POTTERY KILNS FROM POROLISSUM (DACIA POROLISSENSIS). ASPECTS OF LOCAL PRODUCTION (TYPOLOGY AND EVOLUTION)

Alexandru V. Matei

The Roman municipium of Porolissum was the capital of the Roman province Dacia Porolissensis. The town is located on the northwest limes of Roman Dacia (2nd -3rd century AD). In recent years, archaeological research carried out at this site brought to light a massive quantity of pottery and some Roman pottery kilns.

The poster presents five pottery kilns discovered at Porolissum, together with the pottery found inside and in the kilns' pits. Types of shapes and ornaments present this rich ceramic material. The kilns were discovered in well-framed archaeological contexts. Together with the coins found at the same spots can offer good arguments to date this pottery in two chronological layers, the beginning of the 2nd century AD and the beginning of the 3rd century AD.
Based on the ceramic material from the first part of the 2nd century AD found in these kilns, we are trying to establish the first typology of the ordinary pottery from Porolissum. In one of the kilns was found a whole series of spoilt vessels decorated in barbotine technique. This discovery is a solid argument that this class of pottery was also produced at Porolissum. A typology of the ornaments used for the decoration of this pottery found at Porolissum is presented.

Porolissum was also a center that produced Roman gray stamped pottery. This center developed mainly in the 3rd century AD. Owing to the vessels' type and especially to the ornaments used to make the stamped decoration, the pottery center from Porolissum is different from other similar places from Dacia (Napoca, Casei, Gilau and Gherla). The main types of vessels and stamped ornaments used for the decoration of this class of pottery at the pottery center from Porolissum is presented.

The possibility to chronologically frame these five pottery kilns discovered at Porolissum, offers a great opportunity to present and date this kind of pottery.

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