube.

Historical development

The main production center of TS in southern Gaul in the 1st century was the valley of La Graufesenque , about two kilometers southeast of Millau ( Condatomagus ) in the French department of Aveyron . The goods produced here were primarily intended for the Gallic market, but also found their way to Mainz , Neuss or as far as Auerberg . Even before the middle of the first century, the La Graufesenque pottery studios established themselves. In the beginning, TS production was largely in the Arretian tradition or copied, but soon new forms of vessels were created that were based on Gallic models. In the second half of the first century, La Graufesenque reached its peak, especially for mass-produced goods. TS of La Graufesenque was negotiated throughout the Roman world , as far as Asia Minor . Two boxes with TS bowls of the Dragendorff (Drag.) 29 and Drag type have become known. 37 from Pompeii .

In the Trajan period, the TS of La Graufesenque disappears from the market in the provinces. From now on, the pottery factories of La Graufesenque only have local significance. In the late first century, the pottery town of Banassac, also in southern Gaul, gains in importance. While the TS studios of Montans and La Graufesenque were at least partially in the Arretian tradition, the northern Italian influence in Banassac is completely absent. In Hadrianic times, the end of TS production by Banassac and with it the end of the importance of the South Gaulish TS.

Form spectrum

The drag form is one of the oldest types of vessels in the inventory of South Gallic terra sigillata . 11, a goblet which, according to its profile, is still entirely in the Arretian tradition. The most common form is the bowl drag. 29. From the Neronian era onwards, this is gradually achieved through the form of drag. 37 replaced. Drag forms also play a role. 30 and Knorr 78.

Differentiation of Arretian and South Gallic TS

In the beginning, Terra Sigillata was also produced in southern Gaul in the Arretian tradition. At least this was copied in excellent quality. Nevertheless, clear differences can be seen.

South Gallic TS is usually characterized by a striking, high-gloss, intense red body . Macroscopically small, whitish lean components (lime) are characteristic of the quarry. There are also differences in shape and decoration. Arretinian potters designed the edge shapes of their vessels mostly uniform. Uniformity does not seem to have had much weight in South Gallic studios. In the Arretian relief sigillata , scenic representations dominate (e.g. hunting scenes). TS, which is decorated in relief, has either a two-row ornament zone or a large picture zone in which tendril patterns were popular. Ornaments in the form of arrowheads dominate the Banassac studios.

Dating problem

In the literature there are attempts to make a periodic classification of the TS in southern Gaul (e.g. Hermet 1934). The profile development and design of the decorations serve as criteria for this type of dating approach. Such classifications have proven impractical because they were rigid and, above all, very subjective. Today a chronological assignment using the stamp is preferred.

Organization of the pottery

Almost 300 potters from La Graufesenque are known by name. The pottery bills from La Graufesenque give an insight into the organization of the pottery factories . So far, there are around 40 TS fragments on which a combination of words and numbers have been scratched. The deciphering of the graffiti is still difficult. The words are probably a combination of Vulgar Latin and Celtic expressions. The pottery bills usually consist of a head part, a middle part and a final part. The header contains the word τυθος, probably the Celtic word for kiln, and a number between 1 and 9. The middle section consists of four columns with the name of the potter, the name of the vessel, the size and the number of items. In the final part, the added sum of the number of pieces is given, usually a number around 30,000.

The meaning of these pottery calculations is still unclear. A kiln must have been fed by different potters or pottery studios. In order to be able to assign the vessels again after the fire, the master distiller noted the individual deliveries.

literature

Joseph Déchelette : Les vases céramiques ornés de la Gaule Romaine . Paris 1904.
Donald Atkinson: A hoard of Samian ware from Pompeii . In: The Journal of Roman Studies 4, 1914, 26–64.
Frédéric Hermet: La Graufesenque (Condatomago). I. Vases Sigillées. II. Graffites . Paris 1934.
August Oxé : The pottery bills of La Graufesenque . In: Bonner Jahrbücher 130, 1925, 38–71.
August Oxé: La Graufesenque . In: Bonner Jahrbücher 140/141, 1936, 325–394.
Barbara horse shepherd : The Roman terra sigillata pottery in southern Gaul . Small writings for the knowledge of the Roman occupation history of Southwest Germany 18. Aalen 1978.
Egon Schallmayer : Treasure trove of southern Gallic terra sigillata potters . Compiled after revision of the catalog by Geo T. Mary; edited by Egon Schallmayer. 1. People-animals 2. Plants 3. Ornaments-circles-wreaths-friezes-egg bars . Stuttgart 1985.
Barbara Pferdehirt: The Roman occupation of Germania and Rhaetia from the time of Tiberius to the death of Trajan. Investigations into the chronology of southern Gaulish relief sigillata. In: Yearbook of the RGZM 33, 1986, 221-320
Pia Eschbaumer, Andrea Faber: The South Gallic Relief Sigillata - Critical Remarks on Chronology and Research Methods. A statement on the article by B. Pferdehirt in the RGZM yearbook. 33, 1986 . In: Find reports from Baden-Württemberg 13, 1988, 223–247.
Robert Marichal: Les graffites de La Graufesenque. Paris 1988
Brian R. Hartley, Brenda M. Dickinson: Names on terra sigillata. An index of makers' stamps & signatures on Gallo-Roman terra sigillata (Samian ware). Institute of Classical Studies, London, 2008ff. ( Bulletin of the Institute of Classical Studies. Supplement 102).