Approaching the early Greek Colonization in Southern Italy: Ceramic local production and imports in the Siritis area (Basilicata)

The paper presents archaeometric analyses (OM, XRPD and XRF) of Greek imports, Greek-type pottery, local reference materials of Orientalising Period (7th century BC) from the modern city of Policoro (Basilicata), in the area of ancient settlement of Siris/Polìeion along the Ionian Sea coast. The 34 potsherds can be divided into eight different fabrics for their composition and grain-size distribution. Fabrics IC, ICP, ICC and ICA (n = 27) can be ascribed to the use of a Ca-rich clay, while fabrics QA, IGC, Q and IA (n = 7) to the use of a Ca-poor clay. Pottery made of calcareous clay can be associated with four clay samples from the local marine Plio-Pleistocene clay and fluvial deposits, with significant elutriation as inferred from its very fine texture and chemical variability. Pottery made of non-calcareous clays shows very different non-plastic inclusions (mudstones, chert and quarzarenitic as well as calcareous clasts) which suggest non-local production, with different imports from Greece, such us Corinthian amphorae, Subgeometric pottery and surprisingly also firing pots (chytrai). The Ca-poor samples show a general low to medium sintering (500 < Tmax < 800 °C), while Ca-rich show high sintering (900 < Tmax < 1050 °C).