TOWARDS AN EXPLANATION OF THE DEARTH OF CERAMIC FINE WARES IN CYPRUS AND PARTS OF THE LEVANT BETWEEN AD 150 AND 300
John Lund
Collection of Classical and Near Eastern Antiquities, Ancient Cultures of Denmark and the Mediterranean, The National Museum of Denmark, Frederiksholms Kanal 12, 1220 Copenhagen K Denmark
Search for more papers by this authorJohn Lund
Collection of Classical and Near Eastern Antiquities, Ancient Cultures of Denmark and the Mediterranean, The National Museum of Denmark, Frederiksholms Kanal 12, 1220 Copenhagen K Denmark
Search for more papers by this authorABSTRACT
The article focuses on a rarely acknowledged cultural phenomenon – the steep decline of ceramic fine wares in parts of the Eastern Mediterranean between about AD 150 and 300 and explores possible reasons behind the dearth of these table wares, as attested through archaeological projects, in particular in Cyprus. As an explanatory model a “Product Life-Cycle Theory” is tested against available data, in conjunction with other factors such as depletion of clay supplies and timber resources.
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