Villa Maria
The potter’s quarter in Syracuse
PI Team Research case-study

Syracuse was probably one of the main centers of experimentation in the production of pottery in Sicily, setting up new techniques that, from the Hellenistic period, lead to the development of pottery production of the first Imperial period. The research is focused on the study of the dynamics of production, distribution and consumption of the contexts of Santa Lucia and Villa Maria, belonging to the “Kerameikos”, the productive quarter of the ancient Syracuse, actives between the 2nd century BC and the 1st century AD. The study will be focused on the analysis of sherds coming largely from kiln dumps and including both wasters and finished pottery. The analyses will focus on the contextualization of archaeological evidence and in particular on the topographical and chronological definition of the kilns area.