Archaeometric insight into the early South Italian red figure pottery (420–375 BCE): evidence from Himera, Lipari, and Syracuse in Sicily

Recent archaeological research on the emergence of red figure pottery in Sicily in the late fifth and early fourth century BCE reveals a fragmented yet dynamic artisanal landscape, with workshops catering to different sub-regional markets and exhibiting notable mobility. Red figure pottery from three of the most significant archaeological sites in Sicily - namely Himera, Lipari, and Syracuse - has been examined by optical and electron microscopy and atomic spectroscopy (ICP-OES and LA-ICP-MS) to broaden the documentary framework with the archaeometric evidence, in order to strengthen the foundations upon which to base interpretative proposals for new insights into South Italian figurative productions. The results allow us to distinguish between imported Greek and locally produced vases and to shed light on the production activities of key workshops, including the Chequer Painter, the Painter of Louvre K236, and the Locri Group. By highlighting the compositional and micromorphological features of artefacts from the same archaeological site, it has also been possible to confirm the existence of multiple production centres in Sicily, improving the framework for characterization and identification of certain local productions and their technological procedures. Moreover, it is also possible to consider this historical and archaeological framework from the perspective of the movement of painters, workshops and vases between Sicily, the Tyrrhenian region and Southern Calabria. Although the number of samples limits the possibility of drawing general conclusions, the research shows the merits of an integrated approach to better understand the complexities of this artistic and cultural tradition.